Stress during pregnancy can affect your baby

Research carried out by Imperial College London has found that when a mother feels stressed during pregnancy it can increase the baby's heart rate.

Also, although normally the placenta protects the baby from stress and anxiety, if the mother is very stressed the placenta's protection is not as effective - meaning the stress levels can reach and possibly harm the baby.

The new research shows that these changes to the baby could prevent their brain from developing normally and could lead to problems such as anxiety, depression, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder and learning difficulties.

In the past studies have shown that stress during pregnancy can lead to abnormalities such as cleft lip and palate and spina bifida.

The new research into emotional and behavioural problems found that stress in the mother's relationship with her partner can be particularly damaging.

The past research only looked at women who been exposed to 'severe life events' such as death or illness to a close member of the family.

Professor Vivette Glover, lead researcher on this study, says: 'We all know that if a mother smokes or drinks a lot of alcohol while pregnant it can affect her foetus. Our work has shown that other more subtle factors, such as her emotional state, can also have long-term effects on her child.'

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