Maternal Influences on the Developing Fetus

Observations of a link between pregnant woman and fetus, and speculation on its nature abound throughout history, literature, and across cultures. Despite the ubiquity of the phenomenon, relatively little is known about the manner in which the development of the fetus is influenced by the maternal psychological context. Scientific inquiry into the nature of this relationship has been historically hampered not by lack of interest, but by lack of access to the fetus. Although this changed considerably in the 1980s with the development of real time obstetric ultrasound, the prenatal period is the only time in development when interaction between mother and offspring cannot be directly observed and evaluated. As discussed earlier in this volume, the scientific focus of fetal neurobehavioral assessment has been typically directed at the fetus, and not at the maternal–fetal pair. However, as early as the 1930s, the Fels Longitudinal Study included the first systematic scientific inquiry into factors that influence neurobehavioral functioning of the human fetus. Potential fetal influences considered included exposures such as cigarette smoking and nutritional factors as well as maternal psychological factors of emotionality and stress [ 1, 2 ] . Although the methods of access to the fetus and measurement of fetal heart rate and motor behavior were quite rudimentary, many of the questions posed then remain now as active areas of research. The preliminary findings from this project could have served to provide a broad substrate for a new field of scientific study. However, research into whether and how