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MaximilianKohler edited this page Jul 21, 2024 · 32 revisions

The current ethos of "everyone has kids, I want one too", without severe consideration given to the potential health, development, and quality of life of the human being being created from unhealthy or incapable parents is problematic, unethical, and inhumane.

Questions that every potential parent should be severely considering:

Are my body and mind really in peak condition, enough to create a high functioning, healthy human being who will not suffer from physical or mental disease? Do I have a good enough understanding of human health and development to make this judgment? Am I able to grasp the systemic outcomes of a majority of the population being unhealthy and continuing to use their bodies to create children?

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Table of Contents:

Adoption:

Media:

Short Term 12 (2013) https://www.imdb.com/title/tt2370248/

Instant Family (2018) https://www.imdb.com/title/tt7401588/

Info:

http://www.instantfamily.org

Alcohol:

C.D.C. tells sexually active women of childbearing age not to drink alcohol unless they are on birth control https://www.cdc.gov/vitalsigns/fasd/index.html

PBS coverage of fetal alcohol disorder: https://archive.fo/aDAhM

No amount of alcohol is safe (2015): https://www.livescience.com/52515-pregnant-women-no-drinking-alcohol.html

No safe amount of alcohol during pregnancy (2019): https://neurosciencenews.com/alcohol-pregnancy-12068/ - https://doi.org/10.1063/1.5089527

Age:

Age of mother:

Autism risk is 18% higher for children born to teen moms than moms in their 20s, compared to 15% higher for children born to moms over 40 (2015): http://www.npr.org/sections/health-shots/2015/06/10/413205921/more-evidence-that-parents-ages-could-influence-autism-risk

Most previous research suggests that the older women are when they give birth, the greater the health risks are for their children. Childbearing at older ages is understood to increase the risk of negative pregnancy outcomes such as Down syndrome, as well as increase the risk that the children will develop Alzheimer's disease, hypertension, and diabetes later in life. A new study presents contrary evidence (2016): https://www.mpg.de/10411999/older-mothers-fitter-kids

Incidence of Down Syndrome rises dramatically after the mother turns 30: http://i2.wp.com/www.downsyndromeprenataltesting.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/07/AAFP-DS-prevalence.jpg

Significantly greater overall mortality occurred in infants born to mothers younger than 20 (compared to mothers 30-34) (1983): https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/6886903

Teenage pregnancy was associated with a significantly higher risk of PIH, PET, eclampsia, premature onset of labor, fetal deaths and premature delivery. Increased neonatal morbidity and mortality were also seen in babies delivered to teenage mothers. Younger teenager group (17 years) was most vulnerable to adverse obstetric and neonatal outcomes (2007). https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17978452

Teenage mothers had better obstetric outcomes, despite the higher incidence of preterm labour, and that young adolescents (<17 years) performed as well as their older peers (1998): https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/9853885

Kids born to older moms and dads (40s & 50s vs 20s) have higher rates of autism (2015): http://health.usnews.com/health-news/patient-advice/articles/2015/06/17/study-parents-ages-linked-to-autism-risk

Men are increasingly having kids at older ages in the U.S., but doctors say that comes with health risks for the babies, including prematurity and birth defects. https://www.nbcnews.com/health/parenting/health-risks-babies-older-fathers-al-pacino-expecting-child-rcna87237

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Age of father:

Older fathers put health of partners, unborn children at risk https://medicalxpress.com/news/2019-05-older-fathers-health-partners-unborn.html. Maternal, infant and childhood risks associated with advanced paternal age: The need for comprehensive counseling for men (Mar 2019): http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.maturitas.2019.03.020

Children of older fathers have longer telomeres (2012): http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/science/science-news/9325945/Children-of-older-fathers-are-more-likely-to-live-longer.html

Advancing paternal age (45+) is associated with increased risk of psychiatric and academic morbidity (2014): https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamapsychiatry/fullarticle/1833092

Older fathers are now known to pass on more genetic mutations to their children than older mothers do. And children of older fathers are more likely to have autism and schizophrenia (2017): https://www.newscientist.com/article/2150298-sperm-age-calculator-tells-men-how-decrepit-their-sperm-are/ - https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3548427

