Effects of stress on early pregnancy. The effect of stress during pregnancy on the fetus and the mother's body. Physical education for pregnant women

Stress is a reaction of the human psyche to some external event or one's unfavorable physical condition. It can play a different role in human health. If stress is overcome by one's own efforts, life returns to normal, such a state strengthens and tempers, gives confidence in one's ability to cope with life's difficulties.

If the stressful situation is of a protracted nature, a person may not be able to cope with it and receive a severe blow to the psyche, which will lead to serious illness. In this case, it is necessary to seek the help of a psychiatrist, overcoming your prejudices against the treatment of this direction. It must be understood that only a small part of people who have undergone stress acquire chronic depression, and even fewer people need treatment in a hospital.

Stress during pregnancy is a common occurrence that must be treated in a timely manner with gentle non-drug methods so as not to harm either the expectant mother or the child. Let's figure out why it occurs, as well as methods of dealing with it.

Causes

In the occurrence of stress in a pregnant woman, the type of her character plays a role. If before pregnancy a girl had an easy attitude to life, found reasons for joy, did not focus on minor troubles, was not afraid of pain and difficulties - most likely, she will not face severe stress during pregnancy. If a lady is afraid of everything, she always worries about the slightest adversity - the remarks of the boss, the barbs of a friend, the breakdown of a zipper in a bag, the appearance of a pimple on her nose - she is more prone to stress while waiting for the baby.

In addition, every woman has her own threshold of normal life, the existence below which she considers a misfortune. For some, a tolerable state of health and the expectation of a family dinner on Saturdays are enough. Someone considers active recreation, fun parties, trips to resorts to be normal. In the second case, the onset of stress is more likely, because during pregnancy you will have to change your lifestyle and limit yourself in many ways.

The most common causes of stress in pregnant women are:

Fear of childbirth. This is the most common cause of stress. Here grandmothers' stories about the times when many women and children died during childbirth due to unsanitary conditions, lack of qualified specialists, and sometimes the inability to get necessary medicines play a negative role here. It would be nice to read literature about modern methods of delivering children in difficult cases, to be like courses for pregnant women, to listen to the doctor who leads the pregnancy, and not to the talkative neighbors, while waiting for the child.

Fear of a difficult pregnancy. Naturally, in this position, a woman's taste preferences change, and toxicosis often occurs. During the second half of the term, the physical capabilities of the pregnant woman deteriorate. It is difficult for her to sit, walk, sometimes her legs swell, even tying her shoelaces is a problem. We must remember that this state is temporary, that you will receive the happiness of motherhood as a reward.
Fear of losing the youth of the figure after childbirth, getting fat, stop liking her husband. Yes, the figure will change, but it is fixable. Remember to wear prenatal and postnatal bandage. Do not overeat, do not exceed the volume of fluids allowed by the doctor. After giving birth, after 2-3 months, you can start doing exercises to return to prenatal form.
Fear of not being able to cope with their role as mother and wife. Indeed, when the baby is very small, and you are not yet accustomed to new responsibilities, and even the child cries at night, it can be difficult. So relatives should help the young mother at this stage. In addition, many books and articles have been written about the first months of a baby's life. Modern doctors consider it possible to take a baby crying at night to bed with his parents so that his mother can breastfeed him on demand almost without waking up. Try to choose the time for sleep and during the day when the baby sleeps. If you take temporary difficulties lightly, the child will also be cheerful and calm. You will succeed.

Service problems. The authorities, of course, are unhappy when they have to let go of an employee who already knows the job and has proven himself well for 3 years. Or, on the contrary, the manager is glad that he will temporarily attach someone he knows to a higher place, and then, gradually, he will take you out of the position. Remember - to give birth to a child and to know maternal happiness is your choice. No job can replace a woman's child. In addition, after pregnancy and a three-year vacation, you will still be young enough to prove your worth in the same place or find yourself a new job. Moreover, when the baby grows up a little, there will be less worries, and you will still be on vacation, you can take advanced training courses online.
Anxiety that the baby in the womb is not developing properly. At some point, he stops pushing with his legs. You may suddenly start losing weight. Any deviation from the norm causes stress. Therefore, if you have any doubts, you should definitely visit a doctor, do an ultrasound scan and establish the cause of your excitement. Perhaps there is no pathology in the development of the fetus, and you need not worry.

