Why is stress "bad for the baby?"

[Anonymous]

Those two posted studies are different from "moderate stress". The first one discussed results from women who were "clinically anxious" or "depressed" -- how many of these women were medicated? Also, that study pointed out the the children all slept the same amount of time, but that the children of highly stressed women were perceived to be harder to put to bed and woke up earlier. That does not seem to add up.

The second said women suffering from atleast 3 stress events were 12% more likely to have higher Ig in the cord blood. It did not say the children actually developed asthma, just that it is suggestive if there is more Ig then there may be asthma by the time they are an adult.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Stress can also increase your anxiety, cause insomnia, lower your immune system, and change your diet for the worse (in addition to what PPs have already posted). Naturally, you won't to avoid this whether pregnant or not, but being preggers makes you that much more "sensitive" since it can affect your baby and development.

But this is precisely what's she's asking PP. How can anxiety and insomnia affect your baby's development? (I get the immune system, and the diet is really too controllable to be convincing to me).

Because the body recharges at night while you sleep whether you realize it or not. That is why sleep is so critical (yet under rated). The body releases hormones and "cleans" things up - new cells are created, old cells are sloughed off/exfoliated, the mind is able to sort through the day's activities and process memory (that is why when you are super tired you have trouble remembering things...also why pulling all-nighters are effective). blood vessels form, etc.
So, if mom-to-be is anxious and not sleeping (because of high stress) then her body misses out on these important processes which are even more important if she is pregnant.

[Anonymous]

Stress is part of life. Most people learn coping mechanisms to deal with the typical stresses that life throws at them. Some people thrive on stress and seek it out. Sure our body produces chemicals in response to stress, but there are reasons for them, and they usually go away fairly quickly once the stress is removed. I think the question is "at what point are you suffering so much stress that it is detrimental to the baby?" Look back at our roots -- we evolved from hunters and gatherers, who really had very little stability in their lives and usually did know whether it would be feast or famine. But we stuck around and managed to evolve. So I think there is a pretty high tolerance level wrt stress before it really harms the human baby.

As for insomnia, I'd like to know what percentage of pregnant women don't suffer from insomnia at some point in their pregnancy! While we should all try to get the right amount of sleep, the last thing we need to do is stay awake at night worrying about what our lack of sleep is doing to our babies!

[Anonymous]

I will say that it is kind of ironic to say: You better relax or you're putting your baby at risk. It would be counterproductive to get anxious over how much we should be relaxing.

That's not to say we should disregard all the scientific evidence, just pointing out the irony.

[Anonymous]

Do a google search on "study of stress during pregnancy" and you'll find dozens of recent studies that cover everything from mild stress to severe trauma.

The science says that maternal stress does absolutely affect a fetus. No doubt about it. But everyone has stress - it's all a question of degree.

[Anonymous]

Stress negatively affects many people - why is it so radical that it would affect the baby?

[Anonymous]

I had a fairly stressful first trimester, dr. worried that there was something wrong with the baby. My DD was born in October 2007 and has slept through the night since she was 4 weeks old. Focus on getting good rest and eating well! Good luck

[Anonymous]

In addition, stress can cause hypertension which, as you probably know, is very serious.

Also, stress can lead to unhealthy eating habits - usually overeating, and that, of course, can lead to too much weight gain.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Stress negatively affects many people - why is it so radical that it would affect the baby?

Because the baby's brain, bone structure, and internal organs are all developing.

[Anonymous]

I think it's hysterical that this thread is still limping along, with everyone pretending to be an expert.

Read the studies if you really want to know. A simple google search will locate them for you.

[Anonymous]

mindbodybirths wrote:An attempt to answer the question "Why is stress bad for the baby?" with physiology (hard science):

Stress hormones (catecholamines, including adrenaline) when high enough, cause your body to move towards nature's "fight or flight" state. Your body then pumps all your blood to your essential muscles so you can flee or fight off an attacker. The uterus is not an essential muscle, in this respect. So as blood runs away from it, arteries constrict, restricting blood/oxygen flow to the uterus and the baby.

This is a very high stress/fear situation I've described. Daily stress does still pump the stress hormones across the placenta and thus, literally, stress out the baby. (She can't handle as much as you can.) Short of lifestyle changes, the medical literature recommends daily proscribed relaxation for all pregnant moms. 15mins at lunch, a foot rub from hubby after dinner...Prioritize total and complete release for only 15-20min every single day, and you will be doing a big favor for your body and baby.

Ridiculous. Do you have a medical degree???

So, something called "complete release" for 15-20 min. each day solves all problems?

OP, all I can say is that moms have dealt with stress across the world for centuries, and I would guess that most babies are fine. Think of all the children born after Sept. 11. Having said that, there are several new studies that deal with this issue and say that severe stress does affect fetuses. So you might want to read the studies and talk to your OB or another DOCTOR instead of listening to people who come up with bizarre responses as above.