November 12, 2024

Prenatal Stressors Associated with Poorer Child Health

Americans are stressed out. Americans report being stressed about money, crime and violence, and parenting. Parental stress — even prenatally — needs to be considered when planning for healthy babies.

Stress contributes to a variety of physical health concerns. Headaches, muscle tension, upset stomach, changes in appetite and shortness of breath can all be caused by stress. But the impacts of stress are even more serious for those who are pregnant.

A study published in the Scientific World Journal looked at the effects of stress on a healthy pregnancy. Prenatal parental stress has been associated with preterm birth, postpartum depression, fetal distress and child neurodevelopment.

The way an individual successfully deals with stress is called resilience. Low resilience has been associated with poorer pregnancy outcomes – and the social circumstance of the pregnant person affects the degree of resilience an individual experiences.

Some of the social stressors associated with lower resilience — and poorer outcomes — are low income, domestic violence, lack of a family support network and being a refugee.

Research from 2017 associated a greater impact with the number of these stressors experienced. Many of the pregnant and new mothers served by EveryStep experience all these stressors and more. For example, Josselyn came to the U.S. from Guatemala. A survivor of domestic violence, she was pregnant and unable to work because of her pregnancy. Introduced to EveryStep, Josselyn found the support she needed. With concrete support with baby items from EveryStep’s Stork’s Nest, prenatal support from EveryStep nurses and an EveryStep case manager and interpreter to help her navigate government and health care systems, Josselyn was supported in bringing her healthy pregnancy to term and delivered a healthy baby girl.

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Maternal stress may have effects far past pregnancy and postpartum. Researchers found that stress, depression and anxiety during pregnancy are related to delayed motor and mental development at 3 and 8 months of age. And it doesn’t stop there. As a child continues to grow, some research shows prenatal stress can result in a decreased capacity to learn and remember, and even a tendency toward a personality disorder.

The traumatic stress associated with being a refugee can magnify all the other potential stressors of low income, lack of a family support network and exposure to prolonged violence.

Born in a Thai refugee camp, Paw Paw gave birth to her first child in the same camp. It was a physically and mentally exhausting experience. When she and her family came to Iowa, her second birth experienced was improved, but the language barrier continued to be stressful. “We didn’t know what to do or how to understand what was happening,” says Paw Paw.

Learn how EveryStep supports parents and children

Shortly after that birth, Paw Paw learned about EveryStep. With the aid of an EveryStep interpreter, she was able to access support programs to help her young family and when she learned she was having a third baby, EveryStep was there to make the pregnancy less stressful. She was paired with an EveryStep doula who supported her throughout the pregnancy and was there when her baby girl was born.

The breadth and depth of EveryStep’s care and support programs offer expecting and new parents the connections, tools and resources they need to foster a healthier future.

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