Emotions of pregnant women are important to unborn babies. Depression and stress can affect the unborn during pregnancy. Some pregnant women get emotionally upset from time to time during pregnancy. That’s because the mother’s body undergoes significant changes, including hormonal changes where fluctuating hormone levels can cause mood swings. These changes are hard to control, especially in the first trimester of pregnancy. Besides, pregnancy related conditions, such as morning sickness, tiredness, insomnia, sleep deprivation, backache, and increased urinary frequency, make pregnant mothers feel even more bored, tired, and stressed.
How a pregnant woman’s stress can affect her unborn baby
When stressed, a pregnant mother’s body will release two hormones – cortisol and adrenaline. The stress’s impacts can be divided into two sides:
Mother’s side
when stressed, pregnant mothers will have conditions, such as being unable to eat, eating less or overeating, insomnia, being tired, headache, and nausea. These conditions can weaken the immune system, which allows easy infection. In addition, the body will release adrenaline, causing atherosclerosis, high blood pressure, and increased heart rate.
Unborn baby’s
side Psychological Science’s study suggests that in the sixth month of pregnancy, an unborn baby can sense mother’s emotion. What the mother is feeling can be one of the factors that can determine child’s attitude. Although mother’s emotion cannot pass to the unborn baby through the amniotic sac, the mother’s hormone can do. If the baby receives the hormone frequently, it can get chronic stress and even get colic after birth. An excess of cortisol not only causes obesity but also impairs the ability of the hippocampus, which involves human learning and memory.
“Although mother’s emotion cannot pass to the unborn baby through the amniotic sac, the mother’s hormone can do.”
Ways to relieve stress during pregnancy
Understanding, learning, and accepting are the best ways to manage mother’s stress during pregnancy. When you realize that you are stressed, try to make yourself understand that such stress occurs from your hormones and your own concern. Then you should prepare yourself to deal with it, such as find the ways to relax by doing some activities, either your favorite ones or the new ones that you want to try, such as watching movie, listening to music, doing art and craft, arranging flowers, painting, doing gentle exercises such as yoga and swimming, doing meditation, dining out, and meeting friends.
Besides, people around you, especially your husband and family members, are also an important part in reducing your prenatal stress. They should understand the nature of pregnant women in relation to emotional changes and concerns. They should also take care of you well and give support as much as possible.
JETANIN Journal Vol.11 No.1