register with the child.
We should remember that all recordings of the mother's physiology are determined by chemical messenger systems. The influences of one or another transmitter system that becomes engaged in the stress-coping process of the mother can possibly affect the fetus. They will possibly create chemical readings in the child similar to those that are designed to be established in the mother.
Simply put, let us not underestimate the influence and responsibility of the mother for providing a normal chemical environment for the development, well-being, and future normal behavior of the fetus growing in her uterus—the preparatory school of life. The child's learning during its intrauterine “school days” can become the format settings for behavior and mood patterns in adult phases of life. Every form of behavior and thought translates into the release of a combination of chemical messenger systems. The release of chemical combinations can also code the brain of a growing fetus in the uterus. Thus, the life-style of a pregnant woman can influence the chemistry of a developing fetus. If she develops an imbalance in her chemistry, her fetus has to cope with the imbalance, too. It is true that the placenta acts as a selective barrier, but certain natural chemicals of the body go across the barrier, even in disproportionate amounts if these are present in the mother.
In short, the mother's range of chemistry is a template for the development of her child.
Similarly, a mother who consumes an excess of alcohol during pregnancy may produce a mentally fractured and unable-to-cope child. A developing brain needs much water. One of the ways of getting water through the cell wall is by the creation of small “showerhead” perforations that allow only water through. Other solid substances that are dissolved in the serum do not get into the cell when water is injected into the cell. The act of producing these very small perforations in the cell wall to let only water in is under the control of a hormone called vasopressin— the agent engaged in the drought-management program of the body.
Alcohol has been shown to prevent vasopressin formation and its functions. When alcohol consumption by the mother prevents the secretion and the needed actions of vasopressin, the same effect is produced in the child. The mother's brain structure is already formed, but the fetus's is not. The lack of vasopressin can result in the child's brain not developing normally. The child's lungs may also develop with abnormalities that could lead to cystic deformation. Because of the vital role of water in regulating all functions of the body, it is not accurate to blame most developmental abnormalities entirely on DNA malformation, as has been the case up to now. Dehydration could be a contributing factor.
Figure 4.2: The schematic model of a nerve cell, its membrane wall, and the vasopressin receptor that becomes transformed into a type of “showerhead” that lets only water through its very small perforations. This is part of the mechanism of reverse osmosis that the body employs to deliver filtered water into vital cells.
Crib Death
Crib death/cot death (CD) or sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS) is the name given to the unexplainable and unpredictable death of a child in its crib. Losing an infant during its sleep is one of the most devastating tragedies imaginable. Every year, seven thousand to eight thousand babies between a few days and a year old die inexplicably while asleep. The greatest frequency is among infants two to six months old. Diagnosis relies on exclusion of other causes and is based on autopsy examination.
Vomiting up milk and then choking on it is usually not the cause of death. It is not caused by infections or colds. It is not the result of a contagious disease. The primary cause of CD is not really known.
I have thought much about the possible physiological events that might cause the death of an