Advanced paternal age (older than 35) is associated with negative effects on both mothers and offspring. Association of paternal age with perinatal outcomes between 2007 and 2016 in the United States: population based cohort study (2018): https://doi.org/10.1136/bmj.k4372 - http://med.stanford.edu/news/all-news/2018/10/older-fathers-associated-with-increased-birth-risks.html

Advanced paternal age increases risk of early-onset schizophrenia in offspring (2019): https://medicalxpress.com/news/2019-03-advanced-paternal-age-early-onset-schizophrenia.html. Advanced Paternal Age and Early Onset of Schizophrenia in Sporadic Cases: Not Confounded by Parental Polygenic Risk for Schizophrenia (Feb 2019): http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.biopsych.2019.01.023

Baby food:

95 percent of baby foods tested contain toxic metals (Oct 2019) https://www.nbcnews.com/health/kids-health/new-report-95-percent-baby-foods-tested-contain-toxic-metals-n1068306 For nearly 90 percent of the baby foods tested, the FDA has not issued guidance or set standards for the maximum safe limit of heavy metals, according to the report. "The FDA should be doing more," Brody said. "It's the FDA’s job to set rules that make food safe."

New report finds toxic heavy metals in popular baby foods. FDA failed to warn consumers of risk. Gerber, Beech-Nut, HappyBABY and Earth’s Best Organic baby foods contained arsenic, lead, cadmium and mercury, report found (Feb 2021): https://archive.vn/3ph7o#selection-1565.10-1569.0 - Response to Emily Oster: https://archive.vn/H6Q1x#selection-1559.10-1559.11.

Lead found in 20% of baby food samples, especially juices and veggies. The baby food versions of apple juice, grape juice and carrots had detectable lead more often than the regular versions (2017): http://www.cnn.com/2017/06/16/health/lead-baby-food-partner/index.html

It may be safer to use whole foods, and source spices from trustworthy sources that test them for contaminants like heavy metals and publish the test results.

Breastfeeding:

The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends that infants be exclusively breastfed for about the first 6 months with continued breastfeeding alongside introduction of complementary foods for at least 1 year, but only 25% of US infants meet this goal https://www.cdc.gov/breastfeeding/data/reportcard.htm

The American Academy of Pediatrics' publication also lists numerous health outcomes, for both the infant and mother, associated with breastfeeding: https://pediatrics.aappublications.org/content/129/3/e827 - "Given the documented short- and long-term medical and neurodevelopmental advantages of breastfeeding, infant nutrition should be considered a public health issue and not only a lifestyle choice"

The American Academy of Pediatrics issued a policy statement Monday that extends the period of time for which breastfeeding is recommended to two years or more (Jun 2022) https://www.nytimes.com/2022/06/27/well/family/breastfeeding-age-guidance.html

The WHO recommends breastfeeding up to 2 years of age or beyond https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/infant-and-young-child-feeding

The Surgeon General's Call to Action to Support Breastfeeding. The Importance of Breastfeeding (2011) https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK52687/

CDC breastfeeding FAQ: https://www.cdc.gov/breastfeeding/faq/index.htm

WHO comprehensive guide to infant and child feeding: https://www.who.int/nutrition/publications/infantfeeding/9789241597494.pdf "optimal infant and young child feeding practices rank among the most effective interventions to improve child health"

WHO: Long-term effects of breastfeeding. A systematic review (2013) https://apps.who.int/iris/bitstream/handle/10665/79198/9789241505307_eng.pdf "We conclude that there is strong evidence of a causal effect of breastfeeding on IQ, although the magnitude of this effect seems to be modest (3.5 to 2.2 IQ points)"

Review, 2019: "Variations in human milk (HM) immune and microbial composition may in part explain the controversies that are evidenced in studies that aim to evaluate the prevalence of allergy by prolonged and exclusive breastfeeding" https://academic.oup.com/nutritionreviews/advance-article-abstract/doi/10.1093/nutrit/nuz019/5492496 Reviewing the evidence on breast milk composition and immunological outcomes.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Breastfeeding#Health_effects

Microbiota-related benefits: https://archive.fo/wQrGJ - https://HumanMicrobiome.info/Maternity

2008 Large Randomized Trial concludes "strong evidence that prolonged and exclusive breastfeeding improves children's cognitive development": https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamapsychiatry/fullarticle/482695

Cohort Profile: The Promotion of Breastfeeding Intervention Trial (PROBIT) (2014) https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4052126/ "At 6.5 years, children randomised to the breastfeeding promotion intervention in PROBIT had a 7.5-point advantage in verbal IQ, a 2.9-point higher performance IQ, and a 5.9-point higher full-scale IQ than those in the control arm."

