Can stress affect me during my pregnancy, or affect my developing baby?

When it comes to stress and your health, it helps to look at the difference between acute stress and chronic stress. 

‘Acute stress’ is the short-term brief stress that happens in everyday life – often many times a day. It can happen when speaking in public or learning something new that you haven’t done before. Acute stress can also be a response to something life-threatening. In this case, it can help you get out of immediate danger.  Once the stressor is over, the body returns to its normal state. You can become stronger and more resilient for rising to the challenge.

Stress can have physical, emotional and mental effects. High levels of stress or constant stress is called toxic stress. Stress becomes chronic when it lasts for a long time and/or is extreme. The stress response stays ‘turned on’ for a long time. If your level of stress is very high and constant, your body is making stress hormones almost all the time. This kind of stress can increase the risk for developing health problems such as cardiovascular disease, type 2 diabetes or anxiety and depression. 

Prolonged or toxic stress can also affect a developing baby by increasing the risk of preterm birth.