Hush baby: baby's brain quieted by mother's hormones during birth

Researchers working with rats have discovered that oxytocin, a hormone produce by a mother's body during birth, quiets babies brains during birth so that they don't use as much oxygen. This explains how babies -- who depend on blood flow from the placenta for oxygen -- can survive the process of labor.

Oxytocin is responsible for the starting a woman's labor, and this study found that the hormone surge a mother has at the beginning of labor serves as a "neuroprotective" to the baby, telling the fetal brain to conserve energy and use less oxygen. This just solidifies what women, birth attendants, and physicians have known for ages -- labor is a natural process, and the body knows how to prepare itself.

Researchers think that this finding may be significant in helping women with difficult pregnancies or infants who are in distress during labor. They theorize that treating mother and child with oxytocin may prevent or treat certain complications. With prematurity rates in the United States at an a record high, it will be interesting to see where this research leads.