Brain Health

From Birth
Nurturing Brain Development
During Pregnancy
& the First Year

REBECCA FETT

Franklin Fox Publishing

New York
For Emily
Brain Health from Birth
Copyright © 2019, Rebecca Fett
First Edition.

www.brainhealthfrombirth.com

Published in the United States by Franklin Fox Publishing LLC, New York.
Cover design: Steven Plummer, SPDesign
Cover images: Karolina Yen, Kay Photography
Editors: Jenna Rose Robbins and Meredith Tennant

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced in any

form by any means without the express permission of the publisher.

This book is intended to provide helpful and informative material. It is

not intended to provide medical advice and cannot replace the advice of
a medical professional. The reader should consult his or her doctor before
adopting any of the suggestions in this book. The author and publisher
specifically disclaim all responsibility for any liability, loss, or risk,
personal or otherwise, which is incurred as a consequence of the use and
application of any of the contents of this book.

ISBN-13 (print): 978-0-9996761-3-4

ISBN-10 (ebook): 978-0-9996761-5-8
 Contents
Part 1: Brain Health & Why It Matters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .7
Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .9
1 Threats to Brain Health . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .21

Part 2: Brain-Making Nutrients & Hormones During Pregnancy . . . . . . . . .31

2 Folate & Choline for Brain Development . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .33
3 The Surprising New Science on Vitamin D & Preterm Birth . 43
4 Baby Brain Food: Fish & Omega-3 Fats . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .53
5 Iodine, Thyroid Hormones, & Your Baby . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 63
6 Iron, Anemia & When to Cut the Cord . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 73

Part 3: Protecting Baby’s Brain During Pregnancy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 83

7 Acetaminophen & Antidepressants During Pregnancy . . . . . . 85
8 Vaccine Decisions During Pregnancy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 97
9 The Risks & Benefits of Ultrasounds . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 105
10 Baby Steps to a Cleaner, Greener Home . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .113

Part 4: Protecting Brain Health During the First Year . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 139

11 The Natural Nursery . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .141
12 Clean and Green Baby Care . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .155
13 Breastfeeding and the Formula Wars . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .167
14 Choosing a Formula . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .183
15 Pain & Fever Relief for Babies . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 197
16 Infant Vaccines . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 207
17 Safeguarding the Microbiome . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 223
18 Putting It All Together . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 245
References . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 249
 PART 1

Brain Health &

Why It Matters

7
 Introduction

D uring pregnancy and the first few months of life, a baby pro-
duces new brain cells at an astonishing rate. On average, the
brain grows by more than 250,000 nerve cells per minute during
pregnancy, to form a total of more than 100 billion neurons by the
time a baby is born. Even then, the building process continues—
during the first three months, a baby’s brain is still increasing in size
by 1 percent per day.
Over the next six months of babyhood, the focus shifts from pro-
ducing new brain cells to connecting them together. This process
builds the extraordinarily complex network of pathways that will
carry thoughts, memories, and emotions for life.
As you might expect, building a brain from scratch is a delicate
process that can be easily disrupted. For instance, some babies that
are born extremely premature will have critical areas of the brain
that are much smaller than normal, a difference that remains even
as these children grow older. That makes preterm birth, unsurpris-
ingly, one of the major risk factors for autism, intellectual disability,
and other developmental disorders.
But premature birth is also something we can help prevent. As
you will learn in this book, cutting-edge science shows that with suf-
ficient vitamin D during pregnancy, the risk of very early preterm

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 Brain Health from Birth

birth plummets. It follows that supplementing with vitamin D is

one way to give your baby the best opportunity to develop a healthy
brain. Yet there are also many other ways to minimize the chances
of premature birth and protect the delicate brain-building process.
If you are currently trying to conceive, are pregnant, or have a new
baby, you have a golden opportunity to provide a safe and nurturing
environment for this extraordinary process to take place, uninter-
rupted. By providing enough of the key nutrients needed for brain
building, reducing the odds of preterm birth, and avoiding certain
toxins, you can go a long way toward removing many of the major
risk factors for autism and ADHD, two conditions that are becoming
more common with each passing year.
Doing so will have many other benefits too. That is because the
same factors that influence the risk of autism and ADHD can also
cause more subtle neurological changes in all children. By protecting
your baby’s brain when it is most vulnerable, you will not only
reduce the risk of significant developmental disorders but may also
help nurture a healthy brain that will one day be capable of extraor-
dinary things.

