Most people know that whatever a pregnant mother eats and drinks usually has an impact on the baby. However, very few know whether or not what a mother feels during pregnancy also affects the baby.
A study conducted by the Association for Psychological Science bore some shocking results. The findings reveal that a mother’s emotions impact a 6-month old embryo. And the effect is not just temporary. As a mother, your emotional health often starts to form the fetus’ attitude about life. Keep reading if you are wondering how your crying affects your baby. Below are a few categories that can show you how your emotions might change your child’s life forever.
For stressed mothers
Every mother deals with stress at one point or the other while pregnant. Fortunately, occasional stress does not have a lasting effect on babies. On the other hand, long-term anxieties, stresses, or depression have a lasting effect. Mothers who are highly anxious while pregnant have a significantly higher chance of delivering anxious, colicky babies. Although emotions cannot pass into the placenta, hormones can. Your body usually creates a stress hormone whenever you are stressed. Babies who get the stress hormone on a regular basis can get used to being chronically stressed.
For depressed moms
According to health line, being depressed during pregnancy is as common as postpartum depression. About ten percent of pregnant mothers get depressed. Depressed moms deliver babies who are 1.5 times more likely to suffer from depression once they are 18 years old. These children are also more susceptible to emotional problems such as aggression. In addition, the consistency of a mother’s depression could affect how well their baby develops.
RELATED ARTICLE: Everything You’ve Heard About Depression is Wrong – Here’s Why…
According to the study mentioned above, infants developed normally if their mothers were depressed both during and after pregnancy. Babies also developed normally if their moms’ mental conditions were healthy during pregnancy and after birth. However, if any of these circumstances happen to change, the child’s process of development slowed significantly. For instance, if a mother was healthy while pregnant but became depressed immediately after birth, the infant’s development could be stunted.
For mothers who resent being pregnant
Resentment towards the fetus growing inside you can only make matters worse. Studies show that mothers who felt no attachment to the babies growing inside them bore children with a variety of emotional issues.
For moms who suffer from occasional sad days
Having occasional sad days is quite common, and every other human being has them. As such, it should not worry you at all. Experiencing bad days or stress occasionally will not have any lasting effects on your babies.
What to do
Getting the help necessary to ensure you are happy is the best solution here. Although getting rid of all your stress might prove impossible, you can always learn about depression and its symptoms. You should also consult your physician about pregnancy-safe antidepressants since this type of medication actually exists. These precautions are entirely necessary seeing as you are essentially growing a human.
Conclusion
As shown above, your emotional state as a mother could have a lasting effect on your baby’s development and overall health. Keeping your emotions in check is, therefore, important, especially when you are pregnant. There are a variety of ways to keep your emotions in check today. Apart from medication, yoga, exercising, long baths, taking deep breathes, and grounding yourself, the use of various common herbs can also help. For instance, the odor of lavender drops applied onto the collarbone is usually quite relaxing and helps to relieve stress.
