The first 1000 days of a child are crucial for the entire life course. The environment in which mother and child find themselves can have an impact on the health and well-being of the child, also later in life. Examples of environmental factors are the physical place of residence, a small social network, an unhealthy lifestyle and severe stress. Negative consequences of these factors increase the chance of poorer health at birth and can even be passed on to subsequent generations. In this way, inequality of opportunity is maintained intergenerationally.