For time immemorial women have managed to deal with incredible levels of stress.  Imagine some of the stressors women have faced over the ages, and still do- hunger, violence, loss, and oppression. In spite of this, we women have successfully endured and have ensured the very survival of the human race.

Bottom line- these are realities for many women.  Surely we women must, by nature, be strong and capable of confronting very stressful circumstances.  

We’ve gotta give Nature some credit and know it’s gotten the human race this far!  

Information is power, as they say.  We want to learn about how to care for ourselves and our babies while using the information available to us to make sound decisions and seek support when necessary. What we don’t want is information to make us feel guilty or more stressed out.  That would be counter productive! 

We will briefly review effects of stress on babies while in utero but our main focus will be SOLUTIONS to cope and minimize that stress!  A positive thing is we can use science to inform us in working to combat stress

Before digging into the subject of stress experienced by expectant mothers, one point should be stressed. Most studies about maternal stress on fetal development are based on the effects of chronic, long term stress versus episodic stress.

Infant Anxiety

Research has suggested that maternal stress affected the brain development of the fetus.

A study headed up by psychology professor, Elysia Davis at the University of Denver, looked at the effects of maternal stress on fetuses.  She and her colleagues found that expectant mothers who produced higher than normal levels of  Cortisol, a stress hormone, for an extended period of time had babies who had as stronger stress reaction after birth.

While easier said than done, Davis states these results should not discourage women or create additional worry. Rather, the information gleaned should prompt health care providers to screen for stress in pregnant women.  

We would add that the conclusions from Davis’ research provide women who are struggling with high levels of chronic stress the opportunity to seek out support and available resources for stress reduction.  We will review some of these later in the article.

Infant Development

Davis’ study showed the infants who were born with higher levels of anxiety continued to display higher levels of fear as toddlers when compared to their peers.

It would be of no surprise that moms with high levels of chronic stress during pregnancy would be at higher risk of relying on unhealthy coping behaviors.   While the well-being of an expectant mom’s baby is her priority, she may seek comfort in unhealthy behaviors for handling her stress such as smoking, substance (e.g., alcohol) use, and eating poorly.

There are reams of research that confirm substances and tobacco use are detrimental to both mom and baby.  For example, babies whose mother’s smoke during pregnancy generally have lower birth rates. Eating poorly may put pregnant woman at increased risk of gestational diabetes for example, which in turn, 

Common stressors

The two most frequently reported stressors in pregnancy are pregnancy-related fear, for example worry about her the pregnancy and resultant effects on her baby.  Ironically, while information about maternal stress can be helpful in mother’s motivation to reduce her stress level, it can also increase anxiety of the mom-to-be.  For this reason, it’s imperative for the expectant mother to be aware of things she can do to alleviate her stress while pregnant.  Some of these things are discussed below.

Coping Resources

Below are ideas for women who feel

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