Longer duration of breastfeeding is linked with increased intelligence in adulthood, longer schooling, and higher adult earnings, a study following a group of almost 3500 newborns for 30 years (2015): https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2015/03/150317195937.htm

2015 meta analysis confirms causal intelligence impact: http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/apa.13139/abstract

A few studies haven’t found a tie to cognitive capacity, but most have. Over all, a new review of 17 studies found a mean gain of three I.Q. points for children who were breast-fed: http://www.nytimes.com/2015/10/22/opinion/the-miracle-breast-milk-elixir.html – A recent survey by Acta Paediatrica of 130 estimates found that breast-feeding promotion on average increased exclusive breast-feeding by an astonishing 44 percent.

Breastfeeding duration is associated with improved cognitive scores at ages 5 through 14, even after controlling for socioeconomic position and maternal cognitive ability (May 2022, n=7,855) https://neurosciencenews.com/breastfeeding-cognition-20663/ To what extent does confounding explain the association between breastfeeding duration and cognitive development up to age 14? Findings from the UK Millennium Cohort Study.

Babies Who Are Breast-Fed Are Better Protected Against Pollution (2015): http://time.com/3895428/babies-breastfed-pollution-protection/

Long-term effects of birth weight and breastfeeding duration on inflammation in early adulthood (2014): https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4043079/ - controlled for other variables.

A randomised multicentre study of human milk versus formula and later development in preterm infants. (1994): https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1061016/ - controlled for social and educational biases.

Alters gut microbiota & immune system, and reduces postnatal HIV transmission (2018): https://old.reddit.com/r/HumanMicrobiome/comments/8cuc2z/nonexclusive_breastfeeding_alters_the_gut/

Benefits of breast feeding in relation to long-term inflammation. Plus issues with study (2014 Ohio State) that showed no benefits: https://archive.fo/hjeQR

Mothers’ breast milk can provide protection against infection that lasts for life https://www.birmingham.ac.uk/news/latest/2019/05/breastfeeding-immunity-mums-babies-research.aspx. Pre-conception maternal helminth infection transfers via nursing long-lasting cellular immunity against helminths to offspring (May 2019) https://advances.sciencemag.org/content/5/5/eaav3058

Improved Estimates of the Benefits of Breastfeeding Using Sibling Comparisons to Reduce Selection Bias (2005): https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1361236/ "Nearly all of the correlations found in the between-family model become statistically insignificant in the within-family model. The notable exception is a persistent positive correlation between breastfeeding and cognitive ability. This study provides persuasive evidence of a causal connection between breastfeeding and intelligence. However, it also suggests that nonexperimental studies of breastfeeding overstate some of its other long-term benefits, even if controls are included for race, ethnicity, income, and education."

Factors contributing to lack of breastfeeding:

At the most basic level, a woman is biologically evolved to create a vital early-life nutrition for their infant. If they cannot, there is clearly a biological deficiency.

Medical contraindications to breastfeeding are rare https://pediatrics.aappublications.org/content/129/3/e827

Virtually all factors contributing to lack of breastfeeding seem to be avoidable. Some are due to the mother's poor health, and others are due to the mother's poor health resulting in poor development of the infant: https://sci-hub.se/https://www.liebertpub.com/doi/full/10.1089/jwh.2014.5059

Most women make their feeding decisions before conception and/or during pregnancy. Receiving breastfeeding education before delivery is important. C-section and BMI are associated with breastfeeding rates. Can hand-express when birth is premature and infant is not able to breastfeed.

Starting on page 11/23 https://effectivehealthcare.ahrq.gov/sites/default/files/cer-210-breastfeeding-summary.pdf lists multiple poor health statuses which are associated with breastfeeding.

