Emotions in the mysterious, dark womb.
March 20, 2012 1:00 PM Subscribe
Did your chronic emotions (good or bad) in early pregnancy affect your child's temperament or health?
I may be pregnant. i have depression, anxiety, complex PTSD, and a therapist.
Opinions, anecdotes, and research through google searches are confusing the hell out of me, so I'm turning to the hive for more thoughtful observations.
Before you found out you were pregnant, were you extremely anxious or depressed? Did you get into a lot of verbal fights? Did you have temper tantrums? What were your other experiences? And...what is your child like now?
Feel free to compare your children and pregnancies. Good pregnancies + colicky temperaments? Bad pregnancies + joyful temperaments? Something else? I'm looking for details details details. Thanks!
I may be pregnant. i have depression, anxiety, complex PTSD, and a therapist.
Opinions, anecdotes, and research through google searches are confusing the hell out of me, so I'm turning to the hive for more thoughtful observations.
Before you found out you were pregnant, were you extremely anxious or depressed? Did you get into a lot of verbal fights? Did you have temper tantrums? What were your other experiences? And...what is your child like now?
Feel free to compare your children and pregnancies. Good pregnancies + colicky temperaments? Bad pregnancies + joyful temperaments? Something else? I'm looking for details details details. Thanks!
This is only true in fantasy novels, when you give birth to dragons etc. Anything else is anecdote
posted by MangyCarface at 1:27 PM on March 20, 2012 [3 favorites]
posted by MangyCarface at 1:27 PM on March 20, 2012 [3 favorites]
Well, there is a connection if you are genetically predisposed to these emotions (I'm going to assume you are). Your child will get these genes. Whether not these genes express is a total crapshoot, really, I don't think science can even predict what color a child's eyes will be, let alone the complexity of their personalities. But let's assume an "increased likelihood"
posted by Patbon at 1:29 PM on March 20, 2012
posted by Patbon at 1:29 PM on March 20, 2012
I'm very anxious, and both of my kids turned out very tall! The older one is an extremely picky eater, and the younger one is ... a baby. But n=1 or 2, depending on whether you're counting children or parents.
More relevantly, here is a metaanalysis -- not peer-reviewed -- of studies of stress during pregnancy. The conclusions:
The primary results presented in the thesis are as follows:
• Stress was associated with a higher level of salivary cortisol in the third but not second
trimester
• There was no association between stress during pregnancy and head circumference at
birth.
• There was a dose response like association between stress in second trimester of
pregnancy and mixed handedness in the offspring independent of gender.
• There was a dose response like association between stress in second trimester and
attention and hyperactive problems in boys. The association was weaker in girls.
• The evaluation of attention problems is culturally dependent and specific
standardisation and validation is needed for each cultural setting.
posted by chesty_a_arthur at 1:34 PM on March 20, 2012 [4 favorites]
More relevantly, here is a metaanalysis -- not peer-reviewed -- of studies of stress during pregnancy. The conclusions:
The primary results presented in the thesis are as follows:
• Stress was associated with a higher level of salivary cortisol in the third but not second
trimester
• There was no association between stress during pregnancy and head circumference at
birth.
• There was a dose response like association between stress in second trimester of
pregnancy and mixed handedness in the offspring independent of gender.
• There was a dose response like association between stress in second trimester and
attention and hyperactive problems in boys. The association was weaker in girls.
• The evaluation of attention problems is culturally dependent and specific
standardisation and validation is needed for each cultural setting.
posted by chesty_a_arthur at 1:34 PM on March 20, 2012 [4 favorites]
Four children, three stressful pregnancies, two very stressful complicated by depression due to different factors. no observable effects that I can see. All are adults now and doing well. I used to worry about this, but now do not think it is worth worrying about. I was physically very healthy with all pregnancies, no complications, normal deliveries, not even any fussy babies.
Take care of yourself, eat right, try not to worry too much or look for things to worry about. You have enough already. Your baby will be fine, do not listen to old wives tales come back as New Age nonsense.
posted by mermayd at 2:08 PM on March 20, 2012 [1 favorite]
Take care of yourself, eat right, try not to worry too much or look for things to worry about. You have enough already. Your baby will be fine, do not listen to old wives tales come back as New Age nonsense.
posted by mermayd at 2:08 PM on March 20, 2012 [1 favorite]
Best answer: I was very happy all the time while pregnant with my first. He's 5 now and always moody (go figure). And very stressed, tired, depressed with my second and she's a very happy child.
I don't think mood has an effect, but your genes definitely will.
posted by Sweetmag at 2:26 PM on March 20, 2012
I don't think mood has an effect, but your genes definitely will.
posted by Sweetmag at 2:26 PM on March 20, 2012
There haven't been any peer-reviewed, stringent studies done on this. The thing is, correlation does not equal causation anyway, so even if you did have a stressful pregnancy and your child ended up being depressed/anxious/whatever, you simply cannot say that the pregnancy is the fault. There are way too many variables at play.
