Pregnancy Stress: Why It’s Dangerous & How It Can Be Managed

Pregnancy should be a time of joyful expectation, yet many parents find these nine months to be overwhelming. Fears of childbirth, concern for the baby, obtrusive in laws…there’s an endless list of contributing factors. While these feelings are legitimate, it’s important to know that maternal distress can severely impact the baby’s development, and outcome of the delivery. Let’s go through both of these, the baby and the birth, to better understand how stress can be lethal, followed by some tips to effectively reduce it during pregnancy. 

First things first Mama, know that you and your baby are literally one. Everything you eat, breathe, and even think can help or hurt your unborn child (no pressure). But how can something as intangible as thought affect a growing fetus? It all starts with cortisol, a stress hormone released by the brain into the bloodstream. While cortisol has some evolutionary benefits (telling our ancestors to run from lions and snakes, for example), over-exposure to this hormone can disrupt normal brain development in the fetus. Too much cortisol rewires the baby’s brain, making it hypersensitive to stress. This can one day manifest as depression, psychosis, and heart disease. Unfortunately these effects are likely to continue throughout the child’s life, as demonstrated by The Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

Maternal distress is clearly dangerous to Baby, but what about Mom? From movies to clickbait birth stories, our society tends to portray labor as a painful medical emergency. While these horrific tales are certainly entertaining, they do a great disservice to expectant mothers by reaffirming any preexisting fears. There is a terrifying correlation between birth anxiety and birth complications, telling us that such worries are often self-fulfilling. Furthermore, dread of giving birth is strongly correlated with higher rates of precipitous labor, fetal distress, and prolonged labor, all of which lead to more c-sections and interventions for already nervous moms. How does that work? Let’s dig into it. 

How Stress Can Lengthen Labor

Women who score highly on childbirth fear assessments labor an average of 47 minutes longer than those with lower scores. Why on earth? Because your body is smart. It also wants to protect your baby from environmental dangers. If the body detects a threat (i.e., you experience distress) then it shuts labor down until confident that you and your little one are safe. This is all done through the release of catecholamines.

It’s common for moms to progress nicely at home, only to experience a labor stall once at the hospital. The bright lights, blood draws, and invasive bodily checks typical of a hospital birth are notorious for instigating the release of catecholamines. The sad reality is that these “harmless” interferences often cause the very misfortunes they were designed to prevent. Labor slows, even stops, and more invasive interventions are introduced shortly thereafter. 

How Stress Can Increase Labor Pains

In addition to time, stress can increase labor pain as well. During the course of a calm and confident birth, the body releases oxytocin. This “love hormone” generates beta-endorphins, aka “nature’s painkillers”. In other words, your body brings out a built-in anesthetic just when contractions grow more intense (See? You know what you’re doing!). This incredible system, however, is upended by stress. Fearful thoughts inhibit oxytocin, halting the production of beta-endorphins, thereby depriving Mom of her natural pain relief. At this point, most women opt for an epidural. And who can blame them? Their instincts are frustrated by vaginal exams, intrusive strangers, and pushy doctors. This is hardly the stress-free environment a woman needs in order to labor in peace.

But Wait, There’s More

Birth complications are scary, but the ramifications of maternal stress don’t stop there. Pregnancy overwhelm is also associated with preterm labor, post-term pregnancy, fetal growth restriction, impaired bonding between mother and child, postpartum depression and maternal failure to adjust. While this news can be alarming to anyone in our over-anxious world, I hope it also encourages you toward mental health habits that will positively affect your baby, your family, and the next generation at large. 

Natural Stress Reduction

There are quite a few tried-and-true stress-reduction techniques. Here are a few of the most popular!

Tip One: Exercise

Exercise releases endorphins, the “happy hormones”. Regular endorphin production has been shown to reduce stress, anxiety, and symptoms of depression. It can also boost self-confidence, giving you the edge needed to take childbirth by the reins. And if you’re looking for recommendations, GlowBodyPT is my go-to prenatal workout program. It’s fun, it’s effective, and it’s FREE! 

“But what if exercise isn’t my thing?” No worries! A brisk 10-minute walk will do wonders for your mental health. Seriously, next time you’re up to your neck with work, kids, or laundry, take just 10 minutes outside and see how much better you feel when you return. 

Tip Two: Eat!

Eat well, that is. While stress can certainly be a cause for those Oreo cravings, indulging will only increase negative emotions, lead to further cravings, more negative emotions, and so on. Research shows that poor food choices harm the gut flora and affect our brain chemistry for the worse. If you live in the deep-fried USA, you’re probably familiar with the 2 pm sugar crash. One innocent cupcake with lunch turns you into an energy-zapped, sweets-craving monster within the hour. Of course that’s not to say you can never have a treat! But for the sake of your mental health, do make it a treat and not a habit. 

Tip Three: Use It As An Opportunity

Remember, breathing and mindfulness are highly effective at managing pain, but these skills must be developed. Try turning a stressful moment into a practice session! There are plenty of techniques to lower your heart rate and emotionally remove yourself from a trying situation. Not only will this reduce your mental strain during pregnancy, it will prepare you for birth as well! 

Tip Four: A continuation from above…

Speaking of preparing for birth, the relaxation tips in the Ecco Natural Birth app are extremely useful both in and outside the delivery room. Everything from a warm bath to progressive muscle relaxation can contribute to a powerful sense of inner calm. It’s also free to download, so what are you waiting for?! 

Tip Five: Get Help

Look, as confident as I am in the guidance I’ve presented, there is only so much a blogpost can do. Your situation might call for more than fresh air and sunshine. If such is the case, please do not hesitate to seek professional help. Your baby loves you tremendously and wants to see you happy and thriving. It is crucial that you take the steps necessary for this to happen. 

Pregnancy comes with plenty of stressors, but it shouldn’t rob you of the joys. Mental health means so much more than having a nice day – it seriously affects both you and your growing family. While the dangers of prolonged stress are scary, the solutions are many. Take advantage of the information offered by Ecco Natural Birth, or reach out to a mental health professional if need be. Remember, you cannot properly care for someone if you do not take care of yourself first.

All my love to you and your family on this beautiful journey ‪‪❤︎‬

SOURCES

"Healthy birth practice #2: Walk, move around, and change positions throughout labor." Lamaze International. (Ondeck. 2019.)

"The courage to birth." Journal of Perinatal Education. 21(2), 72- 79. (McGrath. 2012.)

Bremner JD, Moazzami K, Wittbrodt MT, Nye JA, Lima BB, Gillespie CF, Rapaport MH, Pearce BD, Shah AJ, Vaccarino V. Diet, Stress and Mental Health. Nutrients. 2020 Aug 13;12(8):2428. doi: 10.3390/nu12082428. PMID: 32823562; PMCID: PMC7468813.