My Story

My fascination with exactly how the brain works runs deep. Long
before studying cellular neuroscience as part of my degree in bio-
chemistry and molecular biology at the University of Sydney, I vividly
remember peppering my father with questions about neurons and
nerve signaling on family walks when I was five years old.
To give some context to this rather unusual behavior, I grew up
knowing that my grandfather, Dr. Paul Fatt, had contributed to key
discoveries about how brain cells communicate with each other (dis-
coveries for which several of his research partners were awarded
the Nobel Prize). My grandfather’s obituary in the journal Nature

10
 Introduction

Neuroscience describes him as “one of the founders of modern cel-

lular neuroscience” and “among the most distinguished neuroscien-
tists and biophysicists of the twentieth century.”
Growing up with an awareness of neurons and neurotransmit-
ters has profoundly shaped my worldview. Yes, the human brain is
more than the sum of its parts, but first and foremost it is a biolog-
ical structure. How we think, feel, communicate, and experience the
world is really the product of cells, chemicals, physics, and biology.
This book explores the forces that influence your baby’s brain from
that perspective.
Although I have always been fascinated with the biology of the brain,
I became particularly interested in autism and ADHD once I found out
my husband and I were expecting a baby boy and learned of the trou-
bling statistics. In the United States, boys born today face at least a 3
to 4 percent chance of developing autism. My son probably had much
worse odds, looking at the laundry list of factors that seem to be associ-
ated with autism risk. In particular, my family history of several auto-
immune diseases and my husband’s age were working against us.
During the time our surrogate was pregnant with my first son, I
was also deep into researching and writing my first book, It Starts
with the Egg. The book describes how common toxins such as BPA
and phthalates negatively influence fertility and may contribute to
miscarriages. In the course of conducting research for that book, I
came across troubling data that linked the same toxins to compro-
mised brain development in children.
Fortunately, it is relatively easy to avoid many of these toxins once
you know how. Our surrogate was on board with replacing plastic
kitchenware with stainless steel or glass and switching to fragrance-
free cleaning and skin-care products. She was also happy to adopt
other measures suggested by the research, such as adding a daily
omega-3 supplement.
Yet after my son was born, the autism concern remained. It

11
 Brain Health from Birth

quickly became clear that my tiny baby had a propensity toward gas-
trointestinal problems and inflammation. By three months old, he
had severe eczema and could not hold down any formula we tried.
He cried in pain for six to eight hours per day from what we could
only guess was severe reflux, although the medication we gave him
seemed to make no difference. For reasons that are not fully under-
stood, inflammation, gastrointestinal problems, and autism seem to
go hand in hand. Everything about my son indicated he was begin-
ning down a worrying path.
With that backdrop, I did everything I could to further reduce the
burden of chemicals on his system, support his immune system, and
reduce inflammation. Given the benefit of hindsight (and the new
research discussed in this book), it is clear there is even more I could
have done, but in the end, the basic steps I took were enough to turn
his health around.
I am incredibly grateful that my son is now a bright, thriving,
and healthy little boy. I know that many of the strategies I adopted to
lower his overall level of inflammation probably helped nurture his
developing brain too, such as giving him specific infant probiotics
and avoiding chemicals in our home. I followed the same approach
when my second child was born and thankfully now have two
healthy boys who show all the characteristic signs of having had an
optimal environment during pregnancy and early childhood. These
signs include a long attention span, the ability to remain calm and
focused, and early language development.
I attribute these positive characteristics to the steps we took to avoid
certain toxins and ensure adequate nutrients during pregnancy. This is
not just wild conjecture. The latest research clearly shows the effects of
toxins such as BPA and phthalates on infant brain development, along
with the many other measures discussed in this book. I feel compelled
to share this science with as many parents and future parents as pos-
sible, so our children can all reach their full potential.

12
 Introduction

I feel a particular responsibility to ease the path for those who

are becoming parents after reading It Starts with the Egg. I know
that for many people, reading the book created a sense that there
was finally something positive to do in the world of infertility, where
everything normally feels helpless and beyond our control. But for
others, the new information on BPA, phthalates, and other toxins
became a source of worry.
It is not my goal to scare you about toxic chemicals lurking around
every corner. If you read It Starts with the Egg, you are probably
already concerned enough. Instead, this book offers practical advice
on how to carry a nontoxic lifestyle through pregnancy and par-
enting, based on the latest scientific research linking common chem-
icals to impacts on childhood development. I would like this book to
be your guide to what matters most during this extraordinary time,
explaining what to focus on and what you can let slide without guilt.
I also want to ease any anxiety you may have about the new epi-
demic of autism and ADHD. The odds are truly cause for concern,
but if we pay attention to the science, it is clear that there is so much
we can do to protect our children’s developing minds. That is partic-
ularly true if we take action during the time they are most vulnerable.
Doing so will not only reduce the risk of autism and other significant
developmental problems but will also help protect cognitive function. In
practical terms, this means preserving all the abilities needed for a child
to form strong social bonds and live a happy and productive life.