More examples that all have to do with the health and development of the mother: https://www.whattoexpect.com/first-year/breastfeeding/breastfeeding-guide/why-you-might-not-be-able-to-breastfeed.aspx#difficult

Reasons for Earlier Than Desired Cessation of Breastfeeding (2013) https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4861949/

Barriers to Breastfeeding in the United States (2011) https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK52688/

Health System Factors Contributing to Breastfeeding Success (1999) https://pediatrics.aappublications.org/content/104/3/e28

Factors affecting the initiation of breastfeeding: implications for breastfeeding promotion (UK, 2002) https://academic.oup.com/heapro/article/17/3/205/596938 "Breastfeeding rates in the United Kingdom (UK) are one of the lowest in the developed world and certainly the lowest in Europe. Infant feeding decisions seem to be made prior to, or irrespective of, contact with health professionals. Health promotion campaigns in the UK have been influential in their ability to educate women about the benefits of breastfeeding. However, this did not dissuade participants from formula feeding once their decision was made. The desire for paternal involvement also seemed to be another influential factor. Some of the formula feeding women expressed a strong desire to re-establish their identities as separate individuals and as ‘non-mothers’."

Complexity of breastmilk:

Changes in breast milk oligosaccharides depending on season: http://www.nature.com/articles/srep40466

Breastmilk Composition is Dynamic: Infant Feeds, Mother Responds http://milkgenomics.org/article/breastmilk-composition-dynamic-infant-feeds-mother-responds/

Breast milk composition changes hourly and triggers circadian rhythm (2015) https://www.llli.org/breast-milks-circadian-rhythms-2/

Infant saliva backwash changes mother's breast milk (2017, 2018): https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fmicb.2018.02512/full#h5. Microbial Community Dynamics in Mother’s Milk and Infant’s Mouth and Gut in Moderately Preterm Infants.

Breastmilk-Saliva Interactions Boost Innate Immunity by Regulating the Oral Microbiome in Early Infancy (2015): https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0135047 - http://www.microbiomeinstitute.org/blog/2015/9/8/infants-saliva-may-react-with-breast-milk-to-modulate-their-microbiomes

The effect of breastmilk and saliva combinations on the in vitro growth of oral pathogenic and commensal microorganisms (2018): http://dx.doi.org/10.1038/s41598-018-33519-3 "Newborn breastfed babies' saliva combines with breastmilk to release antibacterial compounds that help to shape the bacterial communities (microbiota) in babies' mouths"

Composition of breast milk microbiome varies based on a number of factors—including whether the milk was pumped, or fed to an infant directly from the breast. Composition and Variation of the Human Milk Microbiota Are Influenced by Maternal and Early-Life Factors (Feb 2019) https://gizmodo.com/pumping-breast-milk-changes-its-microbiome-1832568169

Breastfeeding Practices Influence the Breast Milk Microbiota Depending on Pre-Gestational Maternal BMI and Weight Gain over Pregnancy (Apr 2021, n=136) https://www.mdpi.com/2072-6643/13/5/1518/htm "Our results confirm the importance of controlling weight during pregnancy and breastfeeding practices in terms of milk microbiota."

More evidence: Mothers’ own milk is personalized medicine for very low birthweight infants (Aug 2022) https://www.cell.com/cell-reports-medicine/fulltext/S2666-3791(22)00253-1

Breast milk from unhealthy mothers is bad/worse/unhealthy: https://doi.org/10.1093/ecco-jcc/jjy186 "The profile of human milk metabolome, cytokines and antibodies in inflammatory bowel diseases versus healthy mothers and potential impact on the newborn (2018)"

LSU Health New Orleans researchers report that women’s pre-pregnancy overweight or obesity produces changes in breast milk, which can affect infant growth https://www.lsuhsc.edu/newsroom/Research%20%20Finds%20Pre-Pregnancy%20Weight%20Affects%20Infant%20Growth%20%20Response%20to%20Breast%20Milk.html. Maternal pre-pregnancy weight status modifies the influence of PUFAs and inflammatory biomarkers in breastmilk on infant growth (May 2019)

Review, 2018: Review shows that donor milk does not promote the growth and development of preterm infants as well as maternal milk https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1111/apa.14702 "Many of the components in raw maternal breast milk were lacking in pasteurised donor milk, which was inferior in promoting the growth and development of very preterm infants"

Formula:

Nestle's dark history of marketing formula:

It’s time to stop infant formula marketing practices that endanger our children (Mar 2022) https://www.bmj.com/content/376/bmj.o627

Most health claims on infant formula products seem to have little evidence (2023) https://www.bmj.com/company/newsroom/most-health-claims-on-infant-formula-products-seem-to-have-little-or-no-supporting-evidence/ Health and nutrition claims for infant formula: international cross sectional survey.

