You found out that you’re pregnant. You probably have a millions things running through your mind. You begin to stress out and wonder how this affects your unborn child? Does stress really affect your baby? Is there good stress and bad stress? How can I eliminate the amount of stress in my life?
Some stress during pregnancy is normal, just as it is during other times of life. But if stress becomes constant, the effects on you and your baby could be lasting. When you’re stressed, your body goes into "fight or flight" mode, sending out a burst of cortisol and other stress hormones. These are the same hormones that surge when you are in danger. They prepare you to run by sending a blast of fuel to your muscles and making your heart pump faster. If you can deal with your stress and move on, your stress response will recede and your body will go back into balance. In fact, constant stress could alter your body’s stress management system, causing it to overreact and trigger an inflammatory response. Inflammation, in turn, has been linked to poorer pregnancy health and developmental problems in babies down the road.
So if you are already feeling this here are a couple of suggestions you may do to help elevate that stress. Reach out. Talk to your doctor, family or trusted and supportive friends about what’s causing you to feel stressed. Together you can look for solutions, which might include meditation, prenatal yoga, massage, or talk therapy. Pregnancy appropriate exercise like walking and stretching are excellent stress reducers. Sing a song even if you can’t carry a tune, hum in your head. Music helps control cortisol levels. Last but certainly not least, relax take a warm bath. Have a cup of tea. Curl up with a book. You’ll have precious few chances to pamper yourself once your baby arrives.
Story Adapted from: http://www.webmd.com/baby/features/stress-marks
Some stress during pregnancy is normal, just as it is during other times of life. But if stress becomes constant, the effects on you and your baby could be lasting. When you’re stressed, your body goes into "fight or flight" mode, sending out a burst of cortisol and other stress hormones. These are the same hormones that surge when you are in danger. They prepare you to run by sending a blast of fuel to your muscles and making your heart pump faster. If you can deal with your stress and move on, your stress response will recede and your body will go back into balance. In fact, constant stress could alter your body’s stress management system, causing it to overreact and trigger an inflammatory response. Inflammation, in turn, has been linked to poorer pregnancy health and developmental problems in babies down the road.
So if you are already feeling this here are a couple of suggestions you may do to help elevate that stress. Reach out. Talk to your doctor, family or trusted and supportive friends about what’s causing you to feel stressed. Together you can look for solutions, which might include meditation, prenatal yoga, massage, or talk therapy. Pregnancy appropriate exercise like walking and stretching are excellent stress reducers. Sing a song even if you can’t carry a tune, hum in your head. Music helps control cortisol levels. Last but certainly not least, relax take a warm bath. Have a cup of tea. Curl up with a book. You’ll have precious few chances to pamper yourself once your baby arrives.
Story Adapted from: http://www.webmd.com/baby/features/stress-marks
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