Any random event can become a reason for stress - a scandal at home, the rudeness of a fellow traveler in public transport, and so on.

We must learn to avoid participating in unpleasant situations, not to succumb to provocations, and remember that stress during pregnancy is harmful to you and your baby.

Symptoms

In the initial stage, psychological signs of stress appear, seemingly not affecting the physical condition of the pregnant woman:

A depressed, depressed state, when nothing pleases, indifference to everything in the world appears.
Constant feeling of tiredness, unwillingness to do something and go somewhere, even if the trip is connected with entertainment. In such a situation, a pregnant woman strives to lie alone in bed as much as possible, doing nothing.
Tearfulness. Any word carelessly spoken by relatives or girlfriends, a memory, an episode of a TV movie causes tears.
Increased irritability. Things that a woman did not attach importance to earlier - a dirty cup on the table, conversations with her mother with elements of mutual misunderstanding, a half-hour delay of her husband from work, and so on - now cause anger in a pregnant woman.
The most dangerous psychological sign of depression is the occurrence of suicidal thoughts in the expectant mother. Therefore, if relatives and friends notice signs of severe stress in a woman who is expecting a child, it is necessary to be close to her, try to console her, believe in a successful outcome of the pregnancy, and, possibly, persuade her to go to a psychiatrist.

If stress during pregnancy continues for a long time, its physiological signs are noticeable:

A woman can lose a few pounds.
There is a reaction to a change in the weather in the form of headaches.
Nausea and vomiting may not be a sign of toxicosis, but of stress. Unlike the state of toxicosis, in this case they appear less often and are not directly related to food intake.
Difficulty falling asleep in the evening, which is easier to identify early, when it is not due to the presence of a large abdomen and the inability to get comfortable in bed.
The severity of breathing is also characteristic of stress in the early stages. In late pregnancy, it may be associated with pressure from the uterus on the internal organs.
Increase in blood pressure.
Panic attacks and tachycardia.
Increased muscle tone, which can lead to miscarriage or premature birth (depending on the gestational age).
Loss of appetite or the opposite situation - a constant desire to snack.
Frequent colds and SARS.
A change in the behavior of the baby in the womb - he shows violent activity or, on the contrary, almost stops knocking his legs.

The appearance of any of the listed signs of stress dictates the need for the expectant mother to visit the attending physician.

Perhaps she just needs to talk to a specialist so that he convinces her that there is no reason to worry. If there are reasons, only a doctor can decide how to help a woman without damaging the fetus.

Effects of stress in pregnancy

During pregnancy, experiences have their own characteristics. These include the physical condition of a woman. After all, when a baby grows in the uterus, his mother's hormonal background changes, metabolic processes in the body are disturbed. Also, a double burden is imposed on the pregnant woman - to ensure her life and the development of the fetus. From this it follows that the very state of pregnancy is already a physiological stress. And experiences are explained by physical discomfort.

The fear of the upcoming birth and responsibility in caring for a defenseless creature after them are also inherent only to women "in position". Therefore, the future mother must understand that her condition is natural, felt by many millions of women. Doctors have accumulated vast experience in attending childbirth and patronage of infants. And there is nothing pathological in the state of the pregnant woman.

How does stress affect pregnancy? At different periods of waiting for a child, he can bring various pathologies and troubles concerning both the mother and the child:

Stress in early pregnancy, in the first 3 months, threatens miscarriage. If it doesn’t happen, the mother’s immunity may decrease, she may have recurring colds and infectious diseases, which also affect the health of the baby.

At 2 months of pregnancy - 8-9 weeks - due to this condition of the mother, the baby may develop a "cleft lip" or "cleft palate". With severe stress, the child is threatened with schizophrenia.
With stress that occurs in a pregnant woman in the period from 4 to 6 months, the baby is threatened with autism in the future. He will not be able to adapt to the social environment of his peers. In addition, from mother's stress, her and the child's sugar rises, which can lead to diabetes. A woman in labor can get bleeding after giving birth, and the baby is sometimes born very large.
In the last 3 months of pregnancy, stress can cause both premature birth and the birth of a post-term baby. This condition can provoke difficult childbirth, which will have to be intervened by caesarean section. The nervous state of the mother can affect the baby by anomalies in the formation of the nervous system, by slowing down psychomotor development. The baby may also face a lack of oxygen and a violation of the uteroplacental blood flow.

