Dr Caroline Elphick from Core Clinics, leading Psychologist Dr Alison McClymont and Emotional Trauma Expert Antonia Harman explains why dealing with difficult news while pregnant can have an averse affect on mums-to-be, including triggering a “trauma response” and messing with your hormones…
“Hormones estrogen and hCG (human chorionic gonadotropin) play vital roles in developing the baby and preparing women’s bodies for labour – these can be affected by stress hormones like cortisol. This hormone cocktail can make it harder for pregnant women to cope with additional stresses and might also affect the balance of vital pregnancy hormones. When a pregnant woman is experiencing stress, this can also directly affect her developing baby because many hormones cross the placenta.”
“To reduce stress, choose the appropriate friends to confide in, and avoid the ones that get you riled up. Don’t make any knee-jerk decisions. Ground yourself by getting into nature and if it’s safe for you to do so, carry on doing gentle exercise to release pent-up energy.”
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