Effects of Stress on Pregnancy

Stress has impacted us all at one time or another. Family, work, money, time – whatever it is that’s causing the stress, we can always tell when it’s reacting in our bodies. We notice headaches and stiff shoulders; a loss of appetite and changes in weight; or maybe we simply notice that we lack the focus to complete the regular tasks of our day. When we are stressed, we release stress hormones into our body. These hormones are responsible for the headaches, loss of appetite and lack of focus.  When we are pregnant, these hormones are shared with your baby through your placenta. Oftentimes, we can easily identify the physical changes that we are experiencing due to stress, but what about the impact that these stress hormones are having on our unborn child?

Prenatal Impact of Stress

Insomnia and Trouble Sleeping

When we are stressed, our overactive minds can interfere with the amount and quality of sleep that we receive. When we lack quality sleep, it can affect our mood, our productivity, and our overall health.

Appetite Changes

The hormones that are released into our body when we are stressed often have an impact on our appetites. We may find ourselves eating more than usual and craving foods that are not very healthy. Or we may find that we aren’t hungry at all. Each of these can cause problems in the pregnant body as our babies and our bodies are dependent on a healthy intake of food to develop normally.  Weight loss, excessive weight gain, blood sugar irregularities, and vitamin & mineral deficiencies all have marked impacts on an unborn child.
 
Headaches/Body Pains

When we feel stress, we often notice a physical presentation in our bodies. Our shoulders may feel tighter than usual or we may get pains in our hips due to a buildup of stress and tension. The most common trigger of headaches in adults is stress. These headaches can be as minor as a tension headache or as debilitating as a migraine.  Those of us that tense our shoulders, clench our jaws, or stiffen our necks in response to stress are even more susceptible to these headaches.
 
High Blood Pressure or Hypertension

Your body produces a surge of hormones when you're in a stressful situation. These hormones temporarily increase your blood pressure by causing your heart to beat faster and your blood vessels to narrow.  Researchers haven’t concluded whether the stress by itself causes long-term high blood pressure but it may be that other behaviors linked to stress — such as eating unhealthy foods and poor sleeping habits — cause high blood pressure. There is evidence that supports that these short-term stress-related spikes in your blood pressure added up over time put you at risk of developing long-term high blood pressure.

Premature Labor

Chronic stress during pregnancy puts women at a higher risk for preterm labor. There are many theories about the connection between stress and prematurity – some researchers believe that the surge of hormones signals to the baby that things are not okay and labor begins; other researchers believe the connection to preterm labor is to through the side effects of stress, such as high blood pressure or changes in blood sugar levels.

Postnatal Impact of Stress

Complications at Birth/Low Birth Weight
   
A study done in Texas followed a group of pregnant women who were in the path of a hurricane during their third trimester. It was found that their babies had higher instances of requiring a ventilator after birth! Other studies have shown that stressful pregnancies can lead to low birth weights, though the exact connection is disputed in the scientific community.

Child Outcomes
   
Studies done on pregnant woman who were exposed to stressful situations during their pregnancies have shown connections to a decreased intellectual and language abilities. The differences were small between the children tested and their non-stressed peers, but scientists believe the connection is there.

Conclusion
   
Stress impacts pregnancy from conception through postnatal care. Practicing yoga has been shown to reduce stress and make people more aware of their bodies, and pre- and post-natal yoga helps to center the mother, reducing stress for the entire family.