Mother’s intuition is advertised as a magic sauce, a secret ingredient that turns women into moms. It makes sense, though, that something so important would have a strong biological component to it. As researchers study the changes that occur during pregnancy and soon after birth, we are learning more and more about how the state of pregnancy itself prepares a woman for motherhood. A lot of maternal behavior is regulated by changes in the levels of hormones in an expectant mother. For example, oxytocin, a hormone known to give the feeling of happiness, is produced in women during pregnancy and soon after birth. High levels of oxytocin make mothers more attached to their children, more attentive and more in-tune with their children’s needs, and a mother’s oxytocin levels increase as she interacts with her child. Oxytocin also increases in babies as they interact with their mothers, creating a feedback cycle that cements the mother-child bond. The effects of this hormone are not limited to biological mothers, though, as the oxytocin feedback cycle also helps strengthen the attachment between foster and adoptive mothers and their non-biological children.
The hormone prolactin, popularly known to control milk production in mothers, is also involved in making new brain cells during pregnancy. These brain cells are involved in increasing a mother’s sense of smell, which helps her bond with her baby. (Is this why mothers are often the first to smell a poopy diaper, or does everyone else pretend to have an inferior sense of smell just so that mom always gets to do the diaper changes? I’m eagerly awaiting the results of that study!). Surprisingly, testosterone, a hormone very strongly linked to masculinity, also affects maternal behavior. High testosterone in mothers increases vigilance and attentiveness, both of which are hallmarks of mother’s intuition . Obviously, then, the desire to love, protect and care for our offspring is encoded in our DNA. Yet, biology can only take us so far. The decision to give the best of ourselves to our children is one that mothers everywhere make constantly, and this is well worth celebrating.
A little over three years in, I can’t pretend to know much about mothering. I make mistakes every day. Yet I wake up every morning determined to do the best I can, and I’m starting to believe that this is what motherhood is all about. Happy Mother’s Day to everyone who is mothering in any way, and especially to my own Mummy, to whom I owe a thousand apologies and a debt of gratitude which I can never repay. I still haven’t met anyone I’d rather have as my mother.
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| My mummy and me. |
