Is There Anything Else I Should Do
If you are feeling any of the symptoms listed above, it is very important to tell someone. The early days of taking care of a new baby can be hard. Youre probably not sleeping much as you try to meet your babys needs around the clock. Find a friend, family member or someone else you trust who can look after your baby for short periods while you get a break. If people offer help, accept it.
There are many support programs for new mothers. Talk to your doctor, nurse, midwife, or contact your local public health office for a listing of services in your area.
Taking Care Of Your Mental Health During Pregnancy
Pregnancy brings a mix of feelings, and not all of them are good. If you’re feeling worried, you’re not alone. Worry is common, especially during a woman’s first pregnancy or an unplanned one. It can be even harder if you’re dealing with depression or anxiety.
For your health and your baby’s, take care of yourself as much as you can. Be sure to eat well, exercise, get enough sleep, and take your prenatal vitamins.
If you’re feeling worried, sad, or nervous, talk to someone about it and know when to reach out for help.
Stress Weakens Your Immune System
The connection between mind and body is often underestimated. But everyone has experienced a cold when they can least afford to.
Thats because the high demands stress puts on the body make the immune system suffer, which makes you more vulnerable to colds and infections.
The American Psychological Association recommends calming exercises, as well as social outlets, to relieve stress.
Recommended Reading: Is There Medication For Stress
Stress Increases Chances Your Child Will Have Adhd
While stress is by no means the only cause of ADHD, it may be a contributing factor. A study of over 1,000 British children found anxiety during pregnancy might account for 15 percent of cases of ADHD.
Theres an association between stress and pregnancy and low birth weight
Cortisol decreases the amount of blood that reaches the fetus, depriving it of the oxygen and nutrients it needs to grow properly. According to Tech Times, its normal for cortisol to increase during pregnancy, even as much as four times , but if it increases more than that, it can have a profound impact on your childs development. One of the most immediate impacts is low birth weight.
Children whose mothers were over-stressed during pregnancy are more likely to develop a mood disorder
Children whose mothers were depressed had an abnormal right amygdala, which influences how they react to stress. In fact, its often associated with depression according to Medical Daily. The stress from depression isnt the only thing that affects later development. Children with low birth weights are also more likely to develop mood disorders like anxiety. Since pregnancy and stress have an association with low birth weight, these children are at risk for other mood disorders as well.
If My Baby Has Developmental Delays Do They Need Early Intervention Services
Yes. If your baby has developmental delays, its important to get early intervention services as soon as possible. Developmental delays are when your child doesnt reach developmental milestones when expected. Early intervention services can help improve your childs development. They can help children from birth through 3 years old learn important skills. Services include therapy to help a child talk, walk, learn self-help skills and interact with others.
The CDC program Learn the signs. Act early offers tools and information for parents who think their child may have developmental delays. You can find your states contact information for early intervention services. You dont need a doctors referral or a medical diagnosis to ask for a free screening.
Recommended Reading: How To Help Someone Who Is Stressed At Work
Ways Stress Can Affect A Pregnancy
When you’re striving for a healthy pregnancy, you tend to focus on things like eating well, exercising and following all of the guidelines set forth by your doctor. However, there may be something you’re forgetting that ranks right up there with avoiding high-mercury fish: your stress level. Pregnancy can be nerve-wracking not only does it entail a lot of physical changes, but preparing to become a parent can take a lot out of you, emotionally and physically. You may figure that it’s just par for the course, but did you know that being under extreme stress while pregnant can actually cause problems for your baby?
Stress causes our bodies to release hormones in response to the threat that the body perceives — the higher the stress level, the more hormones our body produces. Since we all handle stress differently, an overwhelming situation for one person may be easily managed by another. Studies are inconclusive as to the exact relationship between stress and pregnancy, but it does seem that the most severe forms of stress, such as a death in the family, can have the biggest negative impact on a pregnancy.
It can be tough to draw conclusions, however, because pregnant women already experience many of the signs of too much stress, such as fatigue and poor sleeping habits. That’s why it’s important to listen carefully to what your body is telling you and to keep your doctor up to date on what’s going on with you, mentally as well as physically.
Contents
How To Tell If Your Partner Is Unhappy During Pregnancy
Your partner appears unhappy, uninterested, distant, unsupportive, inconsiderate and finds excuses for not being around. Unsurprisingly, you may even be worrying that he will leave you or theyve already left and that while youre expecting a baby!
Choose a moment when theyre in a good mood if possible. If youre worried about their reaction ask someone you trust to be with you when you break the news. If you think you might not get emotional support from your partner during the pregnancy, let your midwife know. You can talk to her about how you feel.
Don’t Miss: How Can Stress Increase The Risk For Cardiovascular Disease
When To Call The Doctor About Stress During Pregnancy
If you start to experience worry and anxiety that you can’t shake, let your practitioner know. If youre losing sleep every night, have lost your appetite for an extended period of time, or if your stress has lead to unhealthy behaviors, call the doctor. Pregnancy anxiety or depression should be treated, so dont delay sharing your feelings with your OB/GYN or midwife.
