MOTHER WIRE

LOVE IS THE DRUG: Oxytocin—the hormone that is released during breastfeeding—is pretty powerful stuff. In fact, even cocaine can’t compete with the natural high of nursing a newborn, according to mothers who’ve done both. Well, mother rats, that is. The jury’s still out on whether the effect carries over to humans, according to researchers at the University of Massachusetts Medical School who’ve studied the addictive affects of oxytocin, but the takeaway message is clear: you can get high on motherhood.

MOMS’ GROUPS—IT’S A BABOON THING: Hanging out with other moms is good for you and your kids, whether you’re human or a baboon, according to a Kenyan research study. A group of researchers—who reported on their findings in the journal Science—have found that the more a mama baboon hang out with other mothers, the more likely her baby is to survive to adulthood.

“HOW SHALL I TELL MY DAUGHTER?”: “Why get all involved trying to explain the facts of menstruation to your little girl...when there’s a simple, easy way to do this dreaded task?” - December 1942 advertisement for Kotex® Sanitary Napkins The Museum of Menstruation and Women’s Health (www.mum.org) features an online collection of vintage menstrual information booklets for mothers and daughters, including the Canadian editions of Marjorie May’s 12th Birthday (1935), Marjory May Learns About Life (1936), and Facts About Menstruation That Every Woman Should Know (1936). These types of booklets were published by sanitary napkin and tampon manufacturers until into the 1980s, at which point booklets like How Shall I Tell My Daughter? and Very Personally Yours quietly went out of print. The entire menstrual advice genre had simply lost its relevance. After all, how many girls who spent their teen years watching Madonna vamp her way through the 1980s hit video “Like a Virgin” were seriously worried about the possibility of losing their virginity to a tampon?

OH BOY....: The longer it takes you to get pregnant, the greater your odds of conceiving a boy. Researchers at Maastricht University in the Netherlands found that a couple’s odds of conceiving a baby boy is 51% of they conceive during their first year of trying, but that those odds jump by 4% during each subsequent year of trying.

TESTING, ONE, TWO, THREE...: Watching the pregnancy test turn positive may seem like a time-honored tradition of motherhood, but it wasn’t that long ago that a physical exam at the doctor’s office was the only way to confirm that there was a baby on the way. Learn about the history of pregnancy tests—including where the ill-fated bunnies fit into the story—at history.nih.gov/exhibits/thinblueline

YOU GOTTA GET YOU SOME GIRLFRIENDS: “If a new Mom asked me for the single most important advice I could give her, it would be ‘Get some girlfriends!’ No matter what your circumstances are, your life will be richer and more rewarding if you make connections with other women. They are the best lifelines there are.” - Amy Tiemann, PhD, Mojo Mom: Nurturing Your Self While Raising a Family (Spark Press).

SHOPPING SCIENCE: Researchers at Ohio State University have confirmed what you may have long suspected: store clerks in women’s clothing stores tend to lavish their attention on those customers who appear to have the most money to spend. And the criteria store clerks use to size up customers—fancy clothing, top-of-the-line purses and accessories, and perfect hair and makeup—could cause these clerks to miss the mark when it comes to moms. After all, if you know you’re going to be changing diapers on the run or feeding your baby puréed peas in the food court, you’re likely to leave your designer duds at home. If you feel like you’re being treated like a second class—or invisible—customer by a clueless sales clerk, vote with your feet. There are other mom-savvy retailers who will give you the customer service you deserve.