New technologies claiming to copy human milk reuse old marketing tactics to sell baby formula and undermine breastfeeding (Jun 2021) https://theconversation.com/new-technologies-claiming-to-copy-human-milk-reuse-old-marketing-tactics-to-sell-baby-formula-and-undermine-breastfeeding-159771

Black infants may be at higher risk from lead in tap water, according to HBBF’s report. That’s primarily because they are more likely to be formula-fed. Twenty-six per cent of Black infants are never breastfed, compared with 16% of Hispanic babies, 13% of non-Hispanic white infants and 10% of Asian babies, CDC figures show. Lead in these first months could cause lifetime IQ point loss for babies who consume only formula https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2020/oct/20/led-exposure-bottle-fed-babies-black-infants-study

Soy formula feeding during infancy associated with severe menstrual pain in adulthood, and linked to endometriosis (2018): https://medicalxpress.com/news/2018-11-soy-formula-infancy-severe-menstrual.html

Association of Exposure to Formula in the Hospital and Subsequent Infant Feeding Practices With Gut Microbiota and Risk of Overweight in the First Year of Life. (2018): https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6137517/ "Breastfeeding may be protective against overweight, and gut microbiota may contribute to this effect. Formula feeding appears to stimulate changes in microbiota that are associated with overweight, whereas other complementary foods do not."

Toddler Formulas and Milks - Not Recommended by Health Experts - Mislead with Health Claims (2018) https://www.nyu.edu/about/news-publications/news/2018/february/toddler-formulas-and-milks---not-recommended-by-health-experts--.html

Caffeine:

Moderate daily caffeine intake during pregnancy may lead to smaller birth size (Mar 2021) https://www.nichd.nih.gov/newsroom/news/032521-maternal-caffeine-infant-birth-weight - https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamanetworkopen/fullarticle/2777881

C-sections:

WHO recommends the c-section rate be 10%. http://www.who.int/reproductivehealth/publications/maternal_perinatal_health/cs-statement/en

Most countries are 2–5x over that https://www.statista.com/statistics/283123/cesarean-sections-in-oecd-countries/ — https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4743929.

A Million Cuts: India’s C-Section Epidemic (2023) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zSRfUsiiLGU The Cesarean section rate in India’s private hospitals is a whopping 47.4%, far greater than the 15% threshold recommended by the WHO. Millions of mothers are being forced to go under the knife unnecessarily, causing risk to mother/baby. [00:46:12]

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Poor health markers are primary risk factors for c-section: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3515046/ — http://www.cnn.com/2009/HEALTH/11/11/caesarean.section.risks/

There are also many non-medical risk factors in places where elective c-sections are freely allowed: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4764292/

"Within 50 miles of Boston, there is a drastic difference in the rates of C-section by hospital. In 2018, for example, the lowest rate was 10.8 percent of births at Heywood Hospital in Gardner, and the highest was 41 percent at the Parkland Memorial Hospital in Derry, New Hampshire. Look up your hospital’s C-section rates on http://www.leapfroggroup.org/" (April 2019): https://www.bostonmagazine.com/health/2019/04/25/hospital-c-section-rate/

A user disputes the accuracy of LeapFrog and suggests https://health.usnews.com/best-hospitals and https://www.medicare.gov/hospitalcompare/search.html instead: https://archive.fo/MxQnw#selection-1689.8-1693.0

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Antibiotics for c-section births are just as effective when given after the umbilical cord is clamped as before clamping - the current practice - and could benefit newborns' developing microbiomes (Dec 2020, n=55,901) Study challenges current recommendations aimed at preventing infections https://www.rutgers.edu/news/antibiotics-c-sections-effective-after-umbilical-cord-clamped

See https://HumanMicrobiome.info/Maternity for more on c-sections.

Childhood environment:

How to Make a Young Child Smarter (2013): http://www.danielwillingham.com/daniel-willingham-science-and-education-blog/how-to-make-a-young-child-smarter - https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1177/1745691612462585

Children surrounded by the high amounts of green space in childhood have up to a 55% lower risk of developing a mental disorder – even after adjusting for other known risk factors such as socio-economic status, urbanization, and the family history of mental disorders. (2019): http://scitech.au.dk/en/about-science-and-technology/current-affairs/news/show/artikel/being-surrounded-by-green-space-in-childhood-may-improve-mental-health-of-adults/ - https://www.pnas.org/content/early/2019/02/19/1807504116

Ear infections:

https://humanmicrobiome.info/antibiotics/#antibiotics-for-ear-infections

Ethics:

https://old.reddit.com/r/antinatalism/

Father:

Paternal obesity is an independent risk factor for autism spectrum disorders (ASDs) in children (2014): https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4006442. Parental Obesity and Risk of Autism Spectrum Disorder.

