Stress and Pregnancy

Getting pregnant is a significant upheaval, which must harmonize and balanced with everyday life. As a pregnant woman, it can result in stress because many thoughts, worries, and things still need to be done.

Therefore, stress can occur in you during your pregnancy for shorter and longer periods. It is not abnormal, but it is a symptom that you should preferably work with, as the unborn child is affected by the surrounding environment outside the uterus - and thus is affected by how you feel physically and emotionally.

An unborn child can sense

It has become customary to be stressed and is gradually an accepted condition. But, it is by no means healthy for your unborn child as it is capable of sensing. Even though your unborn baby is by no means fully developed physically and in the brain, it is still able to sense, feel, remember and learn. Studies have shown that a fetus has as many senses as an adult human.

The child is therefore affected by your emotional and mental health, including your experience of stress. Today, it is known that it can undoubtedly affect the unborn child's health.

Several forms of stress

Stress can be experienced in different ways and does not affect the child negatively if it is good stress, where you, as a pregnant woman, are exposed to low-stress levels for short periods with an increased heart rate and a low production of stress hormones. This can enable the child to respond healthily to future stressors.

As a pregnant woman, if you are exposed to stress over a long period with a high level of stress, it can negatively affect the fetus' nervous system because several stress hormones are released. The fetus lives under the same physical and chemical conditions as yourself in the womb, which is why you know that prolonged stress has an effect.

A more difficult start to life

The consequences of prolonged and negative stress during pregnancy and birth can be:

• An infant who has more difficulty attaching to the mother after birth

• An infant with a hypersensitive and unbalanced nervous system

• An infant with implications about learning, food, and relationships

• A child available for anxiety and depression

How or how much stress over an extended period during pregnancy affects the unborn child varies. However, research indicates that it certainly has negative consequences.

Premature birth

It is not only harmful to the unborn child that you are stressed. It can also have consequences for you as a pregnant woman, as studies have shown that stressed women are more likely to give birth prematurely. It can have fatal consequences, as the earlier a baby leaves the womb, the more immature its internal organs are.

Research also indicates that stress can increase the risk of stillbirths because it goes in and affects the blood vessels in the placenta and thus the blood supply and oxygenation to the baby.

Therefore, stress is something you should take very seriously and do something about right away.

Prioritize relaxation

It means a lot to your own and your child's health to keep your body relaxed and de-stressed. It, therefore, pays to take it easy and do something about what is stressing you. It can ultimately have a crucial and positive difference for your baby.

If you have difficulty de-stressing and finding peace, you can:

• Seek professional help

• Use breathing techniques

• Go to yoga or mindfulness

The less stressed you are, the better you will get on with yourself and your pregnancy and can enjoy it more.