Dr Linda Helps - Women have more stress in their lives today than they did a few decades ago. Pregnancy is a time of great joy but can be stressful. Your body is changing, energy is depleted and there is the normal anxiety about the developing baby and a healthy birth. Add chronic stress to the event and according to the latest research, there is real cause for concern. Chronic stress during pregnancy can affect both changes in the mother and developing fetus. One result from these changes is premature birth.

Maggie, two months pregnant, was under tremendous stress related to the recent death of her mother. Her father was depressed and battling lung cancer. Her husband was recently laid off his job and considering relocation. This unplanned pregnancy only added to a growing number of concerns. Maggie’s OB/GYN was worried.

The doctor was familiar with a new field of research called “fetal programming.”  Scientists study the effects of fetal stress on later adult development of disease. A big question is, Can fetal stress program a person to develop heart disease, high blood pressure, diabetes, depression and other adult disorders?

Other researchers like Dr. Pathik Wadhwa of the University of California at Irvine studies the impact of stress on fetal development. He watches the behavior of stressed fetuses by ultrasound. The negative effects of stress can be measured by looking at fetal hormone levels that releases corticotropin. When a mother is startled, her fetus reacts but quickly calms down. When stress is chronic, the stress response is longer and stronger, possibly affecting the developing brain and body of her fetus.

Specifically, elevated stress hormones can influence neurology responsible for personality and emotions, reduce blood flow to the fetus, slow down growth and normal organ development, and lower the mother’s immune system. And premature birth is more likely.
The premature birth rate in our country is the highest among industrialized countries. These babies, born at least three weeks prior to due dates, often have underdeveloped brains and bodies possibly leading to problems later in life. So studying stress and the impact on fetal development may help us prevent adult problems.

The advice Maggie’s doctor gave her was to see a therapist who could help her more effectively manage the stress in her life. Working through her grief with an ill father and financial concerns from job loss, and accepting the pregnancy were targeted goals.

Maggie was also challenged to strengthen her Christian walk, rehearsing the promises of God despite the negative circumstances. Stress was all around her but God promises to keep her in perfect peace. And God’s promises will help her unborn as well.