Nesting instinct

Nesting instinct

Nesting instinct refers to an instinct or urge in pregnant animals to prepare a home for the upcoming newborn(s). It is found in a variety of animals (both mammals and birds) including humans.[1][2]


Contents

In animals

In rodents and lagomorphs, the nesting instinct is typically characterized by the urge to seek the lowest sheltered spot available; this is where these mammals give birth. Female dogs may show signs of nesting behavior shortly before their due date[3] that include pacing and building a nest with items from around the house such as blankets, clothing, and stuffed animals. (They also sometimes do this in cases of false pregnancy, or pseudocyesis). Domestic cats often make nests by bringing straw, cloth scraps, and other soft materials to a selected nook or box; they particularly are attracted to haylofts as nest sites. In birds it is known as "going broody", and is characterized by the insistence to stay on the nest as much as possible, and by cessation of laying new eggs. Marsupials do not exhibit a nesting instinct per se, because the mother's pouch fulfills the function of housing the newborns.

In humans

In human females, the nesting instinct often occurs around the fifth month of pregnancy[1][4], but can occur as late as the eighth, or not at all[citation needed]. It may be strongest just before the onset of labor.[1][5][6]

It is commonly characterized by a strong urge to clean and organize one's home and is one reason why couples who are expecting a baby often reorganize, arrange, and clean the house and surroundings.

Other uses of 'nesting'

The term 'nesting instinct' can also refer to the inclination of finalists to 'reserve' seats in libraries at Oxford University when they are not at their desks. This habit is frowned upon by the University authorities.

References

  1. ^ a b c Nesting Instinct by Pregnancy Weekly
  2. ^ Nesting Instinct in Pregnancy, womenshealthcaretopics.com
  3. ^ Canine Maternal Behavior, Dr. Nicholas Dodman
  4. ^ A Need to Nest, By Deborah Skolnik, parents.com
  5. ^ Nesting, pregnancy-info.net
  6. ^ 10 Things That Might Surprise You About Being Pregnant, kidshealth.org

See also


Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.

Игры ⚽ Поможем сделать НИР

Look at other dictionaries:

  • Nesting — may refer to: building or having a nest Nesting instinct Nesting, Shetland Nesting (computing) Nesting (voting districts), the process of combining or splitting of voting districts Nesting (process), a process of efficiently manufacturing parts… …   Wikipedia

  • instinct — instinct1 /in stingkt/, n. 1. an inborn pattern of activity or tendency to action common to a given biological species. 2. a natural or innate impulse, inclination, or tendency. 3. a natural aptitude or gift: an instinct for making money. 4.… …   Universalium

  • Fight Club — infobox Book | name = Fight Club title orig = translator = image caption = First edition cover author = Chuck Palahniuk illustrator = cover artist = Jacket design by Michael Ian Kaye Photograph by Melissa Hayden Soap by Proverbial Inc. country =… …   Wikipedia

  • Gestation — is the carrying of an embryo or fetus inside a female viviparous animal. Mammals during pregnancy can have one or more gestations at the same time (multiple gestations). The time interval of a gestation plus 2 weeks is called gestation period ,… …   Wikipedia

  • Midwifery — Midwives redirects here. For the novel by Chris Bohjalian, see Midwives (novel). A midwife measures the height of the mother s fundus at about 26 weeks to determine the probable gestational age of the fetus. Midwifery is a health care profession… …   Wikipedia

  • Pregnancy (mammals) — For pregnancy in humans, see pregnancy. A pregnant lioness. In mammals, pregnancy is the period of reproduction during which a female carries one or more live offspring from implantation in the uterus through gestation. It begins when a… …   Wikipedia

  • Multiple birth — Quadruplet , quintuplet , etc. redirect here. For the musical use of the terms, see tuplet. Triplet brothers at graduation. Identical triplets are extremely rare, something that occurs only once in every 500,000 births. A multiple birth occurs… …   Wikipedia

  • Childbirth — Parturition redirects here. For the Voyager episode, see Parturition (Star Trek: Voyager). Childbirth (also called labor, birth, partus or parturition) is the culmination of a human pregnancy or gestation period with the birth of one or more… …   Wikipedia

  • Nest — For other uses, see Nest (disambiguation). A bird s nest A nest is a place of refuge to hold an animal s eggs and/or provide a place to live or raise offspring. They are usually made of some organic material such as twigs, grass, and leaves; or… …   Wikipedia

  • Amniotic sac — A drawing of the amniotic sac from Gray s Anatomy …   Wikipedia

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”