From the foregoing, it can be seen that stress in a pregnant woman is a very serious phenomenon that cannot be ignored. It's best to prevent it.

Stress prevention

The most important part of the treatment and prevention of stress is self-hypnosis. A woman should disconnect from her husband's money problems at work, from her official problems, think only about the health of the child and her condition. If you can’t convince yourself that everything will be fine, sign up for a course of treatment with a psychologist who will talk to you, professionally convince you that you should not worry. The impact of stress on pregnancy has been the subject of many scientific papers. A specialist familiar with them will surely help you.

To prevent nervous conditions, drink a course of vitamins that a gynecologist will prescribe for you. Vitamin B will calm your nervous system, vitamin C will strengthen the immune system, protect against diseases. This vitamin also strengthens the nerves.

Helpful Hints:

Don't get involved in scandals.
Do not listen to neighbors talking about various tragic stories.
Do not watch the news on television or read it on the Internet. And in general, you don’t need to watch a lot of TV. But if you have such a desire, watch a comedy.
Turn on some nice romantic music.
Think of a job that you enjoy. Knit baby hats, read romance novels.

It is very useful to go for exercises for pregnant women. You can do yoga - exercises that are designed for expectant mothers. Walk more and breathe fresh air.

The stress of a pregnant mother greatly threatens the health of the unborn baby.

Stress is bad for everyone. At this point in time, scientists are studying the impact of stress experienced by the mother during pregnancy on the health of the baby.

Pregnancy itself is already stressful for the body of the expectant mother. We will try to find out how dangerous the stress endured by the mother is for the baby, and also consider ways to deal with unnecessary excitement and anxiety.

What is stress?

The very concept of "stress" means the body's reaction to certain situations: hormonal changes, changes in external conditions, strong feelings, and so on. And pregnancy entails a lot of changes in a woman's body. Perestroika also concerns the psycho-emotional background, so expectant mothers always react brighter and more painfully to the influence of their environment.

This is a completely natural process necessary for adapting to a new position and properly bearing a child.

But such a reaction can also become pathological. If the first two stages of stress are a manifestation of a normal defensive reaction, then the third, last, can cause protracted and other mental disorders.

Reasons for stress during pregnancy

Unfortunately, there are really quite a lot of reasons for worries in pregnant women: especially if the pregnancy is the first. Consider the most common fears among expectant mothers:

1 Fear for the health of the baby. Even under ideal conditions of conception and constant examinations, there remains a small percentage of the likelihood of pathologies in the fetus.

But modern medicine is not limited to diagnosing the state of health of the baby in the womb. If any developmental abnormalities are found, doctors will always be ready to provide the necessary assistance to eliminate them. Your worries about the health of the child can only give the opposite result. Therefore, it is best to just calm down and not miss planned examinations, tests and ultrasounds.

2 Fear of negative changes in appearance. The fear of losing its former shape after childbirth is perhaps the most groundless of the "pregnant" fears. The appearance of many women who gave birth not only did not deteriorate after gestation, but also became more spectacular, bright and attractive. And such trifles as a tummy that has appeared and rounded hips can be easily eliminated with the help of classes in the gym.

3 Fear of the upcoming birth. How they will pass sometimes remains a mystery even for a specialist who observes pregnancy throughout the entire period. Possible pain sensations, insufficient competence of medical personnel - any pregnant woman repeatedly thinks about all this.

Solving this problem is quite simple. You need to communicate as much as possible with women who have already experienced childbirth, to express your concerns to them.

An experienced mother will definitely give you good advice and help dispel all fears. It will not be superfluous to attend courses in preparation for childbirth. Here you will be taught proper breathing techniques, special gymnastics and other useful things.

Thanks to the knowledge gained, you will never get confused at the most crucial moment, and your baby will be born healthy and strong.

Effects of stress during pregnancy

Not a single woman during her entire pregnancy managed to save herself from stress, and therefore the question lurks in the head of every expectant mother - “How can the stress I experienced affect my child? Does he feel all my feelings?

The group of food antidepressants, contrary to popular belief, does not include chocolates, ice cream or jam. The ability to improve mood is inherent in products that contain B vitamins, manganese and vitamin C.

