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Parent24 : Baby : health safety : Stressed moms and babies

Stressed moms and babies

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Pram direction, meat and mommy stress can freak your baby out.

Adele Hamilton

Pic: iStockphoto.com

Article originally in Parent24

Every wondered why your baby is the only one that doesn’t get soothed by being pushed in a pram? The latest research from Dundee University shows that babies travelling backwards in prams are stressed. According to the researchers, this is probably because they can’t see the parent and so feel alienated.

What else stresses babies
Babies show higher stress levels if their mothers eat a diet that’s very high in meat during pregnancy, so a balanced diet is recommended rather than one that is too protein-heavy.

According to the British medical journal The Lancet, babies are also more likely to show stress reactions at their eight week vaccination if there were complications during their birth that required intervention. Least stressed in that study were babies born by elective caesarean.

Pregnant and stressed
It’s been shown that maternal stress hormones cross the placenta as early as 17 weeks of pregnancy. Among the effects of stress during pregnancy are low birth weight, and a slightly higher risk of the child developing asthma or schizophrenia.

How to spot a stressed mother
Think you’re hiding your new mom stress well? Look which side your baby lies in your arms. Most mothers, whether left or right-handed, will cradle the baby to the left. Research from Durham University has shown that mothers who are highly stressed are more likely to hold the baby with its head to the right.

Ways to reduce stress
These are all good reasons to reduce the stress on yourself when pregnant and after the baby’s birth. Here’s how:

Get regular relaxing exercise like yoga, walking or swimming.
Delegate stressful tasks to others wherever you can, and accept any and all offers of help from friends and family.
Catch up on lost sleep wherever possible. Rather let chores and socialising slide in order to get the rest you need.
Reduce expectations – you don’t have to iron the sheets or bake fresh muffins every day to be a good parent.

What helps you relax as a pregnant or new parent?