Science of the MotherBaby Bond Handout

Laurel Wilson, IBCLC, RLC, CCCE. CLE, CLD, CPPI

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Info@motherjourney.com

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Abstract:

Attachment begins during pregnancy, not in the moments, weeks, and years post birth. This attachment, the motherbaby bond, is forged through an awareness of the biological and emotional connection between mother and child from the very earliest moments of conception. The internal world of the mother and child is now known to be a strong influence in the behavior, health, and personality of a child. This crucial prenatal period is impacted by the emotional and nutritional experience of the mother and has a lot to do with who babies turn out to be. The prenatal attachment that occurs, regardless of a mother’s conscious awareness, is changing the brain development, personality, and genetic expression of her baby. At no other time in their child’s life do parents influence who that child will be, both emotionally and physically, than during the 0-3 period of life. We now know that prenatal chronic stress leads to babies who cry more, sleep less, and are anxious. A mother’s thoughts create chemical signals that form her baby’s brain and lead to a happy or anxious child. Mothers have the ability to influence healthy brain development and genetic expression during pregnancy through the motherbaby bond. This presentation discusses epigenetics, brain development, molecular messaging between mother and baby, and the impact of stress on the baby’s future health.

Top Tips:

· Epigenetic influence 5 generations out in humans, up to 14 in some animal models

· Each pregnancy influence 3 generations

· Prenatal attachment influences preterm labor, maternal PMAD, brain development, PMAD, breastfeeding

· Higher antenatal bonding predicted higher postnatal bonding at all pregnancy time-points. Rossen, 2016

· Neuropeptides

· Thoughts language of brain, feels language of body

· The Emotional Quotient

· EQ

· Lifelong happiness and health

· Develop relationships

· Entrainment/Synchronicity- Heart coherence and incoherence

· Placenta

· Acts as a brain

· Produces Seratonin

· Affects mood, sleep, cognition and develops pancreas, heart and brain (Musumeci, 2017)

· Organs we associate with emotions

· Development of hindbrain, emotional brain (Tryptophan)

· Produces enzyme to break down cortisol (Stirrat, 2017)

· Prenatal brain and stress

· Prenatal stress reduces proteins needed for synaptogenesis

· Altered expression in hippocampus (depression and anxiety)

· Increased fear response

· Hormones of Pregnancy

· Oxytocin

· Bonding

· Increase in olfactory response

· Increase in spatial memory

· “Mommy Brain”

· Empathy, anxiety, and social interaction

· Increase on olfactory systems and fear response

· Progesterone and Estrogen

· Hormones brain development-increase maternal behavior

· Prolactin

· Increases ability to deal with stress (Wartella)

· Vasopressin in Males

· Amygdala response – hypersensitivity to baby

· Maternal Microbiome shifts - Methanobrevibactor Smithii Extremophile

· Smell of Baby

· Smell of the baby creates actual “addiction” to the baby

· Scent of baby activate caudal nucleus

· Neural reward circuit

· Makes mothers desire to be near their babies

· Nutrition/Epigenome/Microbiome Indrio, 2017

· Epigenetic Flip Switchers - Flip Switch

· Environmental and chemical exposures

· Nutrition

· Emotions, thoughts, beliefs

· Stress

· What is Epigenetics

· Literally means above the gene.

· How our environment influences genetic expression.

· Genome = DNA

· Epigenome = Phenotype

· Genome (Hard Drive)

· Epigenome (APPS)

· Phenotype (Program)

· Only 1-2% of disease comes directly from genetic origin. Our genes do not direct our lives because our genes cannot turn themselves off and on. Only the environment can do that!

· Epigenetic Modifiers

· DNA Methylation

· Histone Modification

· mRNA

· Phosphorylation

· Ubiquitylation

· Sumolyation

· The Critical 1000

· Epigenetics at Work After Birth

· Food that goes in changes the enzymes in the gut

· Fermentation of proteins of polysaccharides

· Methyls and Acetyl Groups

· Epigenetics and Microbiome of Milk

· Artificial milk fed infants have completely different pH. Changes pH (from an acidic base of 5.1-5.4 to more alkaline of 5.9-7.3 which allows putrefactive bacteria)

· Change the fermentation process and methyl groups available to body

· Agouti Mice and the epigenome

·

· Microbiome Differences

· Vaginal vs. Cesarean

· Emergent Cesarean vs Planned Cesarean

· Homebirth vs. Hospital birth

· Breastfed vs. Formula Fed

· How does bacteria get in BM? GALT/MALT/BALT

· ‘The human gut contains a diverse community of bacteria that colonise the large intestine in the days following birth and vastly outnumber our own cells. These so-called gut microbiota constitute a virtual organ within an organ, and influence many bodily functions.” Costandi, 2012