Protecting Cognitive Function

In our modern world, where far too many children are affected by sig-
nificant developmental disorders such as autism or ADHD, any dis-
cussion of brain health will naturally focus on what is causing these
disorders and what we can do to prevent them. But the concept of brain

13
 Brain Health from Birth

health is actually much broader. The ultimate goal is not just to prevent
the most serious problems but to give your child the best start in life.
By taking steps to nurture your baby’s brain health during preg-
nancy and early infancy, you will help safeguard all the abilities that
fall under the broad umbrella of “cognitive development.” This term
refers to factors such as

• IQ
• attention span
• memory
• creativity
• language development
• nonverbal communication skills
• impulse control
• emotional regulation

When considering all of these facets, it is clear that the outcomes

from nurturing brain health go far beyond boosting a child’s future
academic success. The implications for a child’s life are much greater.
Studies consistently show that one of the most important factors
that determine long-term happiness is having positive relationships
with friends and family. Studies also show that the ability to form
these important bonds depends largely on cognitive function. More
specifically, it hinges on the capacity to express our thoughts, inter-
pret nonverbal cues, empathize, and regulate our emotional state.
These skills are all considered to be reflections of “executive func-
tion” within the overall umbrella of cognitive function.
Communication skills and other executive functions are no doubt
heavily influenced by what children experience after they are born.
How we interact with our children clearly shapes the development
of their brain. This is particularly true when it comes to how much

14
 Introduction

time parents spend talking to their child, teaching them to recognize

and regulate their own emotional state, and encouraging imaginative
play and social interaction with other children. (For more on this
topic, see the excellent books Brain Rules for Baby by John Medina
and The Whole Brain Child by Daniel Siegel.)
Clearly, the learning experiences we provide to babies and toddlers
are important, but they can only go so far. Based on the biology of
their brains, children will innately have differing potential to develop
cognitive skills.
Autism is one example of this phenomenon, where there is a bio-
logical influence at play that affects key aspects of cognitive function.
Yet it is important to recognize that all children will fall somewhere
within a broad range when it comes to their natural capacity to learn
new words, interpret nonverbal cues, and express themselves. The
same is true for many other aspects of cognitive function, including IQ
and the ability to regulate emotions and maintain focused attention.
Your child’s potential to develop these abilities is partly genetic,
but biological and chemical influences during pregnancy and early
infancy have a powerful impact too. These influences include pre-
term birth, toxin exposures, nutritional deficiencies, and hormone
disruptions. As you will learn throughout this book, these factors
can leave lasting effects on children’s IQ scores, behavior, attention
span, and learning ability.

Closing the Gap Between Scientific Research and Real Life

The sheer volume of research on early brain development is stag-

gering, but that allows us to cast a skeptical eye on scientific find-
ings. There is now a vast amount of data on factors during pregnancy
and infancy that can compromise brain health and raise the risk of
autism, ADHD, or developmental delays. On the flip side, there is also
a vast amount of data showing the ways we can positively influence

15
 Brain Health from Birth

our baby’s brain development, including providing key hormones and

nutrients that are often overlooked.
As a result, we are no longer left clutching at straws or extrapo-
lating from isolated animal studies. The advice in this book is based
on research findings that have been replicated again and again, in a
variety of different contexts (with citations provided so you can read
the actual studies for yourself). You will learn about clear patterns
seen in large observational studies and then confirmed in random-
ized controlled trials, where researchers divide pregnant women into
two groups, change some factor in one group, and then follow the
development of their children for many years.
In autism research in particular, the urgent need for answers causes
many people to rush to judgment on the basis of isolated research
findings. We have all seen the dramatic headlines claiming that
something causes autism, only to read another headline six months
later suggesting the exact opposite. This book will cut through the
noise, weighing all the evidence and allowing you to make your own
informed decisions on the major controversies such as vaccines,
ultrasounds, Tylenol, and folic acid supplements.
You will also hear from several pioneering obstetricians and pedi-
atricians who have changed the way they practice in light of the new
evidence on baby brain health. One of these pioneers is Dr. Elisa
Song, a Stanford-, NYU-, and UCSF-trained pediatrician with one of
the most highly regarded holistic pediatrics practices in the country.
I am honored to give you the benefit of her many years of experience.
In an ideal world, we would all have a knowledgeable doctor
guiding us through the important decisions we encounter as new
parents. Perhaps you do, and you can use this book as a tool to
provide background information for your conversations with your
obstetrician and pediatrician. But most doctors do not have the time
to stay up to date on all of the latest research or delve deeply into
issues as soon as a red flag is raised by new studies.

