Category: Pregnancy

Solving the Gender Mystery

David Dempsey

The next time you go to a gender reveal, this may give you the leg up on which color cupcake to eat. Or maybe you’ll go to great lengths to try to swing the odds in your favor. Truth is, a lot of people have spent a lot of time trying to figure this puzzle out. 

I formerly thought that when a tendency to produce the two sexes in equal numbers was advantageous to the species, it would follow from natural selection, but I now see that the whole problem is so intricate that it is safer to leave its solution for the future.

Charles Darwin

Well, what do we know about this strange phenomenon?

  • Billionaires have more sons. 
  • After wars, many more sons are born.
  • More men are born in China. Way more. To the point where they are taking drastic measures to equalize their gender birth ratios.
  • Famine causes a drop in male birth.
  • Older parents are more likely to have daughters.
  • If you have brothers, you are more likely to have boys. If you have sisters, you are more likely to have girls.

So can we neatly package all this into one great theory? Eh…kinda. We know that the father contributes [according to the genetic model] the X or Y chromosome, meaning he would determine the eventual sex of the baby. In looking at the strange facts above, the conditions with less stress produce more boys. So the more you reduce stress, the better chance you have of having a boy.

Think about it.

A famine raises stress. After a war, people are at peace. Billionaires have an unusual amount of comfort in their lives. The diet and lifestyle of those in China and eastern Asia is very different than most of the rest of the world.

Older parents would parallel our proof on Down Syndrome. As parents grow older, they have greater brain entropy, which increases their odds in having a girl.

If you have brothers, you’ll have boys. This is a little trickier to explain. But in short, you’d inherit the mindset from your father. It sounds like science fiction, but we already say that anxiety or depression can run in families. I’m not arguing with that. [I’m arguing that these people were not plagued to be unhappy or anxious from the beginning. And that their misery is reversible.]

Short answer: higher brain entropy [in dads] makes more girls. Don’t misread. It’s not only girls. It just tips the scales in your favor. Billionaires have boys 65% of the time. Give me those odds in blackjack and I’d play all day long. 

Here’s my take on it: The desired result would typically favor boys. To carry on the family name, to continue the dynasty…whatever. The more stress that is introduced to the lives of the parents, the more unstable that household becomes. By having the more unstable families produce more girls, you actually make the world a better place. If the most stressed parents produced the same amount of boys, we’d naturally trend to a more and more unstable environment for our kids. Men were designed to be the leaders of the households, and those closer to their ground states are more likely to have boys. 

Additionally, the people with the most stress in their lives [furthest from their ground state] may not be able to get pregnant at all. It will take us to a human evolution mechanism that we will explore later. 

Sources:

  1. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/m/pubmed/19435018/
  2. https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/the-scientific-fundamentalist/201104/why-are-older-parents-more-likely-have-daughters%3Famp
  3. https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.independent.co.uk/life-style/health-and-families/health-news/smoking-couples-more-likely-to-conceive-a-girl-5362024.html%3Famp
  4. https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.independent.co.uk/news/strong-woman-chances-are-youll-have-a-boy-1136674.html%3Famp
  5. https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/health/news/8830036/Stressed-women-more-likely-to-have-baby-girls.html
  6. https://www.google.com/amp/s/phys.org/news/2008-12-boy-girl-father-genes.amp
  7. https://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/health-and-families/features/its-a-boy-the-science-of-gender-selection-814626.html
  8. http://www.bbc.com/future/story/20161014-why-billionaires-have-more-sons
  9. https://www.theguardian.com/world/2011/nov/02/chinas-great-gender-crisis
  10. https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/322368.php
  11. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sex_selection
  12. https://www.google.com/amp/www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2013/09/24/the-odds-that-you-will-give-birth-to-a-boy-or-girl-depend-on-where-in-the-world-you-live/%3Famp%3D1
  13. https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/12/081211121835.htm
  14. http://theconversation.com/mondays-medical-myth-you-can-control-the-sex-of-your-baby-12896
  15. http://discovermagazine.com/2013/nov/08-sex-ratios.

Dads cause Dwarfism

David Dempsey1 Comment

OK. So a couple days ago we went through Down Syndrome, and how it is closely tied with the age of mothers, and how that means that we play a large role in causing or preventing it.

Today, I want to talk about the dads. We know that there are some strong correlations between the age of dads and a list of birth defects. We need to know a couple things: are they genetic disorders? Is it the lifestyle of the dads that determines these outcomes? Is it predetermined at conception? Or is it something that can be corrected?

