This is an archived article. So often we're left with a 'so what' question. In this case, the sleep patterns were our functional measure. Lammi-Keefe's earlier work focused on the levels of DHA in pregnant women and nursing mothers who ate different amounts of foods rich in the nutrient. She found that the mother is a baby's major source of DHA while in the womb and up to two years after birth, while the brain continues to develop.
Babies are unable to produce sufficient amounts of the nutrient on their own.
During the initial research, it was difficult to detect the effects on the babies, so Lammi-Keefe investigated alternative methods of evaluation. Lammi-Keefe is referring to Evelyn Thoman, a professor of psychology who has been measuring sleep in infants for decades. Thoman's past work showed a correlation between an infant's sleep patterns at birth and the baby's motor and mental scores months later. In essence, the more mature a central nervous system and brain are, the more quiet sleep occurs. Working with Thoman and Windham Hospital, Lammi-Keefe and her graduate students examined blood samples taken from a number of mothers who had just given birth.