Silver linings.
If you are currently pregnant and feeling YUCK (we feel you, mama!), you might care to know that a brand new Canadian study has just found a link between mums’ morning sickness and children’s IQ.
It’s true. And while many expecting mums can’t help but worry if their sickness is affecting the amount of nutrients their baby is getting, this new study has found the opposite.
Nausea and vomiting during pregnancy is very common, particularly in the first trimester and it is related to changes in particular hormones that are needed for the placenta’s development, one theory is that morning sickness is a sign of a healthy pregnancy. In fact, statistics tell us that as many as one in two pregnant women will experience sickness in varying degrees throughout their pregnancies, and one in 50 will suffer from extreme sickness such as hyperemesis gravidarum.
According to researchers at the Hospital for Sick Children in Toronto, Canada, recent research revealed that mums who suffer from severe morning sickness during pregnancy tend to have kids with sharper minds.
You’re welcome, kids.
The researchers looked at 121 children between the ages of three and seven, many whose mothers suffered from morning sickness during their pregnancy. And what they found, was that rather than falling behind, these children were more likely to have scored higher on IQ, memory and language skill tests.
All children in the study scored within the normal range for mental development.
The Canadian researchers believe that pregnancy hormones related to morning sickness have positive effects on fetal brain development.
“[The findings suggest that] nausea and vomiting in pregnancy is not harmful and in fact may enhance favourably children’s long-term [mental development],” lead researcher Dr Irena Nulman told Reuters Health.
