Neurological Correlates

The fetus tells the mother when it is ready to be born when its hypothalamus becomes activated  — probably releasing oxytocin, which reacts with the mother’s oxytocin receptors - not in the mother’s brain, but in the womb lining cells. Interesting.

Stimulation of Fetal Hypothalamus Induces Uterine Contractions in Pregnant
Rats at Term
Hisashi Endoh1,2, Takashi Fujioka1, Hideki Endou1, Yukiko Inazuka1, Susumu Furukawa2 and
Shoji Nakamura1
1Department of Neuroscience and 2Department of Reproductive, Pediatric, and Infection Science,
Yamaguchi University Graduate School of Medicine, Ube, Yamaguchi 755-8505, Japan
Short title: Fetal brain induced maternal uterine contraction Summary sentence: Activation of the fetal hypothalamus induces uterine contractions through oxytocin receptors in term pregnant rats.
DOI:10.1095/biolreprod.108.069120