Opinion: Canadian mothers need a shift in the culture of maternity care; Dr Choudhary published in The Gazette

Perhaps no one is prepared for the unique mix of numbing exhaustion and intense emotions at the beginning of motherhood. We read about it and we are told about it, but it’s not until we go through it that we understand how dramatic the changes can be to our bodies, emotions, identities, careers and families.

Now the latest science — neuroscience and epigenetics — teaches us that the foods we eat, the yoga we do, the calm we maintain and the conflict we avoid all give rise to happier, healthier babies and mothers. It tells us through the authority of brain scans and methylation patterns that our choices and environments shape our biology and mental health, and the brain development of our babies.

Read the complete article here.