Thoughts on development

So, dear blog readers, here is something I've been pondering from my neonatal development class session. Did you know that babies in the womb can taste amniotic fluid, and that (reportedly) the more a mom varies her diet during pregnancy, the more tastes the infant is exposed to, and he/she is less likely to be a picky eater.

Now, that being said, I have two thoughts on the subject. First, how do people know that amniotic fluid has different tastes depending on what moms eat? Breast milk does too, but there's a finer filtration of stuff that is exchanged between chorion and amnion in utero. How do poeple know that the fluid can taste different based on diet? Has anyone personally tried it in their research? Scary thought.

Secondly, if it's true that babies with developing tastes can detect different samples, what can they do in utero if it's something they don't like? They can't really spit up or refuse to eat. Can you see a baby going "Come on, ma, lay off the brussel sprouts?" Funny thought.

Anyway. All interesting thoughts for the day.