Interesting! Why does the baby hiccup in the stomach?

Such products are fish, nuts, lean meat (chicken, turkey, rabbit meat), cottage cheese, natural yogurt, red fruits (apples, pomegranates), berries and dried fruits. These products will help not only improve the mental state of the mother, but will also be very useful for the baby.

2 Love and be loved. Scientific experiments have shown that it is single women who are most often exposed to stress. Moreover, a woman can feel lonely even when she is married.

It is important to understand that it is not so much sex that can help get rid of stress, but the feeling of complete understanding in the family. Do not withdraw into yourself: it is necessary to share experiences and thoughts with your half.

A joint trip to a film screening, theater or exhibition is a good way to forget about everyday problems and anxieties. New experiences experienced together will surely give you and your life partner a good mood.

3 An interesting hobby is the best cure for stress. Many women begin to discover new talents in themselves during maternity leave or pregnancy. If in the usual pace of life we do not always have time for creativity, then right now you can do something exciting and enjoyable.

The future mother can attend master classes, during which the teacher will give you basic knowledge about a particular art form in an accessible form. In addition, on such courses you can find new acquaintances: communication with interesting creative people always leaves positive impressions.

By creating something with your own hands, you will be distracted from negative thoughts. The fruits of your creativity will also be an excellent decoration for the interior of your home.

4 Healthy sleep and proper daily routine. Physical fatigue also has a negative effect on the nervous system. Therefore, it is so important for pregnant women to observe a normal daily routine. Go to bed no later than 22-23 hours. It is during these hours that the body restores its strength to the maximum. Sleep started at a later time is less effective.

Stress, even in the normal state of a person, is a very serious test for any organism. What can we say about how hard it is tolerated during pregnancy. At this time, both external factors (cold and heat, hunger and thirst, physical activity, etc.), as well as emotional, psychological ones (resentment, fatigue, fear of childbirth, death of a loved one, nervous tension, etc.) can disable the nervous system. .). Any nervous stress during pregnancy is dangerous both for the health of the woman herself and for the condition of the child she is carrying.

It often happens that a pregnant woman does not even notice that she is under constant stress. She gets used to it so much that she takes all her fears and worries for granted. In the meantime, constant stress during pregnancy is doing its destructive work from the inside. Therefore, every expectant mother should be able to analyze her condition and pay attention to the main symptoms of stress:

apathy, indifference to everything, lethargy;
decrease in working capacity;
lack and loss of appetite;
periods of inexplicable anxiety, nervousness;
frequent heartbeat;
dizziness;
tremor of the limbs (their trembling);
lowered immunity - frequent colds.

If all this is the case, most likely, your condition is serious enough and requires prompt correction. Scientists have found that in the female body in a state of stress during pregnancy, the amount of special hormones, glucocorticoids, increases significantly. And they affect not only genes, but also have a close relationship with the work of the placenta. Accordingly, their consequences can be the most serious.

Why is stress dangerous during pregnancy?

There are women who talk about the strongest stresses they endured during pregnancy, which had absolutely no effect on the condition of their baby and childbirth. These are very controversial situations, since the consequences can manifest themselves much later - problems can begin in a child at school or transitional age, when serious changes in the psyche occur. Doctors have long explained how stress affects pregnancy and the future health of the baby. It can lead to the following consequences:

small ;
premature birth;
stress in late pregnancy provokes anomalies in the formation of the child's nervous system;
problems of adaptation in the team;
autism or hyperactivity;
fears and phobias;
stress in early pregnancy can lead to severe fetal hypoxia.
enuresis;
terrible birth anomalies - such as "cleft lip" or "cleft palate";
allergic and asthmatic reactions in the newborn;
the development of diabetes;
cardiovascular diseases;

As you can see, being strong is a very serious test for both the baby and the expectant mother. That is why it is so important to try to avoid it by all means. And this should be understood not only by the woman herself, but first of all by those who surround her during this period of life.

How to avoid stress during pregnancy?

To help a pregnant woman avoid the terrible consequences of a stressful state should be the doctor observing her, and her relatives and friends. After all, it is on the latter that her psycho-emotional state depends. Pregnancy is not a time for quarrels, tantrums, and even more so divorces. To avoid nervous tension, the expectant mother needs to know methods that quickly and effectively restore peace of mind.

