How does your baby feel when you cry during your pregnancy?

How does your mood affect your baby in your womb while you are
pregnant?

It’s no secret that eating and drinking habits, overall health, and your
activity levels have a huge bearing on the growth and development
of your unborn child. That’s precisely why pregnant women receive
the age old advice to stay happy all the time and steer clear of any
form of despondency. This view has been certified by the Association
for Psychological Science whose research concluded that the
mother’s emotions can have a direct impact on a foetus that is six
months or older. So, stress and crying during pregnancy must be
minimised as much as possible.
Why are women more likely to cry when pregnant?
Observations indicate that pregnant women undergo stress and
crying during pregnancy more than usual. The first and third
trimesters of pregnancy usually fetch the maximum tears.
But there’s no reason to think that something is seriously wrong with
you if you start crying at the drop of a hat. This is a common
emotional occurrence with many pregnant women and you are not
alone. But just as too much of anything is not feasible, uncontrollable
crying during pregnancy is not normal behaviour and must be
checked immediately. The common reasons for this seemingly
unusual behaviour involve physical and emotional causes.
 Fluctuating Hormones
A pregnant woman experiences changes in hormonal levels that
transmit varied signals to the brain. These have an impact on her
moods and make her cry without reason.

 Stress
Stress is a part of your pregnancy no matter how well you plan it. It’s
only natural at this vulnerable stage that stress should dominate
thoughts and emotions.

 Stretch Marks
Seeing those stretch marks for the first time could cause a woman to
be upset, even though they fade away in due course.

 Discomfort
Physical discomfort goes hand in hand with pregnancy. Aches and
pains can be bothersome and peaceful sleep may be elusive. This
naturally causes the tears to flow.

 Body Weight
Body weight can be a touchy issue and comments on a mother’s
pregnancy body and weight by insensitive people can lead to grief
and tears. So, be careful not to comment on anybody’s body weight,
especially a mother’s.

How crying can affect your baby during pregnancy?
Keep in mind that stress and crying during pregnancy is bad for your
baby. Crying can affect your baby during pregnancy in many ways.
Here are a few examples:

 If crying increases stress and chronic anxiety, your body may
produce cortisol, a stress hormone that may be passed on to
your baby through the placenta. Constant exposure to this
hormone while baby is in the womb, can produce an anxious
and colicky new-born.
 Data indicates that almost 10% of women encounter
depression during pregnancy and this condition can adversely
affect your baby at a later stage in life.
 An unwanted pregnancy by a mother-to-be makes things
worse. If a mother is having a baby against her will for example,
it is but natural that she has feelings of resentment towards her
own baby, no matter how harsh that might sound to some.
Mothers who do not feel any emotional attachment towards
their child in the womb can cause these children to have
emotional problems later on in their childhood.

How to get rid of the stress while pregnant?
While stress is a natural phenomenon during pregnancy, it is wise to
take the stress-causing elements or stressors head on and move on
in life. If you do not pay any attention to the stress on your mind,
your body’s stress management system gets changed. This is not
good as it causes an inflammatory response triggering poor
pregnancy health and developmental problems in babies. Hence,
listen to your body and remove the stress factors that are bothering
you. Do not ignore stress. Face up to it instead.
The way to do this is to confide in and talk to your partner, close
friend, or family member about your feelings and emotions. Seek
professional help if depression gets out of hand.

Make positive lifestyle changes like meditation or yoga and taking up
a hobby. Even a walk is good exercise. Consume healthy and
nutritious food and surround yourself with positive people to keep
negative thoughts at bay. Sleep on time and get adequate rest. Do
the things you love the most to keep stress away but steer clear of
tear jerkers ranging from a Bollywood drama to your hated aunt.
Try and avoid too much of technology. This might be difficult initially
because of your addiction to television or OTT platforms. But these
can increase stress and activities like reading, writing, painting and
listening to music are recommended.


Q&A:

You ask and we answer!

Does crying during pregnancy affect the baby?
Sharon Vergheese, Coimbatore.
Having an occasional crying spell isn't likely to harm your unborn
baby. More severe depression during pregnancy, however, could
possibly have a negative impact on your pregnancy. So, be careful
about that Sharon.

Can crying and stress cause miscarriage?
Smriti Rozario, Mumbai
Stress can't cause a miscarriage directly. Chronic stress can affect
your pregnancy in other ways, and there is limited evidence to suggest that it may exacerbate some of the main causes of miscarriages.

Can your emotions affect your unborn baby?
Aditi Kedia, Singapore.
That’s a good question. When you feel happy and calm, it allows your
baby to develop in a happy, calm environment. However, emotions
like stress and anxiety can increase particular hormones in your
body, which can affect your baby's developing body and brain. So,
one needs to be aware of that as a mom-to-be.

Did you cry during your pregnancy? What made you do so? Share
your tear jerking pregnancy experience with us. Also write in to
share your views and suggestions. We’d love to hear from you!