“Your Stress affects me, Mommy!” – Understanding how emotional pregnancies affects a child

BY: SIMONE JENNIFER SMITH 

What up Toronto!

Welcome to another edition of A Better Tomorrow with Simone Jennifer Smith. This is one of those times when I have to really thank my readers for being so supportive and providing me with the criticism and encouragement that I need to become a better writer. I had a whole plan this week on what I was going to write, but one phone call this afternoon changed the course of my thoughts. As my faithful readers might know, I have been spending some time in Windsor Ontario, taking in how south-western Ontario celebrates Black History Month. I had planned on dedicating the next few months to highlighting important men, women, and places that can be found in this part of Ontario, but life never quite goes as you expect.

To protect the family in discussion, I will not be disclosing their names, and parts of the story will be left out. A very bewildered young lady called me this afternoon; I could tell she was flustered, even though her tone was very controlled. We went through the introduction phase of the conversation, and then she began to tell me her story. She has a young daughter who has suicidal ideation, and like any other mother who is watching their child suffer, she was devastated. She had turned to the school board, her doctor, and the hospitals for help, and had been severely let down. One of her friends had referred her to me, and this is how we ended up talking. After hearing her out, I had some questions and one of these questions triggered her thoughts. She told me that when she was pregnant with her daughter, she had gone through major emotional upheaval. We discussed the situation and she drew some interesting conclusions: her pregnancy with her first daughter was a healthy and happy one, and because of this, her first daughter was emotionally secure, doing well in school, and was generally a very happy child. She had always known that there was a difference in her two daughter’s temperament and personality, but she did not realize until that moment that the trauma she had experienced when she was pregnant with her second daughter might be why the little girl was dealing with high levels of emotional distress.

Me being the researcher that I am decided that I was going to dig a little deeper. My question is, can a mother’s emotional state have an affect on her unborn child? Also, how will this manifest as a child develops? I found three great articles that you can check out when you get a chance; I will be sure to post them at the end of the article for you to reference. This article was developed from the information that I found, and I hope that it will be of help. It was noted in all three articles that stress experienced by a woman during her pregnancy might affect her unborn child as early as 17 weeks after conception. Some of the potential and harmful effects include slow learning, behavioral problems (ADHD), depression, and anxiety.

Research shows that at about 17 weeks, cortisol in amniotic fluid has a strong positive relationship with cortisol in maternal blood, and the strength of the correlation is stronger with increasing gestational age. It was also found that the relationship the mother has with the father matters. A supportive partner can help to buffer some of the effects, but an unsupportive one can put additional stress on the mother, and hence additional stress on the baby.

More research needs to be done on this topic. It is important because one of the most susceptible times in a person’s life is when they are developing in their mother’s womb. Pregnant mommies, if you are exposed to long-term stress situations, seek support from a counselor or a therapist. They will be able to support you and teach you ways to handle your stress. Knowledge is power!

Mother’s stress harms the fetus, research shows

The Guardian
https://www.theguardian.com/science/2007/may/31/childrensservices.medicineandhealth

UK Spectator Health
https://health.spectator.co.uk/a-stressful-pregnancy-matters-it-can-change-a-babys-genes/

Science Daily
https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2017/05/170529090530.htm