In order to prevent stress from affecting baby’s brain development, it is important to exercise, eat right and get a good sleep, says DR Archana Dhawan Bajaj
Pregnancy is an exciting time in the life of every woman. Every expectant mother strives to take good care of their health in every possible way so as to have an uneventful pregnancy and a healthy baby.
While some amount of stress is expected during those nine months, however, high levels of anxiety that interferes with the woman’s ability to successfully go about her day-to-day chores and responsibilities appear to have a direct effect on the way the fetal brain is being sculpted and organised in utero. Fetal brain scans have also documented the effects of stress during pregnancy on the developing brain of an unborn child.
Several studies have found a direct correlation of maternal stress on a baby’s future development. Additionally, fetuses of expectant moms facing higher levels of stress were more likely to have stronger connections between parts of the brain connected to emotional and behavioural controls and weaker connections between two brain areas involved in executive and higher cognitive functions.
Stress results in flooding of fight-or-flight hormones originally meant to help us escape from imminent dangers. Today, we live with chronic stress, and the pandemic has further multiplied the levels of this stress. Those chemicals, which include the stress hormone cortisol possess the ability to cross the placental barrier between mom and baby and have deleterious effects on the unborn child.
Ways to cope
Research has found that COVID-19 has doubled or even tripled stress for pregnant women. Also, parents and other caregivers are equally stressed and in poorer health due to pandemic. While we do not have a control on the spread of the virus, expectant women can certainly control the levels of stress and its effects on their baby's development and better manage their stress during this pandemic and beyond. The risk factors of stress, anxiety and depression are modifiable, says a study.
Exercise, eat right, and good sleep are by far the top three ways to keep stress at bay and prevent so many diseases. Exercise has a role to reduce stress and helps prevent common pregnancy discomforts. Some other ways to cope with pregnancy related stress is to cut back on activities that don’t need your attention, practice relaxation activities like prenatal yoga or meditation. Childbirth education classes help to know what to expect during pregnancy and when your baby arrives, especially first-time pregnancy.
Stress related problems during pregnancy have a long-lasting effect on the baby in the months and maybe years down the line.
The writer is Gynecologist Obstetrician and IVF Expert, Nurture IVF Centre
