Pregnancy tips Mother's Diet in Pregnancy Can Affect Baby's Preferences

I've always wondered if my craving for oranges during pregnancy may have affected my daughter's taste...she's a picky eater, but LOVES oranges. This article explains how the mother's diet during pregnancy can affect her baby's preferences. Read more:

huffingtonpost.com

From the article:

During the study, 12 pregnant women were given biscuits and sweets laced with aniseed. After they had given birth, their baby's reaction to certain foods were monitored against babies who were not exposed to food with aniseed.

Babies who were exposed to the strong flavour of aniseed in the womb seemed more interested and attracted to the food when presented with it. The study reveals that the babies smiled and moved towards the aniseed smell, whereas babies who were not exposed to it, turned away in disgust.

Scientists believe that babies can sense strong flavours by inhaling amniotic fluid from in the womb.

"During pregnancy, a woman is relatively vulnerable to her environment," Dr Benoist Schaal explained at the annual meeting, as reported by the Press Association.

"What the mother takes in a certain dose goes also to the foetus during a period when the brain is being formed, probably with long term consequences."

Reacting to the study’s findings, fertilty expert, Emma Cannon, told The Huffington Post: "I believe that a mother's experiences during pregnancy all have an impact on the growing baby. Even her inner most thoughts and feelings affect her baby.