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Mom's Worrying May Improve Baby's Development

A new study reveals that a low level of stress during pregnancy does not harm your baby, but, in fact, may be beneficial to early development. Moms-to-be who cope with normal levels of depression, anxiety or other forms of stress seem to be more likely to have children who are more advanced in mental and motor skills by age two.

"There's a lot of interest in the affects of stress on pregnancy," said Dr. Janet DiPietro, study author from Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health in Baltimore, "and this is not what other people expect."

A new study reveals that a low level of stress during pregnancy does not harm your baby, but, in fact, may be beneficial to early development. Moms-to-be who cope with normal levels of depression, anxiety or other forms of stress seem to be more likely to have children who are more advanced in mental and motor skills by age two.

"There's a lot of interest in the affects of stress on pregnancy," said Dr. Janet DiPietro, study author from Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health in Baltimore, "and this is not what other people expect."

In the study, DiPietro and colleagues surveyed 137 women who were having normal pregnancies about their stress and anxiety levels. Those women who had more negative feelings about being pregnant were more likely to have children who scored lower on these behavioral tests.

However, women who reported a moderate level of stress between weeks 24 and 32 in their pregnancy were more likely to have a child who performed better on mental and motor tests than women who reported no stress.
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