16
 Introduction

The unfortunate reality is that we simply cannot rely on standard

medical advice to keep our baby’s brains safe. As just one example, new
studies are beginning to suggest a possible link between autism and
the use of acetaminophen (also known as Tylenol) during pregnancy
or infancy. Even though we do not yet have a clear answer on the issue,
the research that has been done so far is enough to raise a red flag. Any
pediatrician who claims there is no risk in giving babies acetamino-
phen is simply not paying attention to this research. As noted by Dr.
William Parker of Duke University School of Medicine, “Even the best-
trained pediatricians are generally unaware that the long-term effects
of acetaminophen were never tested in children in controlled trials.”
I also firmly believe that it is important to approach scientific
studies with the right dose of skepticism, but that we should still be
willing to take action as soon as the evidence becomes sufficiently
persuasive. In conventional medical practice, it is typical to wait for
decades of incontrovertible proof before the standard advice changes.
When it comes to addressing the epidemic of developmental disabili-
ties affecting children today, any delay is a profound disservice to the
babies that will be born this year and next. We simply have to act on
the best available evidence before it is too late.
The goal of this book is to allow you to do just that, by bringing
together all of the latest findings in the scientific literature and trans-
lating complex science into plain English, to provide evidence-based
guidance on supporting your baby’s brain development when it mat-
ters most.
To some extent, the biological and chemical influences on your
child’s cognitive abilities will continue their whole childhood. Factors
such as nutrition, physical activity, and even continued exposure to
toxins will always have some degree of impact. But at no time will
the external world influence your baby’s brain as much as during
pregnancy and the first few months of life.
We know, for example, that very low blood sugar in the first few

17
 Brain Health from Birth

days of life is still evident in cognitive abilities seven years later (as
chapter 13 explains). Blood sugar disruptions in older babies, however,
have little to no long-term impact on brain function. External factors
during early life have an outsized impact on brain function because
the brain is growing and changing so rapidly during this time.
The stage from conception through the first year is undoubtedly the
most critical window to ensure lifelong brain health. During this time,
our goal is not just to avoid the extreme disruptions to infant brain
development that are reflected in autism and ADHD, but to nurture
the ability to focus, remember, communicate, and regulate emotions.
All of these mental processes are crucial to your child’s ability to form
strong social bonds and live a happy and productive life.

Overview of Chapters

Before exploring the practical steps to support your baby’s growing brain,
it is helpful to see the broader picture and understand the problem we
are facing as modern parents. To that end, chapter 1 provides an over-
view of the epidemic of developmental disorders we are currently facing
and explains the common thread linking various risk factors.
Chapters 2 to 9 then guide you through the steps to take during preg-
nancy to nurture and protect your baby’s developing brain, including

• how to ensure you are providing the nutrients that are

key to infant brain development, such as choline, vitamin
D, and omega-3 fatty acids.
• the importance of testing for thyroid function and
anemia during pregnancy.
• the latest science on the potential risks posed by pro-
longed use of acetaminophen.

18
 Introduction

• why you should feel comfortable with prenatal vaccines

and ultrasounds.

If your baby has already arrived, you may choose to skip over
chapters 2 through 9 and pick up with chapter 10, which provides
guidance on how to create a nontoxic home by minimizing chemi-
cals with the potential to compromise brain development.
The next step is setting up the baby’s nursery. Chapters 11 and 12
help you choose the safest crib mattress, furniture, diapers, bottles,
skin-care, and other gear, before discussing whether it is really worth
spending more for organic bedding and clothing.
Chapters 13 and 14 guide you through the current science on for-
mula feeding, explaining why aggressive efforts in hospitals to pro-
mote breastfeeding can sometimes backfire, along with detailed
advice on how to choose the best formula.
Chapters 15 through 16 address the other crucial matters you will
face in the first few months with your baby, such as infant vaccines,
antibiotics, and pain medication. Chapter 17 then explores the links
between the beneficial gut microbes, the immune system, and brain
health, explaining simple ways to support your newborn’s microbiome.
By the end of the book, you will have learned about many small
changes that can have a big impact on the health of your child’s brain.
You will be armed with all the knowledge you need to make truly
informed decisions, to give your child the best possible start in life.

19
Brain Health from Birth will be released on Amazon and other
retailers on August 28th, 2019.

Preorder the Kindle version by August 27th for $0.99,

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