How Stress Affects Maternity and the Fetus

Stress is very well known for just what it means: STRESS. Its effect on human beings from a local and a global standpoint is far greater than any of us imagine. Stress can overtake one’s body physically, mentally, emotionally, as well as behavioral aspects. This is not something to take lightly. This is actually very serious. If you notice, it’s not just older people that die this day and time with heart attacks, suicide, and things of this nature. People of all ages. Older people, younger people, and even really young people. Children, yes, I said children. Don’t automatically think that stress only affects older people that have lived a longer

The research is discussing the effects of prenatal stress (PS) on the development of socioemotional symptoms as well as neurodevelopmental disorders. The study arises from existing literatures where a significant relationship has been established between prenatal stress and social deficits such as autism and attention-deficit hypersensitivity disorder among children and schizophrenia among adolescents. King et al. identifies exposures to environmental hardships and stressful events as the underlying factor in the development of PS (274). The aspect has a negative impact on the immune and endocrine system as well as neurological development (Charil et al. 56). Studies have revealed that PS affects several aspects of brain development in the fetal stage. It increases rate of cell death and reduces rate of proliferation in the hypothalamus-pituitary axis (Schoenfeld and Gould 15).

A second suggested activity during pregnancy could be for the pregnant woman to take care of herself psychologically and emotionally, to ensure that she is not too stressed or experiencing anxiety. Regular relaxation could be advised by taking up yoga and meditation. Too much prenatal stress can have negative developmental implications for the child later in life. Research has indicated that when mothers-to-be have high levels of pregnancy-specific anxiety, their offspring were significantly more likely to show lower inhibitory control among girls, and lower visuospatial working memory performance among girls and boys (Buss et al., 2011).

The prenatal period is when quick changes in the fetal organs are vulnerable to organizing change and stability but also building internal working system to trigger emotional responses (McEwen et al. 2013). It is a critical time for brain development and the PFC (McEwen et al. 2013). It exposes a selection of long -term modifications on brain development and behaviour (Entringer et al. 2009). Prenatal exposure to stress affects hormones in the body including the physiology and anatomy that relate to increasing drug levels, cortical communication and more (Entringer et al. 2009). Fetal stress is any event that interrupts a fetal process in stability in the body. (Entringer et al. 2009). During pregnancy, maternal stress impends the fetal nervous system and shortens the length of maturation due to many issues and concerns affecting the mother (Entringer et al. 2009). During pregnancy, maternal psychosocial stress threatens the fetal nervous system and contracts the length of gestation (Entringer et al. 2009). High levels of placental corticotrophin- releasing hormone

Between conception and birth, babies can be affected by the health of their mother as well as her lifestyle choices. Stress, deit and alcohol are examples of factors that can affect development. It is now recognised that the first twelev weeks of pregnancy is when the foetus is at it's most vulnerable. During this time the foetus

Prenatal stress is an important topic to me; both our daughters are adopted from the same birth parents. The birth mother was addicted to heroin and was prescribed suboxone to help her with the addiction. Of course, she became addicted to suboxone, it is considered a wonder drug to combat opiate addiction. Suboxone is readily available as a street drug. My daughter experienced a great deal of stress in utero, not only from the drugs, but also due to abusive relationship between the birth mother and the birth father. The birth father beat the birth mother so severely in her 7 month of pregnancy, the state moved her to a hospital several hours away as a Jane Doe in order to protect the baby. It is probably the best possible outcome for my daughter as her health was monitored daily for the last 45 days of gestation. However, she was born addicted and required morphine for the withdrawals, she was in the NICU for thirty days in Seattle, I was with her during this time. My point to her history is that until the age of two she startled easily with any loud sound, and to this day if anyone speaks loudly or with an angry tone she becomes upset. Also, if anyone approached her unexpectedly she would flinch as if shielding herself. According to a 2012 Forbes article stress in utero can lead to ADHD and anxiety disorders. She has outgrown the flinching and

