This Is How Stress Influences Your Baby During Pregnancy

It seems that, once you announce your pregnancy to the world, everyone has a piece of advice for you. Eat this, don’t drink that, get plenty of sleep, and don’t stress yourself out. You’ve probably heard this one quite a few times. Even your pediatrician may suggest to “take it easy” and not let stress get in the way of this wonderful experience.

But is it really possible to get through a pregnancy without a single ounce of stress? And more importantly, does stress have any impact on your little one?

The prenatal period is a critical time for your baby and it takes place 40 weeks before their birth. It’s a time marked by tremendous change, growth, and development inside your belly. It’s also a period of vulnerability in which certain exposures can have long-term effects on your child’s physical and psychiatric health. Drinking alcohol, for instance, leads to abnormal features and intellectual disabilities. Smoking can cause low birth weight, and a poor diet can increase the baby’s odds of obesity during adulthood.

But what about your state of mind? For years, conventional wisdom told us that stress and negative emotions were no good for pregnant women. Some parents may have considered this an old tale, but a growing number of studies suggest that there is actually some truth to it. A mother’s mental health and emotional state play an integral role in her baby’s environment. It can influence their birth, development, as well as their health in later life.

Research on stress and the prenatal environment

Until recently, researchers believed that a mom’s mental health only had an impact on their child after birth.

For example, poor mental well-being led to abusive parenting or neglect, which caused psychological or behavioral issues in children. Therefore, postnatal distress was widely studied with a special focus on stress, anxiety, and postpartum depression. However, recent findings show that such issues are just as common during pregnancy and can play a key role in the fetus’ environment. These studies are in line with the fetal origins hypothesis that states prenatal environmental exposures, (including psychological states), can have sustained health effects across a child’s lifespan.

This may explain why some babies are born with different temperaments and go through diverse neurobehavioral development; i.e. why some seem easy and sociable, while others are more reactive and sensitive to their environment. Exposure to stress may also cause preterm births as demonstrated by extensive animal and human studies.

Research by the University of California, for example, found that women who experience high levels of psychological stress are more likely to deliver pre-term babies (born before 37 weeks). Pre-term babies are at risk of developing complications later such as developmental delays, learning disorders, lung diseases, and infant mortality.

According to research on pregnant women, the kind of stress that causes pre-mature births and miscarriage has to do with the loss of loved ones, war, natural catastrophes, and interpersonal violence. Chronic stress (commonly linked to poverty and discrimination) can also lead to physical and psychological problems and low birth weight. Babies who were exposed to these levels of stress were more likely to experience developmental problems and health issues. These will have a significant impact later on in life as they enter adolescence and adulthood.

How stress passes from the mother to the baby

Scientists are curious about exactly how stress reaches a developing baby. This research is still in its early stages. Yet, some theories help us understand how certain factors such as cortisol, lifestyle choices, and inflammation may have an impact on babies whilst in the womb.

1. Cortisol

Known as the “stress hormone”, cortisol is produced by the adrenal glands on top of your kidneys. It partners with the brain to control mood, motivation, and fear. Cortisol fuels the fight-or-flight response in stressful situations. It acts by altering or shutting down functions that get in the way, or unnecessary functions for that particular environment. This includes your digestive, reproductive, or even immune system. Once the dangerous or stressful situation passes, your cortisol levels calm down, and your systems go back to normal. But what happens when you are under constant stress?

Evidence suggests that a mother’s cortisol levels can affect their babies. When the placenta registers high cortisol qualities, it creates an epigenetic change (a molecular modification to the gene that changes how it functions). Consequently, this allows more cortisol into the growing baby, which can affect the stress regulatory system. It’s believed that 10 to 20% of maternal cortisol passes through to the fetus, which may be enough to cause long-term effects on brain development.

2. Unhealthy behaviors

Every person deals with stress differently. You probably have your own techniques and small rituals to regain control and serenity. It may be listening to relaxing music, baking, going for a walk, etc. Yet, not all mechanisms are harmless. Too often, people turn to unhealthy behaviors to relieve stress. They might consume alcohol, smoke, overeat, take over-the-counter medication, or drugs, among other things that can have a serious toll on their health.

As previously mentioned, drinking alcohol can lead to underweight and sick babies. Smoking not only harms your lungs but also doubles the risk of abnormal bleeding during pregnancy and delivery. It also increases your baby’s risk for birth defects (cleft lift or cleft palate) and SIDS.

Binge eating poses a danger as it increases the risk of miscarriage and giving birth to a premature baby. Additionally, overweight babies are prone to experiencing low blood sugar, heart disease, respiratory issues, and a higher danger of obesity.

3. Inflammation

Inflammation is a crucial part of our immune system’s response to injuries and diseases. It’s how the body communicates to the immune system that it must defend itself from viruses and bacteria, and heal damaged tissue.

Inflammation is another focus of the ongoing research on how stress reaches the fetus. It’s believed that the proteins that affect the behavior of cells and resulting immunity(pro-inflammatory cytokines) may have something to do with it.

Rethinking your approach to stress

There is a growing interest in helping women cope with stress and assisting them with taking care of their mental well-being during pregnancy. Some forms of psychotherapy and complementary theories have been shown to be effective for stress, anxiety, and depression management.

If you are worried about how stress may affect your baby throughout pregnancy, you should bear in mind that every person is different. Not everyone experiences the kind of intense stress that may endanger their little ones. What’s more, each one of us has unique vulnerabilities and strengths, and every situation is equally unique. While you can’t really change or influence the outcome of an event in your life, you do have the power to control your reactions.

You can change your response and approach through self-care and seeking support from your loved ones and your healthcare provider. Opening up with your partner, relatives, or friends can help you soothe the negative effects of stress. In addition, having a chat with your doctor about any concerns you may have about your pregnancy or what lies ahead can ease your doubts, and prepare you for what lies ahead.

Techniques like meditation and mindfulness are also useful when it comes to dealing with stress and anxiety.

Today, you have the precious opportunity to take care of yourself during your pregnancy and provide your baby with a stress-free environment. Beginning.com offers a simple and natural solution to achieve peace of mind and strengthen the bond with your little one. We believe that sound has the power to help you relax and achieve a deep meditative state, which is perfect to change your response to stress.

Listen to our relaxing sound journeys to relax and build confidence and the mental resilience needed to welcome your baby into the world.