The mouse at the popcorn stage of development.

In mice, rats, and rabbits, vigorous jumping and hyperexcitability occur at the popcorn stage of postnatal development. In view of subcortical structures appearing before cortical ones, the trait is deemed to occur at the maturation time of ascending excitatory projections from the brainstem and to disappear at the maturation time of descending inhibitory projections from the forebrain. There is evidence that the popcorn stage may be due in part to the lack of a cholinergic influence on dopamine systems. Based mostly on results found in adult mice and rats, there may also be a role for cortico-subcortical systems that include the cerebellum and basal ganglia requiring the influence of biogenic amines, glutamate, and endocannabinoids.

Beyond Lamaze: Are We Missing the Key to Unlock Women's Potential?

In this article, the author shares her birth stories and uses what she has learned to rethink childbirth education and her role as a childbirth educator. There is a bridge from knowledge to action. The thinking part of the brain is like the tip of an iceberg. While the subconscious is what drives many actions, childbirth education classes often talk to the conscious, rational part of our brain. What is the fundamental trick we are missing in childbirth education?