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Odds of infant mortality following maternal stress (defined as the woman’s having experienced the death of a first degree relative) at varying times before conception and during pregnancy: In this remarkable study tracking the more than 3 million Swedish babies born between 1973 and 2008, notice that the risk of a baby’s dying soon after birth rose only when the mom experienced this life stressor within 6 months of conception—suggesting that, strangely, distress immediately prior to getting pregnant may weigh most heavily in determining the baby’s health. After reading the information on fetal programming below this section, can you think of some possible reasons why this might be so?
Data from: Class and others, 2013.