Happy Mother's Day

In honor of Mother's Day, I thought I would point you to a very interesting podcast called Fetal Consequences.

Researchers at Tufts University have found that the "barrier" between a mother and her unborn child is not very secure.  During pregnancy fetal cells can pass through the placenta and into the mother's blood.  Once they do, these cells remain in the mother for decades.  These researchers are still trying to figure out exactly how those cells affect the mother.  Do they help her fight illness and heal?  Do the cause certain illnesses? As it turns out there is a plethora of variables that affect those questions. 

Regardless of the answers, I find it wonderful to think that whether a mother has lost her baby before birth, or had a child die, or even just had children grow up and move away to live their own lives, we can all take a little comfort in the fact that we are never fully apart from our children.  A little bit of them will always remain with us perhaps doing what children do best... helping us when we're low and need some sunshine and fighting us at other times.

I hope you listen to this podcast, enjoy your children, and enjoy your Mother's Day!