Pregnant women should eat healthy, take prenatal vitamins and not drink alcohol. Now, according to a new study released by the American Journal of Obstetrics & Gynecology, they must also avoid stress at the beginning of their pregnancy.
Chinese researchers studied 1,800 pregnant women by measuring their emotional health and traumatic events they experienced, such as the death of a loved one, divorce or job loss.
They found that the risk of premature birth doubled if a traumatic event occurred during the first two trimesters of pregnancy. If the mother was stressed during her first trimester, she was three times more likely to have a lower birth weight baby.
Stress during pregnancy increases cortisol and adrenalin circulating in the blood of the fetus.
After the tragedy on September 11, 2001, widows received assistance from the community to cope with their grief and prepare for the birth of children who would not know their father. This helped reduce the stress experienced by babies.