Pregnancy, especially the third trimester, brings many emotional and physical changes. This can leave you feeling stressed.
Some stress is normal, but too much stress for too long can hurt both you and your baby. This article looks at how stress specifically affects pregnancy in the third trimester, including how it affects your body, what risks it can pose, and how to cope.
The goal is to give pregnant women and their loved ones information and tools to manage stress during this important time.
Understanding Stress: Types and Physiological Impact
What is Stress?
Stress is the body’s natural response to challenging situations. When you’re stressed, your body releases hormones like adrenaline and cortisol. The hypothalamus in your brain plays a central role in this process.
While a little bit of stress can be helpful, long-term stress can be harmful to your health.
Good Stress vs. Bad Stress
Not all stress is bad! Everyday stress is normal, and it usually won’t harm the baby. It’s the long-term, severe, or chronic stress that poses the greatest risk during pregnancy.
Chronic stress can lead to a range of health problems, making it important to manage stress effectively, especially during the third trimester, and simple tools for stress management can help.
Why the third trimester is unique
The third trimester brings a whole new set of physical and emotional challenges. Dealing with these challenges can make it harder to manage stress. As your pregnancy progresses, physical discomforts get worse, and it’s normal to feel anxious about labor and becoming a parent.
Stress can worsen typical third-trimester symptoms, like sleep problems and feeling down, which creates a vicious cycle.
Knowing about these vulnerabilities is the first step to finding ways to manage your stress.
How stress affects the mother in the third trimester
It’s no secret that stress can affect your overall health, and that’s especially true when you’re in the third trimester of pregnancy. Here are some ways stress can affect you:
Hormonal Imbalance
Stress can cause your hormone levels to go haywire, especially cortisol levels. When cortisol goes up, it suppresses your immune system. That makes you more likely to get sick.
Mental Health
Stress makes you more likely to experience anxiety and depression during pregnancy. Those conditions can make pregnancy more complicated, and they can make it harder for you to take care of yourself and your baby.
Impact on Labor
Stress can affect your labor and delivery. It can cause you to have a longer labor, and it can increase the chances you’ll need medical interventions. When you’re stressed, it can be harder for your body to relax, and that can make it harder for labor to progress.
How maternal stress affects fetal development
During pregnancy, it’s not just the pregnant person experiencing stress; the developing fetus is also affected. Here’s what the research shows:
Preterm birth and low birth weight
Stress can increase the risk of preterm birth, which can cause severe health problems for the baby. Stress during pregnancy is also linked to low birth weight, which can have long-term effects on a child’s health and development.
Neurodevelopmental impact
Maternal stress can change how a baby’s brain develops, potentially leading to behavioral and cognitive issues later in life. A study in the Journal of the American Medical Association Open Network on December 7, 2020, showed that a pregnant person’s stress can affect the development of an unborn child’s brain. Researchers could see the effects on brain scans.
High anxiety during pregnancy can cause developmental delays and autism-like traits in children, and prenatal depression in the pregnant person is linked to how newborns react to stress.
Telomere Length
Maternal anxiety can shorten the length of a baby’s telomeres. Telomeres are like protective caps at the ends of chromosomes. Their length is connected to cellular aging and overall health.
Microbiome Disruption
Stress in the first trimester can negatively affect the microbes that live in a pregnant person’s vagina. Changes in the maternal microbiome can affect the baby’s developing immune system.
Coping strategies and support systems
The third trimester can be tough, but there are things you can do to manage your stress and feel more supported.
Relaxation techniques
Try relaxation techniques like deep breathing, meditation, prenatal yoga, mindfulness, and even bee breath for vagus nerve stimulation. They can help lower your stress hormones and make you feel calmer.
Healthy lifestyle
Stick to a healthy lifestyle by eating well, exercising regularly (if your doctor says it’s okay), drinking enough water, and getting plenty of rest. Make sleep a priority!
Building a support system
Lean on your family, friends, and healthcare team for support. Talking to other pregnant people or experienced parents can be really helpful.
Seek professional help
If you’re feeling overwhelmed by stress, don’t hesitate to reach out to a therapist or counselor. You can also call the National Maternal Mental Health Hotline at 1-833-852-6262.
The Nurse-Family Partnership: A model for intervention
The Nurse-Family Partnership (NFP) is a program that’s shown results. It provides support to low-income women who are pregnant for the first time.
The NFP has three big goals: a healthy pregnancy and delivery, a healthy child who thrives, and a family that can support itself.
Research has found that women who participate in the NFP experience less stress during pregnancy and have better outcomes for themselves and their babies.
Frequently Asked Questions
What are the symptoms of stress during pregnancy?
Stress during pregnancy can manifest in various ways, both physically and emotionally. Common symptoms include: persistent feelings of worry or anxiety, difficulty sleeping or insomnia, changes in appetite (either increased or decreased), headaches, muscle tension, fatigue, irritability, difficulty concentrating, feeling overwhelmed, and experiencing rapid heart rate or shortness of breath. Remember that experiencing some stress is normal, but if you’re feeling overwhelmed or these symptoms are persistent, reach out for support.
Can stress affect my baby?
While occasional stress is unlikely to harm your baby, prolonged or severe stress during pregnancy, especially in the third trimester, has been linked to potential complications. High levels of stress hormones can impact fetal development, potentially leading to preterm labor and delivery, low birth weight, and increased risk of developmental issues in the child. It’s crucial to manage stress effectively to ensure a healthy pregnancy and a positive outcome for both you and your baby. Prioritizing self-care, seeking support, and practicing relaxation techniques are essential steps.
In conclusion
Managing stress during your third trimester is vital for your health and your baby’s health.
By understanding how stress can affect you and finding healthy ways to cope, you’ll be better prepared for the challenges and rewards that are coming.
Don’t hesitate to lean on your healthcare team, family, and community. They can provide the support you need for a healthy and happy pregnancy.