Father's diet could affect the long-term health of his offspring (2018): https://medicalxpress.com/news/2018-08-father-diet-affect-long-term-health.html

You are what your father eats. McGill study suggests that a father’s diet before conception plays a crucial role in the health of his offspring (2013) https://www.mcgill.ca/newsroom/channels/news/you-are-what-your-father-eats-231995

Alcohol consumption by fathers before conception could impact brain development (Mar 2020, mice) https://neurosciencenews.com/father-alcohol-brain-development-16033

Soon-to-Be Dads Who Exercise May Have Healthier Kids. Exercise alters sperm RNA in ways that may improve children's metabolic health. (2018): https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/the-athletes-way/201810/soon-be-dads-who-exercise-may-have-healthier-kids - http://diabetes.diabetesjournals.org/content/early/2018/10/03/db18-0667

Paternal Programming of Liver Function and Lipid Profile Induced by a Paternal Pre-Conceptional Unhealthy Diet: Potential Association with Altered Gut Microbiome Composition (Feb 2019): https://www.karger.com/Article/FullText/497487 Paternal pre-conceptional unhealthy diet predisposes the offspring to mild liver function alterations and alterations of gut microbiota in later life. Effects on lipids were sex-specific and only seen in male offspring.

Depression in Men Impedes Pregnancy for Infertile Couples (2018): http://www.mdmag.com/medical-news/depression-in-men-impedes-pregnancy-for-infertile-couples

Paternal stress exposure alters sperm microRNA content and reprograms offspring HPA stress axis regulation (2013): https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3712504/ - in mice, a father's stress can affect the brain development of offspring. This stress can alter the father's sperm, which can alter the brain development of the child. Paternal experience across the lifespan can induce germ cell epigenetic reprogramming and impact offspring HPA stress axis regulation, and may therefore offer novel insight into factors influencing neuropsychiatric disease risk.

Men's fertility irreversibly damaged by age of 18 thanks to Western junk food diet, study finds (June 2019) https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2019/06/24/mens-fertility-irreversibly-damaged-age-18-thanks-western-junk/

Immunological Tolerance, Pregnancy, and Preeclampsia: The Roles of Semen Microbes and the Father (2018): https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fmed.2017.00239/full - a technical review on the impacts of the father's semen.

Health and diet:

Obesity and the microbiome: https://humanmicrobiome.info/maternity/#obesity

Healthy diet and exercise during pregnancy could lead to healthier children: New research shows improving the lifestyle of women with obesity during pregnancy could mean long-term cardiovascular benefits for their children (Sep 2020) https://www.kcl.ac.uk/news/healthy-diet-exercise-pregnancy-lead-to-healthier-children

African refugee women have healthier pregnancies than U.S. women. The likely reason? An unhealthy U.S. culture (Mar 2019): http://www.buffalo.edu/news/releases/2019/03/021.html

The impact of maternal obesity on childhood neurodevelopment (review, Nov 2020) https://archive.vn/BFUYK#selection-827.0-827.1 "The prevalence of obesity during pregnancy is increasing rapidly, which may have health consequences not just for mothers, but for their offspring, even across generations"

The impact of maternal and early life malnutrition on health: a diet-microbe perspective (Review, May 2020) https://bmcmedicine.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s12916-020-01584-z

Mother’s high fish intake has been linked to statistically significant benefits for the baby’s intelligence, in an extensive study conducted in Spain (2016): https://archive.fo/jtqjO

Unhealthy diet during pregnancy could be linked to ADHD (2016) https://www.kcl.ac.uk/ioppn/news/records/2016/August/Unhealthy-diet-during-pregnancy-could-be-linked-to-ADHD - https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/jcpp.12589

Processed foods may hold key to rise in autism. UCF researchers are now a step closer to showing the link between the food pregnant women consume and the effects on a fetus' developing brain. (June 2019, Propionic Acid) https://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2019-06/uocf-pfm062019.php

Study suggests prenatal diet may play a role in autism (2024) https://forum.humanmicrobiome.info/threads/study-suggests-prenatal-diet-may-play-a-role-in-autism-jul-2024-n-9600.498/ Healthy Prenatal Dietary Pattern and Offspring Autism.

