Figure 1 summarizes the concept of fetal programming and the contributions of the variety of stimuli that make up the intrauterine environment on maternal forecasts. As shown in the figure, in utero stimuli include many exposures that may influence the intrauterine environment – such as exposure to nutrients, stress, drugs, trauma, and smoking. A largely positive and healthy intrauterine environment may result in the mother imparting a rich maternal forecast on her developing fetus, predicting a rich post-birth environment where resources are predicted to be plentiful and negative exposures are predicted to be at a minimum level. A relatively negative or adverse intrauterine environment may result in the mother imparting a poor maternal forecast on her developing fetus, sometimes characterized by a “thrifty phenotype” (Hales & Barker, 1992) or small-for-gestational age status, thereby preparing her child to survive in a poor post-birth environment, where resources are predicted to be scarce and/or negative postnatal exposures to be frequent and abundant. Maternal forecasts which do not accurately predict the post-birth environment have been hypothesized to lead to negative consequences for the health
