Every child has a special relationship with their grandmother, particularly their mother’s mother. The video’s title read: “Have you ever wondered why you feel such a special bond with your grandmother on your mother’s side?” “It’s because she once carried you in her womb.” A female fetus is born with all of the eggs she will ever produce. So, while your grandmother was carrying your mother, you were already existing as a little egg in your mother’s ovaries. “The three of you have been connected for generations.”
@momhustlempire wrote in her caption that discovering this knowledge clarified everything for her. She described her close relationship with her maternal grandma and how people frequently remarked their similarities. As a mother, she sees a similar close bond emerging between her daughter and her mother, stating, “We’ve been connected for generations in ways that I never imagined.”
Commenters were moved by the discovery, which affirmed their feelings for their grandmothers. One person stated that although though their mother’s mother died before they were born, they always felt a close, spiritual connection with her, and they now understood why. Dr. Alex Robles from Columbia University’s Fertility Center spoke with Newsweek about the bond’s authenticity and limitations.
Robles confirmed that a woman is born with all of her eggs, with the greatest number present in the womb. He said that the egg that would eventually become a human was already in their mother’s ovaries while she was in her grandmother’s womb. However, demonstrating any emotional impact across generations remains difficult.
“Scientifically, it’s difficult to prove that this increases the emotional connection to the maternal grandmother,” she said, emphasizing that an egg is not an embryo and that both the egg and sperm contribute equally to the DNA that makes a person. Understanding emotional relationships biologically is difficult, but oxytocin, also known as the “love hormone,” is important in developing the bond between mothers and their infants during childbirth and breastfeeding.
Cultural influences also influence this tie, with mothers frequently demonstrating increased care and attachment to their children, which strengthens the psychological connection. Furthermore, the child’s unique link with a maternal grandmother is likely strengthened by the time and care they share in early life. Meanwhile, another idea suggests a strong genetic link between maternal grandmothers and their offspring.
According to the notion, the connection between grandmothers and grandchildren differs based on X-chromosome inheritance. Grandsons and granddaughters inherit 25% of their maternal grandmother’s X chromosomes. In contrast, paternal grandmothers pass on an X chromosome only to granddaughters, resulting in a 50% X-relatedness. At the same time, they have no X-related relationships with their grandkids.
Another idea proposes that “paternal uncertainty” influences how much grandparents, particularly paternal relatives such as grandmothers, participate in caregiving. This confusion develops because, unlike women who give birth, men are not always confident that they are biological fathers. This may result in decreasing involvement of paternal relatives in caring over time.
In contrast, the maternal lineage, in which mothers are constantly certain of their biological relationship to their children, has a strong and continuous caregiving attachment that spans generations. According to a theory developed by Chilean writer and artist Alejandro Jodorowsky, our maternal grandmothers are often our strongest bond among all grandparents.
He proposes that genes can skip a generation and be passed down directly from grandparents to grandchildren, as proven by some persons resembling their grandparents more than their parents. Furthermore, Jodorowsky suggests that women not only pass on biological qualities to their daughters, but also emotions, which they pass on to their children.