STRESS: THE EFFECTS ON AN UNBORN CHILD

STRESS: THE EFFECTS ON AN UNBORN CHILD

Tammy R. Grant
Department of Education
Webster University

Author Note
Correspondence concerning this paper can be sent to Ms. Tammy R. Grant, Department of
Education, Webster University, Webster Groves, Missouri 63119. Address email to
granttam@webster.edu

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As a former Family Centered Service Worker with Childrens Division my primary job
was to work with families in an effort to address issues that resulted in their family coming to the
attention of our agency. To help in addressing these issues, I would have to complete a roughly
twelve page long assessment packet with the family; that would delve into every aspect of their
lives. After my four year with the agency, I began to understand the effects of drugs and alcohol
use on a child when they are a fetus. These children would have tremendous health and learning
problems. But, what always puzzled me was when I worked with families whom had no history
of drug or alcohol use by the mother during pregnancy or a history of mental health problems.
These childrens behavior would be similar if not worse than those children exposed to drugs,
alcohol or from a family that had a family history of mental health problems. The one common
denominator that I found was that the mothers of the latter group were more stressed. Everything
from my discussion with the mother would reflect an urgency and I could hear the doubt and
insecurities about her efforts as a parent. This is when I would dig deeper to learn that the
pregnancy with the child was stressful. Not because there was difficulties with the pregnancy
itself but because of the difficulties of life. Could the stress that a mother experience during her
last two trimester of her pregnancy have a negative effect on the development of her unborn
child? I believe that it can. In order to prove this, I will be examining the effect that long term
stress has on the human body and the development of a child in utero. Finally, I will explore the
effects of the chemicals released by the mothers body on the development of the fetus. To start
the paper off right let us define stress and the chemicals that are released when the body is under
stress.

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The roles that we hold within our families, on our jobs and within our communities
brings with it challenges that can be difficult for one to handle. Sometimes these challenges are
good for us because it helps us to grow. However, when the challenges are constant it is hurtful
to the body, this is when stress starts to kick in, but what is stress? Stress can be best described as
mental tension or worry caused by environmental and/or external demands that exceeds the
3natural capacity of the body (Lovallo, 2004).

In other words, stress is a perceived life

threatening event that does not end. When the body is in a constant state of perceived threat it
goes into a fight or flight mode. As shown in the chart below the sympathetic nervous system
begins to produce changes in the body during this process (Freethought-forum.com, 2014) .

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As shown in the chart below, the hypothalamus sends messages to the pituitary glands at this
time also during this fight or flight mode. The pituitary gland then begins to release the hormones
adrenocorticotropic (ACTH) into the bloodstream. When ACTH reaches the adrenal glands they
produce epinephrine and cortisol (Lovallo, 2004).

(http://endocrine.niddk.nih.gov/, 2014)

So, in essence your body has adapted to a survival mode. But, what happens when your body is
in a survival mode all of the time. Well, according to Dr. Don Colbert, when stress is experienced
over a long period of time, it throws the body out of balance. Not only is the body tired and
wanting to rest but, elevated level of epinephrine over time can cause the thyroid to become over
stimulated, blood to clot faster, elevated triglycerides and blood sugar (Colbert, 2003). Elevated
levels of cortisol in the body over time can deplete the bones of vital calcium, magnesium,
potassium. Elevated cortisol in the body over time can also cause the body to retain sodium
which contributes to high blood pressure and cause weight gain (Colbert, 2003). This is just a

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few thing that can occur. Now that we have an understanding of stress and the effects that it can
have on the body, let us look at the development of a child in utero.
A typical pregnancy is 39 weeks from the moment of conception. The chart below, shows
the development of an infant in utero (blairtracy.hubpages.com, 2009). Here we see the weekly
development of an infant in utero. The first trimester, the embryo is developing. Around the 20 th
day after conception, the placenta and the umbilical cord formed and working. Made of two
arteries that provide blood to the placenta and a large vein that supplies nutrient-rich blood to the
fetus (Romm, 2014).

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The brain, spinal cord, heart and other organs begin to form in the 5th week and brain waves can
be detected by week 6. By the 11th week we can see the infant can breathe amnion fluid and
urinate. By weeks the second trimester, we see the movement of the infant within the womb. The
infant can have dreams, is practicing breathing and can grasp hold of the umbilical cord. Most
importantly, the child can live outside the mothers womb, if needed and survive. By the final
trimester, four of the five senses are developed. Most importantly, the infant can relate to the
moods of the mother. So, how does the stress that a mother experiences affect her unborn child.
As I began my research for this paper I spoke with my mother, a beloved member of my
church and a few friends. In those conversations I learned a lot, especially from my mother and
Mrs. McPherson (Brock, 2014) (McPherson, 2014). They explained to me that when they were
in child bearing age the old folk told them that there were certain thing that they some not do
because it would mark the baby. From the explanation that they gave, I learned that they were
begin told to avoid any and everything that would upset them. My mother stated that she was
told by my great grandmother that it would make my brother and I mean; and hardheaded. Now,
the term hardheaded does mean a person/child that just wont follow the rules. My mother stated
that she was also told that if she cried too much about things that hurt her feeling or dwelled on
negative things that happened, she would make us sad. My research confirmed the information
that my mother shared. According to Dr. Relier, the growth of a fetus results from two
developmental influences: (1) expression of the genetic inheritance and the epigenetic and
environmental factors (Relier, 2001). With focus on the latter, it was determined that stress can
have direct effect on the prenatal life and growth of the fetus. Further reading help me to better

