11/07/2025
We now know there are influences shaping the longterm health of a child BEFORE pregnancy, when they are just stars in the sky! It all comes down to epigenetics.
Regardless, this 2010 Time article is worth a read. The first nine months of life profoundly shape the rest of your life by influencing physical and mental health, and even temperament and intelligence, according to the field of fetal origins.
Factors like the mother's nutrition, stress levels, exposure to toxins, and overall health during pregnancy can "program" the fetus's genes and organs, affecting a person's lifelong risk for conditions like heart disease, diabetes, obesity, asthma, and mental illness.
https://time.com/84145/how-the-first-nine-months-shape-the-rest-of-your-life/