The brain development of your baby begins as early as 3 weeks after conception, with the formation of a tube of neural tissue. This marks the start of a process that will result in the formation of the brain and spinal cord. By the time your baby is born, billions of neurons will have been produced in the brain and synapses (connections) have already begun to form.
What can a mother can do to support the early stage of prenatal brain development?
Good nutrition is important, since brain growth and the growth of the feotus' body is influenced by the
quality of the mother’s diet¹. It has been found that omega-3 intake, specifically DHA, in the last months of pregnancy boosts an infant’s
sensory, cognitive and motor development².
Mothers should also avoid alcohol and cigarettes, as well as
occupational hazards like exposure to certain chemicals and radiation. Infections also pose a great risk to a developing foetus’ brain, so strict hygiene should be observed along with prenatal testing and treatment.
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| Here’s a visual demonstration of how your breast-fed baby gets most of his or her DHA. |
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*Please note that this is a simplified visual demo only intended to aid in
the understanding of the
subject matter. |
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