Stress Before Birth and How Babies Respond

During pregnancy, males and females in the womb may not handle stressful situations equally as well. Researchers from Australia are making new discoveries about how babies respond to physical and emotional types of stress that affect their mothers during pregnancy.

According to the researchers, when pregnant women are in a stressful situation, male babies continue to grow. But for female babies, the growth rate may decline somewhat, causing the baby to become slightly smaller than average. If yet more stressors arise during the pregnancy, female babies will continue to grow at that same rate, but male babies don’t do as well and may be at higher risk of certain complications. These patterns have been seen in pregnancies affected by co-existing disease, maternal smoking, and may also occur with psychological stress, according to the researchers.

The National Institutes of Health provides these tips for moms on supporting a healthy pregnancy… focusing on a healthy diet, getting regular physical activity, avoiding alcohol, tobacco and drug use, starting prenatal medical care early in the pregnancy, keep up with all recommended visits.