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understand that while it was thought that children were a blueprint of both parents and that when
we consume the proper nutrients when pregnant that the infant would be fine, is not true.
According to Dr. Pathik Wadhwa, from the University Of Kentucky College Of Medicine, stress
is an example of how a fetus responds to a stimuli in the womb and adapts to it physiologically
(Fetus to Mom: You're Stressing Me Out!, 2014). Dr. Wadhwa went on to explain, that when a
mother is constantly stressed out, the elevated hormone level places her health in jeopardy but
most of all the fetus adapts to this stimuli/feeling. Thus, the fetus prepares to deal with this kind
of high-stress environment. Therefore, the fetus has a greater risk for stress related diseases and
complications. I find that this is very true. The number of children that I have worked with that
suffered from depression, anxiety, high blood pressure, obesity and asthma. Dr. Ann Borders at
Evanston Hospital at North Shore University contributes stress in association to Pre-term births,
low birth weight and subtle difference in brain development that could lead to behavioral issues
as the baby grows (Watson S. , 2013).
In conclusion, while I thought that stress experienced in the last two trimester was
harmful to the fetus, I learned that stress experienced by a mother in her pregnancy can have a
negative effect on the development of the fetus. I have learned is that while, it has not be
determined exactly how a mothers stress can pass on to her fetus, it is believed that when the
mothers stress level is high her body produces the hormones epinephrine and cortisol, which is
constrict blood vessels and reduce oxygen to the uterus (Fetus to Mom: You're Stressing Me
Out!, 2014). I have however observed the effects of stress on children. The number of children
that I have worked with that suffered from depression, anxiety, high blood pressure, obesity,
asthma and a countless other stress related diseases. Stress is no longer a minor problem, it is a

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major disease that if not appropriately addressed will place another burden upon an already
depleted social system.
References

Type I Resources
Brock, Shirley (August 28, 2014). Personal Communication. Mother
Boyd, Mariah (September 8, 2014). Personal Communication. Neighbor
McPherson, Barbara (August 30, 2014). Personal Communication. Neighbor
Brown, Ann

(September 8, 2014). Personal Communication. Mental Health Service Provider

Type II Resources
Fetus to Mom: Youre Stress Me Out! Retrieved 8/31/2014 from http://www.webmd.com
Watson, Stephanie. (2013). Can Your Stress Affect Your Fetus? Retrieved 8/31/2014 from
http://www.webmd.com
blairtracy.hubpages.com. (2009, March). Retrieved from
http://411something.files.wordpress.com/2009/03/fetaldevelopment-copy.jpg.
Freethought-forum.com. (2014). Retrieved from
http://classconnection.s3.amazonaws.com/834/flashcards/1152834/jpg/parasympatheticsympathetic-graphic1328381393204.jpg.
Drawing of the hypothalamus and adrenal glands (2014, 9). Retrieved from National Endocrine
and Metabolic Diseases. http://endocrine.niddk.nih.gov/.
Merriam-Webster's Dictionary-Stress. (2014). Retrieved from Merriam-Webster's Dictionary
website: http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/stress

Type III Resources

B. Books:
Lovallo, William R. (2004). Stress and Health: Biological and Psychological Interactions (2nd
ed.) Thousand Oaks, CA: SAGE Publications, Inc.

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Colbert, Don (2003). Deadly Emotions: Understand the mind-Body- Spirit Connection That Can
Heal or Destroy You. Nashville, Tennessee: Thomas Nelson Publishers.
Andrews, Susan (2012). Stress solutions for Pregnant Moms: How Breaking Free from Stress
Can Boost Your Babys Potential. Metairie, Louisiana: Twain Span Press.
Romm, A. J. (2014). The Natural Pregnancy Book 3rd Edition. Berkeley: Ten Speed Press.
C. Journals:
Janet A. DiPietro. (2004). The Role of Prenatal Maternal Stress in Child Development. Current
Directions in Psychological Science, Vol. 13, No. 2, pp. 71-74
Davis, E. P., & Sandman, C. A. (2010). The Timing of Prenatal Exposure to Maternal Cortisol
and Psychosocial Stress Is Associated with Human Infant Cognitive Development. Child
Development, 81(1), 131-148
Relier, J.-P. R. (2001). Influence of Maternal Stress on Fetal Behavior and Brain Development.
Biology of the Neonate, 168-171.