If you're planning on getting pregnant in the next year or so, recent studies suggest cutting stress out from your life. This is because long-time stress, even before pregnancy, could result in your future baby's low birth weight.
When we're stressed, our brain releases a hormone called cortisol. We usually get our first dose of cortisol when we wake up first thing in the morning and it steadily declines as our day progresses. For women who experience chronic stress, they lack this decline in their cortisol level. When pregnancy enters the picture, this level increases up to four times. What does this mean for your bun in the oven? According to Tech Times, if that level goes even higher, there will be a decrease in blood flow to the fetus leading to lack of oxygen and other essential nutrients,
Research from the University of California in Los Angeles, US News reports, examined saliva samples of women from LA one month after giving birth and again when the baby was at 6 to 18 months old. That's where they found that women with elevated levels of cortisol during pregnancy delivered babies that weighed less than 5 pounds and 8 ounces.
Chris Dunkel Schetter, a UCLA professor of psychology, who worked on the study urges women to evaluate their stress levels now if they plan on getting pregnant in the future. She said, "Women should treat depression, evaluate and treat stress, be sure they are in a healthy relationship, be physically active, stop smoking and gather family support. All of the things that create an optimal pregnancy and healthy life for the mother should be done before getting pregnant."