During pregnancy, there are some factors beyond the mother’s control which can have negative significances for the fetus. Maternal stress occurs when the mother is exposed to psychosocial stressors during pregnancy (Kramer et al, 2009). The mother could also develop depression during or after her pregnancy. This mental illness affects the mother’s ability to function and cope with everyday life (NIHCM, 2010), thus affecting her relationship with her baby. Recent research evidence has highlighted that there is some overlap between the symptoms of maternal depression and stress (Cheng & Pickler, 2014), and that these play a role in affecting the normal development of the fetus. However, other research has indicated that stress and depression do not harm the fetus, and in fact can be developmentally beneficial (DiPetro, 2004). In this essay, a number of symptoms of maternal stress and depression shall be addressed, and the extent to which they affect the developing fetus. First to be discussed is how the emotional stability of the mother may affect the relationship she has with her baby.

At the microscopic level, emotional stress is paramount for the body's chemical response by providing strength and stamina. However, it is compounded by sustained periods of unresolved stress at the physiological level; the state worsens to become almost permanently established. This makes changes to rapidly take place within the reproductive system of both male and female causing an irregular menstrual cycles or frigidity in women and stress during the pregnancy period; this can result in the baby to become prone to asthma as well as, other allergies, while lowers the sperm count or impotence in men. In microscopic level, the emotional stress affects the reproductive system of

4). It is also believed that this exposure can contribute to the development of mood disorders later in life. On the other hand, Deward (2008) states that while cortisol can cause miscarriage early in pregnancy, the mother naturally develops higher levels in later trimesters, which in turn help the baby 's development. Because chronic and serious stress can be harmful during pregnancy, Broderick and Blewitt (2015) stress the importance of reducing conflict and providing strong social support to the pregnant mother.

I totally agree with you about having a stress pregnancy. Unfortunately that is not the real world that we live in. Pregnancy is a wonderful and joyous time, but can also be filled with doubt and anxiety. There are a number of circumstances that can lead to stress while you are pregnant, including fluctuating hormone levels, uncertainty about the future, physical discomfort, or a preexisting mental disorder. However, Stress is not all bad. When you handle it right, a little stress can help you take on new challenges. How do you treat stress naturally during pregnancy?

It has been said that exposure to prenatal maternal stress can have lifelong consequences resulting in problems with child cognitive development and motor skills as young as the age of 16 months. The researchers that conducted this study hypothesized that the severity of objective hardship and subjective stress reactions would predict different aspects of child development.

Stress affects your health without you even realizing it. Constant headaches or trouble sleeping would be something stress causes often. This can get bad enough which leads to serious health problems such as obesity, diabetes, and heart disease. Stress effects your body with things like muscle

Although there are many factors that affect the development of the fetus, research on the specific effects of prenatal maternal stress and the resulting negative outcomes for the development of the fetus will be reviewed. While there is knowledge of these harmful effects in scientific and medical communities, researchers are still in the midst of discovering the results of these negative effects on human development. An overall review of the literature suggests that this topic is still relatively new in research as most of the articles make note that despite the amount of current research studies, there are still many unanswered questions.

Having taken this class I have come to understand a lot about my emotions and why I feel the way that I do about certain things throughout my life. Stress is something that has weighed heavy on me since a very young age. I have always wondered why I seemed to not be able to handle stress as well as my peers. Then I came to understand that mothers who experience high levels of stress during pregnancy release high levels of cortisol, and in turn this can have a lasting effect on the baby. (Wood, et. al., 2014) This includes the child not being able to deal with stress as well as he or she grows up and even an increased chance at the baby suffering from high blood pressure later in in life.

At one time or another, most people experience stress. The term stress has been used to describe a variety of negative feelings and reactions that accompany threatening or challenging situations. However, not all stress reactions are negative. A certain amount of stress is actually necessary for survival. For example, birth is one of the most stressful experiences of life. The high level of hormones released during birth, which are also involved in the stress response, are believed to prepare the newborn infant for adaptation to the challenges of life outside the womb. These biological responses to stress make the newborn more alert promoting the bonding process and, by extension, the child's physical survival.