From the What to Expect editorial team and Heidi Murkoff, author of What to Expect When You’re Expecting. What to Expect follows strict reporting guidelines and uses only credible sources, such as peer-reviewed studies, academic research institutions and highly respected health organizations. Learn how we keep our content accurate and up-to-date by reading our medical review and editorial policy.
Causes Of Crying When Pregnant
If you have been bursting into tears at the drop of a hat, do not think that something is wrong with you. A lot of pregnant women go through the same experience, and you are definitely not alone. There is a plethora of reasons why women are more likely to cry when pregnant. These include physical as well as emotional causes. Here are some:
You May Like: Can I Sue My Job For Stress
Does Anger Affect Pregnancy
In a follow-up across pregnancy, the fetuses of the high-anger women were noted to be more active and to experience growth delays. The high-anger mothers high prenatal cortisol and adrenaline and low dopamine and serotonin levels were mimicked by their neonates high cortisol and low dopamine levels.
Mother’s Stress Harms Foetus Research Shows
Stress experienced by a woman during pregnancy may affect her unborn baby as early as 17 weeks after conception, with potentially harmful effects on brain and development, according to new research. The study is the first to show that unborn babies are exposed to their mother’s stress hormones at such an early stage in pregnancy.
The findings, published in the journal Clinical Endocrinology, come after separate research on animals showed that high levels of stress in a mother during pregnancy could affect brain function and behaviour in her offspring, and other evidence suggesting that maternal stress in humans can affect the developing child, including lowering its IQ.
However, the way this happens and the implications for the unborn child, both before and after birth, are still not fully understood and further research is needed, the latest study’s authors said.
They said they did not wish to “unduly worry pregnant women”, but highlighted the need to lead a “healthy, balanced lifestyle” to avoid general stress.
The baby charity Tommy’s called on family, friends and employers of pregnant women to provide support and reassurance to help them reduce stress.
The change in advice, which government health advisers said was made to avoid confusion, rather than in response to new medical evidence, prompted claims from some critics that pregnant women are increasingly becoming targets in an obsessively anti-risk culture.
Read Also: How To Not Let Work Stress You Out
Can Stress During Pregnancy Hurt My Baby
Regular, everyday stress during pregnancy, such as stressing to make a work deadline or finish the babys nursery, wont hurt your baby.
But extreme , chronic and long-term stress can, in some cases, increase the risk of:
- Miscarriage
- Developmental delays in the baby
Babies born too soon or too small can face more complications than full-term, normal-weight newborns.
If Im Depressed Will It Affect My Children
Depression is treatable. But if it is not treated, it will affect your children.
Moms who are depressed may have trouble caring for their children. They may be loving one minute and withdrawn the next. They may respond to their child in a negative way or not respond at all. Your feelings and your behaviour will affect your ability to care for your children.
Depression can also affect attachment, which is important for your childs development. Attachment is a deep emotional bond that a baby forms with the person who provides most of his care. A secure attachment develops quite naturally. A mother responds to her crying infant, offering whatever she feels her baby needsfeeding, a diaper change, cuddling. Secure attachment helps protect against stress and is an important part of a babys long-term emotional health. It makes a baby feel safe and secure, and helps him learn to trust others.
If youre depressed, you may have trouble being loving and caring with your baby all the time. This can lead to an insecure attachment, which can cause problems later in childhood.
How a mothers depression affects her child depends on the childs age.
Babies who dont develop a secure attachment may:
- have trouble interacting with their mother ,
- have problems sleeping,
- may be delayed in their development,
- have more colic,
Don’t Miss: Is It Stress Or Depression
Stress And Low Birth Weight
A second area of developing convergence concerns the effects of stress on infant birth weight and/or LBW, reviewed recently by Dunkel Schetter and Lobel . Again these studies can be organized by type of stressor. Evidence suggests that `major life events’ somewhat consistently predicted fetal growth or birth weight, whereas measures of `perceived stress’ had small or nonsignificant effects. `Chronic stressors’, however, have been even more robust predictors of birth weight. For example, unemployment and crowding predicted 2.0 to 3.8 times the risk of LBW among low-income women in one study . An important source of chronic stress is `racism or discrimination’ occurring both during the pregnancy and over a woman’s lifetime . Racism and discrimination contribute to birth outcomes independently of other types of stress . A growing number of studies have demonstrated that racism and discrimination prospectively predict birth weight, particularly in AfricanâAmerican women . Although this literature has focused mainly on women in the USA, it is relevant to minority women in other countries .
How To Relieve Stress During Pregnancy
A) Identify the stressor:
Identifying and address the stressor should be the first step whenever possible. For example, speak with your Line Manager or Occupational Health Team. You might benefit from a temporary change of the type of work. Learning new time management skills could be helpful and allow you to have breaks at work.