Learn to control your thoughts: stop thinking about the bad, wait only for the negative. Tune in to the positive and think about a safe birth and your baby, whom you will soon be hugging. If you feel that you are not able to do this yourself, be sure to sign up for special trainings or go to a psychologist.
Don't be alone with your fears. Find someone you can tell everything to. Do not leave negativity in yourself, get rid of it by any means.
Walk more in the fresh air, do not forget to ventilate your room.
Eat well, especially fresh fruits and vegetables in your diet.
Sleep as much as you want.
Do physical education for pregnant women: special, swimming, even yoga.
Communicate only with those people who are pleasant to you. Eliminate from your social circle those who often offend you or just annoy you.
Get plenty of rest, especially in the first few months. While you are working, your lunch break is a must. Do not work in the evenings: before going to bed, you need to learn how to relax and get pleasant emotions from some favorite thing that gives you pleasure.
There are many ways to relax: discover the world of aromatherapy, book a massage or acupuncture, meditate.

Every woman who is preparing to become a mother should be very clear about the dangers of stress during pregnancy and why it is so important to avoid it by any means. To protect your baby from negative consequences, you need to be able to concentrate on the main thing - on your position, and try to ignore annoying little things and failures.

Many people know that the emotional state of a pregnant woman has a strong effect on the health of an unborn baby. In this case, the impact can be short-term or long-term, bring both benefit and harm. Stress during pregnancy is normal. But you need to understand what stressors have an impact, and take into account how a woman tolerates it.

Definition

Stress is the body's response to intense excitement. This means that the person was very frightened, surprised, upset or indignant. Medical professionals see this concept a little differently. What was presented above, namely mental confusion or nervous tension, refers to neuropsychological stress.

There are several main types:

emotional;
physiological;
light;
temperature;
hungry;
neuro-psychic.

That is, such a state can be caused by a variety of factors. Carrying a baby is a very responsible task, so every mother needs to know how stress affects pregnancy.

Peculiarities

When a woman is in an interesting position, a huge number of changes occur in her body, there are disturbances in metabolic processes, hormonal disruptions, so the organs function differently. Everything affects the expectant mother - not only the environment, but also other personal factors:

a pregnant woman has rapid fatigue;
limited freedom of action;
there is constant irritation;
there is constant fear for the child.

Symptoms

How stress during pregnancy affects a woman, all expectant mothers should know in order to avoid such a condition, since the fetus reacts very actively to all experiences. It should be noted that such problems can take place in several forms:

1. Acute - it flows quickly enough and ends in the same way.
2. Chronic - this is a sharp depressive state that lasts constantly.

Due to the fact that the girl is nervous, her body produces the following hormones:

adrenalin;
cortisol;
norepinephrine.

This increases the tone of the uterus, significantly constricts blood vessels and raises blood pressure, as a result, the pregnant woman's heartbeat accelerates.

It is almost impossible to get an unambiguous answer to the question of how stress affects pregnancy, since a short-term emotional outburst is also the best workout for the body. But it is very important that such a condition does not develop into a chronic form. After all, if such shocks are constant, a woman may have problems with breathing, her skin will begin to turn pale, then blush. Also, among the symptoms, one can note wet palms, greatly dilated pupils, and pain that periodically occurs in the chest area.

In the case of a woman, she cannot restrain her emotions, she becomes fussy, absent-minded, she has problems with memory, appetite, headaches and eating disorders.

Causes

It is already known whether stress affects pregnancy, so you need to know the factors that contribute to the appearance of the problem:

Lack of support from loved ones.
Continuous problems with sleep, because a woman gets tired so quickly during pregnancy.
Feeling of constant dissatisfaction with everything.
Nervous and difficult work or study at a university.

You need to know that severe stress is dangerous, as it can threaten the life of the fetus. It occurs when a woman worries about something for a long time and accumulates a huge amount of emotions in herself. Due to such troubles, the body cannot develop the required protection, therefore, such factors negatively affect the process of bearing the fetus.

How to relieve stress during pregnancy?

