It is generally accepted that the most dangerous period for an unborn baby is the first trimester. When the fetus is still being formed, any malfunction in the mother’s body can lead to deviations in the development of the child, and even to a miscarriage. There are also many dangers in the last trimester. You can’t sleep on your back, so that fetal hypoxia does not develop, the mother is tormented by insomnia, gestosis and varicose veins may appear. There are plenty of potential troubles. What about the second trimester? Is it going like clockwork? It turns out not.
Scientists at the University of California, San Francisco recently began to study the stress level of the expectant mother and its relationship with the health of the baby. The experiment involved 151 women. Scientists monitored their condition throughout pregnancy and six months after. We paid special attention to the psychological state of expectant mothers.
Experts measured women’s stress levels by testing each week. In the course of the study, we recorded what problems pregnant women face: with work, with health, with a husband and relatives. In general, we tried to cover all spheres of women’s life. This was the first stage of the study.
The second came when the kids were six months old. Doctors studied how children react to stressful situations by measuring their heart rate. And it turned out that the children of those women who were most stressed during the second trimester of pregnancy react much more sharply to stimuli than their counterparts – the children of women who are lucky to do without extra nerves.
“This speaks of the suppression of the parasympathetic system in children, which is responsible for the rate at which the heart rate returns to normal after stress. Reactivity, that is, the body’s ability to respond to external stimuli, is very important for human health. If a person is unable to quickly bounce back, the body wears out faster and digestive problems arise, ”says the head of the study, Dr. Bush.
It turns out that an increased level of stress in a mother can leave an imprint on a child’s life. High reactivity is the culprit of frequent depression and excessive anxiety, behavior and socialization problems. And even physically such children are weaker – after illness they recover much longer.
It is possible to smooth out the effect of “pregnant stress” by providing the child with the most pacifying living conditions in his first six months.
“Despite the innate factor, a lot will depend on upbringing and treatment,” reassures Dr. Bush.