Moms’ Obesity in Pregnancy Is Linked to Lag in Sons’ Development and IQ (Dec 2019) https://www.mailman.columbia.edu/public-health-now/news/moms%E2%80%99-obesity-pregnancy-linked-lag-sons%E2%80%99-development-and-iq

Excess weight among pregnant women may interfere with child's developing brain https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2020/08/200811120149.htm An examination of maternal prenatal BMI and human fetal brain development (Aug, 2020, n=109).

Maternal obesity compromises babies' immune system at time of birth (2015): http://www.mdnewsdaily.com/articles/3253/20150518/maternal-obesity-compromises-babies-immune-system-at-time-of-birth.htm

Nearly half of all Gestational Diabetes cases are attributable to being overweight or obese and are potentially preventable (2010, n=23,904) https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2866592/

A new study has shown pregnant women with obesity could reduce the health risks for their infants through improved diet and more physical activity. (Nov 2020, n=557) https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2020/11/201109184951.htm

Maternal obesity linked to increased risk of early-onset neonatal sepsis. One extra BMI unit, which is equivalent to about six pounds for a woman of average height and weight in this population, would translate into an 8% increase in risk of sepsis for the baby (Jun 2020, n=1,971,346) https://medicalxpress.com/news/2020-06-maternal-obesity-linked-early-onset-neonatal.html

Offspring of mothers with lower WHRs (less than 72) have higher cognitive ability (2008): https://sci-hub.tw/https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1090513807000736

Mom's use of opioids in pregnancy may stunt kids' learning (2018): https://medicalxpress.com/news/2018-08-mom-prenatal-opioids-stunt-kids.html

Higher frequency of vertebrate‐infecting viruses in the gut of infants born to mothers with type 1 diabetes (Dec 2019, n=25) https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1111/pedi.12952 - more evidence that unhealthy parents pass on problems to their children.

Congenital Zika syndrome is associated with maternal protein malnutrition (Jan 2020, mice and humans) https://medicalxpress.com/news/2020-01-malnutrition-linked-zika-birth-defects.html - https://advances.sciencemag.org/content/6/2/eaaw6284.full

Mothers pass on allergies to offspring, Singapore preclinical study shows (Oct 2020) https://www.duke-nus.edu.sg/about/media/media-releases/media-releases/mothers-pass-on-allergies-to-offspring

Home birth:

Home Births May be as Safe as Hospital Births: Review Meta-analysis study shows (Aug 2019) https://conductscience.com/home-births-may-be-as-safe-as-hospital-births-review-meta-analysis-study-shows/

At home births have higher death rate than hospitals: http://www.nytimes.com/2015/12/31/health/as-home-births-grow-in-us-a-new-study-examines-the-risks.html

In the US but not Denmark: https://archive.fo/bRNz0 - https://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMsa1501738

Higher in Israel too: https://aabgu.org/home-births-3-times-more-dangerous-than-at-hospitals/

No difference in the UK: https://www.bmj.com/content/343/bmj.d7400?tab=full

Water birth:

University of Michigan researchers analyzed 397 waterbirths and 2025 land births from two midwifery practices. There were no differences in outcomes between waterbirth and land birth for neonatal intensive care admissions, and postpartum hemorrhage rates were similar for both groups. “The long and short of it is that if you use proper techniques. . . the outcomes are very good,” https://news.umich.edu/study-water-births-are-as-safe-as-land-births-for-mom-baby. A retrospective comparison of waterbirth outcomes in two United States hospital settings (Dec 2019).

A retrospective comparison of water birth and conventional vaginal birth among women deemed to be low risk in a secondary level hospital in Australia (2013) https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S1871519212000728

Microbiome:

Everything related to the impact of microbes - Allergy & asthma, Antibiotics, Breastfeeding, C-section vs Vaginal birth, Vaginal Seeding, Diet, Obesity, Probiotics, Vaginal Microbiome.