· Microbiota Are Influenced by Maternal and Early Life Factors

· Top 5

· BMI

· Siblings

· Sex

· Mode

· Exclusivity

· HMO’s

· Can’t be digested by baby

· Feed our bacteria

· Genetically driven

· Influenced by geography

· Bouncers – bacteria latch on and get a ride out of gut

· Immune Tuners – Dial down immune in gut so bacteria can establish hold

· Feeders –Providing unique nourishment

· Microbiota as endocrine system

· Breastmilk inflammation and neonate –

· Reduces inflammatory responses in infant

· Until the immune system catches up, takes care of immune response

· Without this, the gut communicate an inflammatory state via cytokines through Vagus Nerve

· Stimulate microglia to direct tryptophan away from production of seratonin and melatonin

· Mycobiome in Milk

· Malassezia, Davidiella, Sistotrema, Penicillium

· Spiking Pasteurized Donor Milk with Parental Milk

· Can’t You Just Take Antiobiotics? (Zmora, 2018)

· Stool samples aren't an accurate portrait of human host's pre-existing microbiome and overall health.

· Some people's microbiota resists colonization with probiotics

· Some microbiomes change in response to probiotics, and sometimes in different ways at different points along the gastrointestinal tract.

· Probiotics administration after antibiotics can impede the microbiome's return to baseline flora in humans

· Characteristics of both an individual person and of their microbiome can largely predict probiotics' effects in that person

· Mother/Baby Separation leads to dysbiosis

· Separation

· Obesity

· IBS

· Diabetes

· Metabolic Syndrome

· Antibiotic Bomb

· In Mom

· Reduces Lactobacillus

· Increases weight gain

· Reduced bacterial diversity

· In Baby

· Reduced adaptive antiviral immune responses

· Alter behavior (low locomotor response)

· Cafeteria Diets in Lactation

· CD- High fat, high sugar, low protein

· During lactation in rats (Pomar, 2017)

· Lower body weight, lower lean mass, high fat accumulation

· Hyperleptinemia

· Thin outside-fat-inside body type

· CD- High fat, high sugar, low protein

· (Speight, 2017)

· Reduced anxiety

· Locomotor increased

· Alters methylation tags

· High fat versus carbohydrate diet significantly alters the milk microbiome

· HMO composition

· Abundance of gut-associated taxa

· (Meyer, 2017)

· Mammary Growth Yields

· Rats on compensatory nutrition program

· Energy restriction (all essential nutrients but caloric reduction) has significant biological impact on animals

· Retardation of aging

· Reduction of cancer

· Reduction late life disease

· Energy restriction shifts physiology to energy-conserving and away from energy-wasteful metabolic pathways

· Refeeding then causes accelerated anabolism, increased growth

· The Epigenome Helps Breast Tissue “Remember” Dos Santos, 2015

· Epigenome, Leptin, and Formula

· DNA methylation of LEP

· Responsible for appetite regulation and fat metabolism

· Formula feeding dims down the Leptin producing gene

· Stem Cells, Exosomes, and mRNA in BM

· Rich with mRNAs that promote

· Cellular differentiation and proliferation

· Tissue identity

· Metabolism

· Developmental programming

· Influence is strongest before age of 2

· Inadequacy of immune system to reject genetic material

· Increased plasticity

· Increased vulnerability of epigenome during developmental period

· Lactocrine Circadian Rhythm

· Pluripotent Stem cells in BM

· BM Saliva and Hydrogen Peroxide protect baby from pathogens

· Attachment, Stress, Bonding and Epigenetics

·

· Honger Winter

· Human research - influence beyond three generations – HongerWinter winter 1944-spring 1945

· 30% nutrition

· Early pregnancy or late pregnancy

· Specific epigenetic tags for diabetes

· Post Traumatic Slave Syndrome (Dr. Joy DeGruy)

· What is Weathering?

· “..early health deterioration as a consequence of the cumulative impact of repeated experience with social or economic adversity and political marginalization.”

· Racism

· Chronic Stress

· Daily Microaggressions

· Poverty

· Lack of HC Access

· Food Insecurity

· Personal Trauma

· Weathering Impacting Feeding

· Early return to work

· Increased formula feeding

· Safety for breastfeeding in public

· Lack of Donor Milk in NICU in Hospital

· Birth and Bonding

· Skin to Skin/Breastfeeding

· Baby

· Appropriate Development

· Secure Attachment

· Mother

· Maternal Sensitization

· Bonding

· Separation/Non Species Specific Food

· Baby

· Open gut

· Unhealthy Biome

· Risk of Attachment Disorder

· Mother

· Increases risk of disease

· Less Attunement for parenting

· Mother Baby Connected

· Attune to one another through taste, sight, smell

· Attunement promotes bonding and love

· Limbic attunement allows mother to read her baby’s needs

· Parental love releases dopamine in baby’s brain

· Separation of mom baby in primate studies

· Display marked deficits in play behavior

· Exhibit high levels of aggression with peers

· Perform poorly on learning and cognitive tasks

· Behaviorally inhibited

· With a heightened fear-response to novelty

· We must improve access to human milk

· Share Milk/Cooperative Milk Systems

· Improving donations to Donor Milk sites

· Improving access to human milk for those in need.

· Wet nursing?

· Questions, handouts, resources:

· info@motherjourney.com

· www.motherjourney.com

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