It is extremely important to get rid of nervous experiences in a timely manner. Although sometimes it is difficult to do, it is worth closing your eyes to the problems and thinking about the health of the unborn child. To overcome trouble, you need to strengthen your body:

As prescribed by the doctor, vitamin complexes should be taken. Especially necessary are vitamins C and E. With their support, you can not only strengthen the immune system, but also rejuvenate the entire body as a whole, as well as protect the nervous system. It has been proven that with the help of vitamin C, you can get rid of provocateurs that cause a feeling of panic. Thanks to vitamin B, the nervous system will be thoroughly protected, it can be easily found in marine products.
Having figured out how stress affects pregnancy, and realizing that this can leave a negative mark on the health of the baby and mother, you should perform specially designed yoga complexes that include breathing exercises, relaxation and simple physical exercises.
It is advisable to do your favorite thing as often as possible, knit, read, that is, calm your mind and be distracted from various problems.
Those who know how nervous stress affects pregnancy and how difficult it is sometimes to get rid of it, recommend seeking help from a psychologist if you cannot get out of this state for a long time. The doctor will advise effective methods, and the patient will feel better.
Pregnant women are calmed by listening to romantic and calm music.

Danger in different trimesters

Every woman who intends to become a mother should know how stress affects early pregnancy, because negative experiences can end in miscarriage. If problems catch a girl in the second or third trimester, then there is a threat to the mother herself. The vital major organs begin to strain, then the pressure rises, a large number of edema appears and it is possible to see protein in the urine. In the placenta, blood flow worsens and, as a result, the fetus will have a lack of oxygen.

Possible consequences

Why is stress dangerous during pregnancy? A similar question is asked by many girls to their doctors. The presence of additional experiences often leads to health problems for the baby. He can be absolutely healthy at birth, and troubles will begin to appear further. The most common disorders in children are:

increased distraction of attention and activity, which further affects learning;
problems with the speech apparatus, as well as difficulties in learning to write;
phobias, fears, urinary incontinence, neuroses;
weakness of the immune system and cardiovascular ailments, which provoke an increased susceptibility of the child to various diseases;
the appearance of defects in appearance, which require surgical intervention to correct;
autism and developmental problems.

Pathologies while carrying a fetus

As you can see, a woman needs to know how it affects during pregnancy, as well as how it affects the mother's condition:

Often there is a problem of hypoxia - lack of oxygen. Because of this, it is more difficult for a woman to endure and give birth to a healthy baby. In the most severe cases, suffocation and fetal death may occur.
In the placenta, blood circulation is disturbed, problems are formed with the exchange processes between the child and the mother. Therefore, the baby is born premature and late in development.
Childbirth is difficult, and the woman in labor quickly loses her strength.
Due to the fact that a woman constantly has fears, her pregnancy is disturbed. Sometimes everything ends even with a miscarriage. Girls are born much earlier, and they walk with boys.

Another indicator of how severe stress affects pregnancy is the threat of early discharge of amniotic fluid as a result of it, and this is quite dangerous for the life of the child.

Stress medications

Special psychotropic components for the treatment of stress are used extremely rarely and only at the moment when the adaptive mechanisms of the body are unable to cope with emotional stress. At the same time, the doctor will definitely weigh all the possible risks for both the baby and the mother and select the most harmless medicines.

Many drugs adversely affect the fetus and lead to the formation of malformations in the development and circulatory disorders. So, expectant mothers should understand that drops such as Barboval, Corvalol, Valocordin, which can be easily purchased at any pharmacy, are categorically contraindicated for pregnant women. Experts also do not recommend self-medication and taking combined herbal preparations - Nottu, Novo-Passit, Persen - since their effect on the fetus has not yet been fully studied.

The safest remedy is the preparation of valerian.

Prevention

How stress affects pregnancy is already known, so this condition is best avoided. There are several types of stress: moderate, which is standard for all women in labor, and strong, arising from mental shock leading to prolonged depression.

A factor for the appearance of the last stress can be a strong excitement or the loss of a loved one, work, property. Lack of attention, cynicism, rudeness, as well as sharp statements of doctors about any problems of a woman in labor lead to a similar state.

As a preventive measure, a pregnant woman can be offered to undergo special tests with a psychologist that show a predisposition to nervous shocks. Such a procedure should only be carried out by a specialist. Based on the results of the survey, a conclusion is drawn for psychologists and doctors to help the expectant mother.