Stress During Pregnancy Affects More Than You May Think.
A study recently performed at New York-Presbyterian/Columbia University Irving Medical Center in New York City, showed that mothers with high stress during pregnancy, either physically or mentally, were more likely to have girls. They were also more likely to have premature babies. (LINK TO REPORT)
Mental and physical stress may contribute to the gender of the baby. LINK
While this is a preliminary study, it raises important questions.
1. If stress during pregnancy can affect gender, what else does it change on a genetic level.
2. If stress affects gender, how seriously does it impact the mother’s body chemistry?
3. We know that mental stress causes tension in the neck, head, shoulders, low back and pelvis. Pelvic tension leads to breech presentation. How does stress impact breech presentation?
4. If stress during pregnancy affects gender, how does it impact fetal brain chemistry, growth and development.
5. We know that fetal development of the stress response begins at around 5 weeks. How does maternal stress impact fetal stress at the level of the brain?
All breakdown, all derangement of function comes from stress. Stress during pregnancy can be classified under three types: Physical, Mental & Chemical. Pregnancy is the one time in a woman’s life where she generally really wants to be as healthy as ever. You understand that everything that you do and feel, may reach your developing child.
Physical stress is stress like sleep position, walking, accidents, baby weight, your shoes, and other physically straining input.
Mental stress is emotional stress, depression, anxiety, mental fatigue, mental and emotional abuse and the like.
Chemical stress includes drugs, medications, food, drink, perfume, makeup, hair products, soap, and other products and chemicals that are absorbed by your body. Mental stress also creates changes in body chemistry that will be stressful. For example, mental stress and anxiety increase inflammatory cortisol levels and increase production of adrenaline, leading to more inflammation throughout the body and fatigue from overproduction of adrenaline. Think “adrenal fatigue.”
Chiropractic care addresses the nervous system, which is the system that controls how your body adapts to stress. Research has shown that chiropractic adjustments affect the part of your brain that modulates mood, personality, body and emotional regulation, morality, intuition and fear modulation, among other things. Chiropractic will help with management of all forms of stress during pregnancy.
How do physical, mental and chemical stress show up. (manifest) in your body?
Pain (hips, pubic bone, shoulders, neck, head, feet, ankles, knees, sacroiliac joints, low back, mid back, etc.)
Dystocia (difficult and prolonged labor)
Fatigue
Nausea
Inflammatory pain
Insomnia
Difficulty falling asleep
Headache
Chest pain
Numbness, tingling and weakness
Digestive issues
Weakened immunity (frequent illness)
Loss of sexual desire
Short temper
Grinding or Clenching teeth
Inability to focus
Emotional meltdowns. (crying over spilled milk)
Dr. Lou Jacobs is one of only 4 registered board-certified perinatal and pediatric chiropractors within 64 miles of Portland, Maine. He has been working with pregnant moms for nearly 20 years.