The health, diet, and genetics of the parents, along with birthing method, breast feeding, antibiotic use, & early diet of child, have huge impacts on the health and development of the child: https://HumanMicrobiome.info/Maternity

GBS (Group-B Strep):

Moved to https://humanmicrobiome.info/antibiotics/#antibiotics-for-gbs-group-b-strep

Placenta eating:

Study Finds No Evidence That Consuming Part Of Your Own Body Can Reduce Postpartum Depression (2017): http://www.iflscience.com/health-and-medicine/new-study-finds-no-evidence-to-prove-placenta-pills-reduce-postpartum-depression/

Placenta eating can be dangerous: https://www.statnews.com/2017/06/29/placenta-newborn-bacterial-infection/

Obstetrician and gynecologist argues against it: https://www.nytimes.com/2018/09/06/style/placenta-eating-postpartum-placentophagy.html

Preconsiderations:

Antinatalists would benefit from discussing the longevity movement with natalists. Lots of the reasons natalists give for creating children have to do with the natalist dying. Dying will soon become avoidable, and creating offspring will cease to become the default. The sooner this change occurs the better.

Some of the major problems:

We've already depleted the oceans of fish, replaced them with plastic, oil, heavy metals and other industrial pollution. We're doing tremendous damage to nature, such as causing massive deforestation, killing coral reefs, and more. Causing the extinction of a huge variety of animal species. Climate change threatening both our survival and the survival of huge portion of animals and habitats on our planet. Extreme animal suffering due to horrendous factory farming conditions and habitat destruction. And causing a huge amount of human suffering, much of which comes from the rises in chronic disease and poor health, both of which have been increasing drastically in recent decades. The vast majority of people now are nowhere near healthy enough to be ethically using their bodies to create other people.

Pregnancy:

13 things not to do while pregnant https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/322873.php

A new study has definitively shown that regular exposure to THC, the main psychoactive ingredient in cannabis, during pregnancy has significant impact on placental and fetal development -- led to a reduction in birth weight of 8 per cent and decreased brain and liver growth by more than 20 per cent. (Jan 2020) https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-019-57318-6

Regret:

Becoming a parent is a major decision that is often taken too lightly.

More than 70% of parents reported becoming unhappier after the birth of their first child https://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/does-parenthood-make-people-unhappy-0818151

1 in 5 German parents regrets having children and would prefer to live their life without them. https://www.dw.com/en/poll-regrets-german-parents-increasingly-have-a-few/a-19440574

New study reports 1 in 5 adults don't want children, and they don't regret it later (2023) https://phys.org/news/2023-04-adults-dont-children.html Prevalence, age of decision, and interpersonal warmth judgements of childfree adults: Replication and extensions.

Sex-ed:

Sex education:

How the Dutch Do Sex Ed. In the Netherlands, one of the world’s most gender-equal countries, kids learn about sex and bodies starting at age,. teaching young children that human anatomy and reproduction are normal—even mundane—makes way for the most essential lessons about our bodies: how to care for, respect, and enjoy them. https://www.theatlantic.com/family/archive/2018/08/the-benefits-of-starting-sex-ed-at-age-4/568225/

Norwegian state sex ed videos: https://old.reddit.com/r/Documentaries/comments/375dtx/puberty_2015_sexual_education_norwegian_state/crju8ek

Sleep:

What really happens when babies are left to cry it out? Some parents see "sleep training" as the key to a good night's rest. Others argue that it's distressing for babies. What do scientists say about its risks and benefits? (Mar 2022) https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20220322-how-sleep-training-affects-babies

Spanking:

Spanking children increases the likelihood of childhood defiance and long-term mental issues. The study in question involved 160,000 children and five decades of research: https://archive.fo/fiMg2

The debate on spanking kids is over — here's why you should never do it. According to a study, spanking has detrimental outcomes including aggression, antisocial behavior, mental health problems and negative relationships with parents: http://www.businessinsider.com/the-debate-on-spanking-kids-is-over-heres-why-you-should-never-do-it-2017-10 - Effective Discipline to Raise Healthy Children (2018): https://doi.org/10.1542/peds.2018-3112

Miscellaneous:

Plastic baby bottles shed millions of microplastics when shaken (Oct 2020) https://www.newscientist.com/article/2257599-plastic-baby-bottles-shed-millions-of-microplastics-when-shaken/ Microplastic release from the degradation of polypropylene feeding bottles during infant formula preparation.

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