The Mother-Baby Bond

From embryo to infancy, biologically accurate illustrations from theVisualMD.com illuminate changes in mother and baby as the two grow and develop together

Touch and emotional engagement boost early childhood development, but can children recover from neglectful environments?

Many mothers continue to have depressive symptoms well into their child's youth, which can have lasting impacts on their children's development, but new research shows short therapy sessions can improve outlook

Feeding infants with breast milk has been shown to improve baby health and even IQ, but the benefits of breastfeeding also appear to stay with mothers for years to come, lowering risks of cardiovascular disease and cancer

In addition to all of the nutrients flowing from mother to fetus, some of the developing child's cells pass back into the mother's body. New research shows how this fetal microchimerism may affect long-term health

Mothers-to-be get better at recognizing emotions

Does sentience appear in the womb, at birth or during early childhood?

A look at the science (or lack thereof) behind prenatal wives' tales

Anthropologist Edward H. Hagen replies

A gene may affect infant anxiety, but good parenting can overrule it

How smiles—and pouts—are helping researchers probe the essence of the complex mother-infant bond.

Does breast-feeding tune your brain to your baby?

Many, perhaps all, people harbor a small number of cells from genetically different individuals--from their mothers and, for women who have been pregnant, from their children. What in the world do these foreigners do in the body?

A deep despair mars the first year of motherhood for as many as one in five women. Without treatment, postpartum depression can weaken critical bonds between a mother and her child

New studies reveal the universal nature of the singsong way we talk to infants

Often all you need to do is stick around to convince a baby animal that you are its mother

According to new research, that's if the suckling infant has a certain version of a gene that helps process fatty acids

Adults have to engage in baby talk, regardless of the language they speak, so that babies can learn to talk like adults. Kevin Begos reports.