B) Self-care:
Diet: A healthy nutritious diet is vital for physical and mental wellbeing. When going through a challenging phase, diet is often neglected. People might either not eat well or over-eat, including unhealthy food. Avoiding smoking, alcohol, and caffeine would be highly beneficial.
Exercise: Regular exercise helps in staying fit and improves wellbeing. Pregnancy yoga with good breathing techniques could be valuable.
Rest: Taking adequate rest during pregnancy is essential, especially when you are going through a stressful situation.
Pregnant women can suffer from sleep disturbance/ insomnia. Stress can aggravate the problem. Good sleep hygiene could be incredibly helpful.
Relaxation: To combat the stress and develop resilience, relaxation is vital. Whereas a good sleep can help our body to recover, good relaxation measures can help to cope better when we are awake.
Meditation techniques, such as Mindfulness can be beneficial.
Downloading some Apps could be helpful.
Me Time: spending some time of the day doing things you enjoy, such as reading books, going for a walk or listening to a relaxing music.
C) Share your feelings:
Read Also: How To Get Rid Of Stress Induced Acne
How Does The Body Respond To A Stressor/ Stimulus
The process involved in this stress response involves the following:
1) The brain perceives the stimulus as a potential threat which can be harmful to the body.
2) The brain sends a signal to the hypothalamus to activate the fight or flight response in the body.
3) Hypothalamus does the following:
A. Activation of the sympathetic nervous system:
This leads to the release of the hormones, norepinephrine and epinephrine .
These hormones cause the following changes:
A shift of blood flow from less urgent functions/ systems to the organs needed to function more during stress .
A rise in heart rate, pumping of the blood , the blood pressure, the rate of respiration and sweating.
B. Activation of hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis:
Hypothalamus activates this by the release of the hormone Corticotropic Releasing Hormone . CRH activates the Pituitary gland to secrete another hormone called Adrenocorticotropic Hormone . ACTH, in turn, activates the adrenal gland to secrete the hormone Cortisol.
Cortisol ensures that there is a constant supply of energy to all the organs at the time of stress. The source of the bodys energy is glucose. Cortisol helps to break down glucose stores in the body and stops glucose entry into the cells. These actions lead to raised glucose levels in the blood.
Effects Of Stress During Pregnancy
While some stress is normal and healthy, too much stress or unchecked stress can affect your health, your pregnancy and even your baby.
For instance, if you have high levels of stress, you may turn to unhealthy coping mechanisms, like drinking alcohol, smoking, drugs or unhealthy eating.
Too much stress can also lead to anxiety and/or depression mental health conditions that could impact your pregnancy and your general well-being.
High levels of stress can also exacerbate any chronic conditions you have, as well as make you more susceptible to illnesses. And if your stress levels remain high for a long time say throughout your pregnancy and beyond it could possibly lead to high blood pressure and heart disease.
You May Like: How Do You De Stress Yourself
Stress Conception Rates And Time To Pregnancy
Some researchers found a relationship, while others didn’t:
- A 2010 study conducted by Oxford University and the National Institutes of Health found that the 25% of women with the highest levels of alpha-amylase, a substance that’s secreted into the saliva and has been linked to stress response, had more trouble conceiving than women with lower alpha-amylase.
- In October 2018, a study from Boston University’s School of Public Health found that women who experienced higher levels of stress had lower rates of conception. However, the study also found that couples were less likely to conceive when the woman reported experiencing a high level of stress if only the man reported experiencing a high level of stress, conception wasnt affected.
- But not every study points to a sturdy link between stress and fertility challenges:A of 111 women who kept journals reporting their stress levels found no difference in conception rates. Ultimately, this new study suggests that moderate levels of stress in relatively healthy women doesn’t adversely impact getting pregnant.
- In yet another 2019 study of 140 women trying to conceive, researchers found that daily perceived stress didn’t negatively impact time to pregnancy if the woman already had proven fertility.
How Are Problems Treated
Treatment for mental health problems may include:
- Prescription medicine. Always talk to a doctor before you start taking or stop taking any medicines during your pregnancy. If you take any kind of medicine for a mental health issue and are pregnant or planning to get pregnant, tell your doctor. Don’t stop taking it unless your doctor tells you to. Some medicines may cause problems for a growing baby, but stopping your medicine may make things worse. Your doctor can make a treatment plan that is best for you and your baby.
- Talk therapy. Talking one-on-one with a therapist can be a great way to manage stress, deal with depression, and ease anxiety during pregnancy. Finding a support group where you can share your concerns with other mothers who know what you’re going through also can help. Talking with a social worker or counselor can help you deal with money issues, worries over raising a child, or other stresses in your life.
- Other approaches. Many women find comfort in activities like yoga, exercise, and meditation. If you’re feeling stressed or overwhelmed, talking to a friend, family member, or faith leader can help you feel better.
Many moms feel anxious or depressed at some point in their pregnancy, and some may even need treatment for it. But a mental health problem doesn’t have to be a problem for you or your baby. Get the help you need to feel better, and you’ll be doing the best thing for you both.
Recommended Reading: Can Stress Cause Neck Pain