What birth defects are closely correlated to the age of their fathers:

  • autism
  • schizophrenia
  • dwarfism/Achondroplasia
  • Apert’s Syndrome

We’ve already talked about autism and schizophrenia, and how I think they are both curable and why. So while they are equally important, we’re going to focus on dwarfism today.

B9781455727940000085_f008-003-9781455727940
Mother’s Age And Down Syndrome [left] and Father’s age and Achondroplasia and Apert’s Syndrome [right] Source
It’s a random gene mutation. But it’s random and we don’t even really know why it mutates. Apparently it’s called epigenetics, which essentially undermines genetics, in my opinion. Think about it for a second, the entire field of genetics is about mapping a stationary code of a human being and predicting his offspring. If that code is not stationary, how can we predict changes in the person or his offspring?

Sometimes we can identify dwarfism during pregnancy. In many cases it can be identified at birth. Because of these two observations, I think it’s safe to say that dwarfism is not reversible. I’m sure you’re thinking that’s obvious, but this is coming from the guy who thinks Alzheimer’s is curable, so I need to be sure.

It’s really pretty simple [if you read my proof on Down Syndrome]: we know the age of the father is closely tied with an increased risk for dwarfism. We know that age is literally just a number, and really begins in the brain. We’ve even shown why and how this happens. And the best part: it’s reversible.

So I get it. You’re not looking to do any more research. You just want answers. You control more about the health of your baby than you know. Get healthy before you get anybody pregnant.

Sources:

  1. https://www.upi.com/Health_News/2016/05/16/Age-lifestyle-of-father-linked-to-birth-defects/3941463405522/
  2. https://gumc.georgetown.edu/news/Review-Finds-Fathers-Age-Lifestyle-Associated-With-Birth-Defects
  3. https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/dwarfism/symptoms-causes/syc-20371969
  4. https://www.webmd.com/children/dwarfism-causes-treatments#2
  5. https://www.nhs.uk/news/genetics-and-stem-cells/dads-age-diet-and-lifestyle-may-cause-birth-defects/
  6. https://mobile.nytimes.com/2007/02/28/health/28iht-snfert.4748536.html
  7. https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2016/05/160515183716.htm
  8. https://www.thenba.ca/uncategorized/can-dwarfism-be-diagnosed-during-pregnancy/

 

Thinking Critically about Breastfeeding

David Dempsey

We went to breastfeeding classes and agreed that it was a no-brainer and breastfeeding was clearly the way to go.  But we just gave her formula, and I know it was the right thing. Here’s why: 

I’m no doctor. But my wife and I just delivered a baby yesterday. I write this from our hospital room.

My wife had high blood pressure, so our doctor recommended we deliver early. It was high before the pregnancy, and during the pregnancy. The doctor recommended that we induce a couple weeks before our due date. He is the expert, so we obviously said OK.

We induced. We got an epidural. Everything was going relatively smoothly, but we had some major issues at the end of delivery. The cord was wrapped around her neck, and she was stuck in the birth canal for over a minute. With some quick work from several nurses, they had her back to form quickly. It was dramatic, but all-in-all successful.

Now we’re into day two. Everything is going as suspected, but the more questions I ask, the more I realize that no one is really sure about anything. In the past twenty-four hours, our new baby has been screaming at the top of her lungs for almost half of it. Here is what they’ll tell you:

  • The first couple months are terrible.
  • It takes them a while to get used to the world.

Whatever. To me they eventually started to sound like excuses for being miserable. But if there is one thing that I’ve discovered through this journey is that we were designed to be happy.

So let’s go through the same process: we tried absolutely everything. New positions, new people. Changing this and checking that, nothing worked for a about twelve hours. Her base level was screaming and crying. Here’s what we know:

  • She was designed to be happy.
  • She is clearly not.

She doesn’t have many basic needs at this point. At least not many that require feedback from her. We’d covered everything else, and I just couldn’t get around what our “lactation consultant” was saying about how little she needed, or how all babies lose weight after birth.

We had the baby early. We were both on board with it. We talked about the pros and cons with the doctor, and decided that it was the right thing.

We got an epidural. The plan was to try to do things as natural as possible, but my wife was having back labor, and was being induced anyways, so she decided that this was best for her and the baby. And I truly believe that it was necessary in our circumstances.

