Most people are aware of the fact that whatever a pregnant mother eats and drinks, affects her unborn baby. But does a mother's emotional state affect her baby as well?
The Association for Psychological Science and its research team found out that a six-month old embryo is affected by its mother's emotions. The team even stated that these emotions aren't temporary and that a mother's emotional health is central in shaping the baby's general attitude about life.
But what about crying? What kind of an emotional impact does a crying pregnant mother have on her baby? Every mom has to deal with the daily stress and phases of prenatal anxiety which tend to have a lasting impact on the baby, according to Family Share. However, short doses of depression and anxiety are normal for a mother to experience but when it comes to long-lasting depression it could definitely leave a mark on the baby.
According to a research, mothers who experience higher levels of anxiety during pregnancy have a greater likelihood of having anxious and fretful babies. When a mother is experiencing stress, her body activates a stress hormone that can get passed into the placenta and in turn affect the baby's health. If the baby gets exposed to the stress hormone, they'll have a greater chance of having symptoms of chronic stress as well.
Just like it's not very uncommon to come across a woman who isn't having a postpartum depression, it's highly unlikely to find a pregnant woman who isn't going through the looming cycles of depression, according to Health Line.
Around ten percent of all moms suffer from depression during pregnancy and their babies are 1.5 times more likely to face depression at 18 years of age as well as a myriad of emotional problems such aggressive behavior, according to Baby Center. Depression in pregnancy also plays a central role in deciding whether a baby develops well or not but it depends more on the frequency of depressive phases rather than the depression itself.
