Mothers are always there.

 The Mother Within Us — When Science Discovered That We Carry a Little of Her

There are some scientific discoveries that make us pause and look at ordinary life with new wonder.

One of them is microchimerism—the discovery that during pregnancy, cells can pass between mother and child.

Some cells from the baby enter the mother's body, while maternal cells can enter the developing baby. Remarkably, some of these cells can remain for many years, even decades, after birth.

So when we say, “A little bit of your mother is always with you,” it is not merely poetry.

At the microscopic level, it can actually be true.

A mother and child are not completely separated at birth. During pregnancy, their bodies have already exchanged living cells.

Scientists are still discovering what these cells do. Some may participate in immune responses and tissue repair, but much remains unknown.

And perhaps that is the most beautiful part.

Science can tell us how these cells travel.

But it cannot measure what a mother gives her child through her love, her touch, her sacrifice and her presence.

A mother gives us life—and science has discovered that, in a tiny cellular way, she may leave a little of herself behind as well.

Sometimes the smallest discoveries make the biggest things—like motherhood—even more wondrous.