You don’t get it both ways. Yes, your body is perfectly programmed to provide for your baby. I’m not arguing with that. But when you set things in motion that weren’t ready yet, we need to think critically about our process. My wife was not going to deliver naturally for another two weeks, so obviously her milk was not ready yet. Here’s are some other birth interventions and how they may effect your feeding. 

I completely agree that breast milk is the best thing babies can eat, and in the right ratio, But if there is not much breast milk [or colostrum], formula is way better than nothing. It’s common sense, but don’t get so stubborn about it that you hurt your baby. Just remember, the goal is a happy and healthy baby. And we were already designed for that. 

Extra credit: The only difference between the baby now and in ten years is time, food, and size. But we’ve proven over and over again that time does not exist. Connect your own dots. 

Update: Our plan is to still breastfeed as much as possible for the health of the baby and her mother, once her milk comes in. In the meantime, we’re going to keep our baby happy with what we have. 

 

 

Should I drink caffeine while I’m pregnant?

David Dempsey

No. Absolutely not. 

Here’s why: the verdict is really still out on this. Some people say you can have a cup or two of coffee a day. There are studies saying up to 300 mg per day of caffeine is safe for your baby.

Here’s my issue with that. We don’t even know what caffeine does to the brain yet, so how can we possibly tell you how much to take?

We’re really not all that sure about what you should do about your anti-depressants either. We know that they increase several different risk factors in your baby, but if you’re chronically depressed, it seems like the consensus is to stay on your meds. I mean this makes sense on the surface.

Read the warning labels and side effects on your anti-depressants. They do not mix well with pregnancy. So, in my opinion, just don’t get pregnant while you’re depressed. Adding another variable to your happiness equation just makes no since at this point. Here’s an article tying SSRIs in expectant mothers to depression and anxiety in teenagers and teens.

We know you shouldn’t smoke while you’re pregnant. There’s all sorts of info on this subject. The most interesting reason is that is causes premature birth. We’ll get into why that’s interesting later.

We know you shouldn’t drink while you’re pregnant. But do we know why? Because it messes with the neurological development of the baby. But why and how?

You’re already on board with these things. They are common knowledge. More than that, you’d be scorned if you did anything else. It’s been common practice for years, maybe longer. But there’s more to the story. 

Older women have a higher rate of miscarriage? Check out this chart.

ivf-age-miscarriage

It’s clear that older women have a significantly higher percent chance of miscarriage. But how can this be? If time does not exist, as we’ve discussed before, what is different in these woman as they get older?

Mental strain. Blink rate. Brainbeats. Call it whatever you want. These women have already started aging, and their time perceptions have begun to accelerate. They are more likely to have glasses, diabetes, cancer, heart disease, and whatever else.

So by having higher resting brain activity, these women in general have a harder time getting pregnant, and are much more likely to miscarry.

The cool thing is, you may can get pregnant at 60 if you understand this concept. It’s not just for that actress that looks 40. The only barrier between you and your former self is you.

 

So you may be aware that my brain model includes a perfectly functional human brain for everyone. That’s where we may have an issue here. The unborn baby may have the perfect opportunity for a perfect brain, but his or her mother’s habits will impact his life. If the mother is taking antidepressants, something that we largely do not understand, she may be robbing her baby of a chance of normalcy.

Pregnancy is a young woman’s game. More like a healthy woman’s game. If aging is in the mind, it really doesn’t matter how many days into your life you get pregnant. The biggest issue, though, is that we don’t even know the things that are hurting us. So you can do “all the right things” and still end up depressed, bipolar, manic depressive.

So it’s actually pretty simple: younger people get pregnant easier for the same reasons they don’t get cancer as often. We know that aging is a brain disease, and it starts in the brain. We’ve talked about how to slow it, by reducing mental strain.

There are other factors at play here, obviously. But I’m not a doctor, so I’m not going to weigh in on those. What I know about is the human perception of time. And this is how it applies to pregnancy.

In summary:

  • Alcohol effects pregnancy.
  • Tobacco effects pregnancy.
  • Antidepressants effect pregnancy.
  • Caffeine effects pregnancy.
  • Younger people get pregnant easier, and have fewer complications.

If aging is the biggest correlation to miscarriages, and we have the solution to aging, then we know what to do have the best possible chance at a successful pregnancy.

We’ve already connected tobacco, alcohol, and antidepressants before. But there were some other items on that list: caffeine and glasses. I know what you’re thinking. That’s absurd! Maybe so. Take a look at some of my earlier posts and decide for yourself. We don’t have the full story here. Eliminate the things that are changing your brain, and retake your life, and give your baby the best possible chance.