We know that pregnancy is not a long calm river … Between food questions (“am I allowed to eat Camembert cheese?”), The anxieties linked to the health of the baby (” ‘Is he okay?’) and discomfort (nausea, mood disorders, mobility difficulties …), expectant mothers do not have time to breathe!
And yet, it should. Because according to a new study conducted by Simon Fraser University (in Canada), the stress felt by future mothers during the first weeks of pregnancy would affect the child, years later.
To come to this conclusion, the researchers worked with a group of expectant mothers whose levels of cortisol (“the stress hormone”) they measured during the first eight weeks of pregnancy. Twelve years later, the same measurements were carried out on the children of these women.
Sophrology, meditation, yoga …
Verdict? Children whose mothers had the highest cortisol levels in their fifth week of pregnancy were also the ones who were most stressed when going back to school or when speaking in front of a group of people. In addition, the researchers found a slight difference between girls and boys – little boys are, in fact, more sensitive to maternal stress.
“We have not yet identified the link between the stress of pregnant women and that felt by their child, acknowledge the researchers who have published their work in the Journal of Developmental Origins of Health and Disease. However, we are looking for genetic, cultural and environmental factors. We can only advise pregnant women to relax! “
Sophrology, mindfulness meditation, yoga, prenatal reflexology, thalassotherapy for the lucky ones … How about taking a breather?
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