That said, I have the feeling that anecdotal "evidence" may put your mind at rest. I had clinical depression before and during my first pregnancy. My son is the happiest teenager I know (he's 15). He was also the happiest baby, the happiest toddler, and the happiest kid. He has his own issues but mood is not one of them. My second pregnancy wasn't as bad (no depression) and my daughter is far moodier as a tween than her brother was.
posted by cooker girl at 2:39 PM on March 20, 2012 [1 favorite]
That said, I have the feeling that anecdotal "evidence" may put your mind at rest. I had clinical depression before and during my first pregnancy. My son is the happiest teenager I know (he's 15). He was also the happiest baby, the happiest toddler, and the happiest kid. He has his own issues but mood is not one of them. My second pregnancy wasn't as bad (no depression) and my daughter is far moodier as a tween than her brother was.
posted by cooker girl at 2:39 PM on March 20, 2012 [1 favorite]
Always amazing to me how SCIENCE!-oriented MeFites are so quick to dismiss well, just about everything that sounds questionable to them, without checking the SCIENCE! first. There is, indeed, a fair amount of ongoing, peer-reviewed research on the topic of maternal emotions and birth outcomes. Like this. And this. And this. That said, much of it is preliminary, but it is not "new age nonsense."
posted by Wordwoman at 3:09 PM on March 20, 2012 [11 favorites]
posted by Wordwoman at 3:09 PM on March 20, 2012 [11 favorites]
Best answer: Will it make you feel better or worse to know that the 20-ish years you parent a kid has a bigger impact than the 9 months you gestate them?
Anecdotally, the physical part of my pregnancy was a dream, but my life around that time was incredibly stressful and included a cross-country move at 5.5 months done by myself. I had a lot of conflicting feelings in the first trimester about whether I even wanted to be pregnant. My kid is fantastic: bright, sociable, energetic, creative, talks too much, a bit unco-ordinated.
She is a bit anxious, but that has way more to do, in my opinion, with the fact that I had PTSD related to birth trauma, post-partum depression and anxiety. Also, I think she's just wired that way, like I'm wired that way.
I would imagine that the main way that stress and depression, etc. can have in impact on the fetus is if you, as the pregnant woman, do things that aren't great for your own self (drinking, drugs incompatible with pregnancy, not eating, etc.) which then has an impact on foetal development.
posted by looli at 3:37 PM on March 20, 2012
Anecdotally, the physical part of my pregnancy was a dream, but my life around that time was incredibly stressful and included a cross-country move at 5.5 months done by myself. I had a lot of conflicting feelings in the first trimester about whether I even wanted to be pregnant. My kid is fantastic: bright, sociable, energetic, creative, talks too much, a bit unco-ordinated.
She is a bit anxious, but that has way more to do, in my opinion, with the fact that I had PTSD related to birth trauma, post-partum depression and anxiety. Also, I think she's just wired that way, like I'm wired that way.
I would imagine that the main way that stress and depression, etc. can have in impact on the fetus is if you, as the pregnant woman, do things that aren't great for your own self (drinking, drugs incompatible with pregnancy, not eating, etc.) which then has an impact on foetal development.
posted by looli at 3:37 PM on March 20, 2012
I wish I could find it but I think there was a study done of the physical and emotional health of children whose mothers carried them during a war, maybe in Poland and during WW2. My recollection is that the kids turned out fine despite the obvious severe emotional and physical stresses that their mothers underwent.
posted by prefpara at 5:09 PM on March 20, 2012
posted by prefpara at 5:09 PM on March 20, 2012
OP, here is an abstract for a recent systematic review on the topic. If you have access to an academic library, you should be able to get the full text. But please don't freak yourself by focusing on this one risk factor. There are so many inputs to a child's health and development. Enjoy your pregnancy!
posted by Wordwoman at 5:20 PM on March 20, 2012
posted by Wordwoman at 5:20 PM on March 20, 2012
Best answer: I've had four children. To compare, my third was a planned, stress-free pregnancy. He is highly sensitive, has not yet developed good coping skills and at seven he was diagnosed with borderline depression (runs VERY heavily in paternal family). My last pregnancy was a surprise and, at that time, the most stressful time of my life and my emotions were pulled to extremes by a situation beyond my control. She is the most cheerful, outgoing and resilant little girl.
posted by saucysault at 5:23 PM on March 20, 2012
posted by saucysault at 5:23 PM on March 20, 2012
To add to the anecdata - I had a remarkably stress-free pregnancy, with a baby with a birth defect that would have seen her dead on delivery a few years ago. I knew about the defect from the first scan, and medical SCIENCE! gave my daughter a 90% chance of being 100% ok, and she is - and a wicked, developmentally advanced child she turned out to be. I am not depressed.
If you think you are pregnant and you are depressed, however, you need to get a test - ASAP. Then you can discuss your options with your therapist/ gyno. Noone else can negotiate your feelings about pregnancy and your therapeutic needs but you. Get one of those early tests so you can know for sure, NOW, and can discuss your therapeutic and medical needs with your doctor - if you are on medication this is THE MOST IMPORTANT THING YOU CAN DO FOR YOUR BABY SHOULD YOU DECIDE TO KEEP IT. Your baby's health is influenced by any medication you take, both prescribed and self-medicating, and you need to discuss it with professionals if you are worried. It is best to do this now, while you still have legal options, than later.
posted by goo at 7:15 PM on March 20, 2012
If you think you are pregnant and you are depressed, however, you need to get a test - ASAP. Then you can discuss your options with your therapist/ gyno. Noone else can negotiate your feelings about pregnancy and your therapeutic needs but you. Get one of those early tests so you can know for sure, NOW, and can discuss your therapeutic and medical needs with your doctor - if you are on medication this is THE MOST IMPORTANT THING YOU CAN DO FOR YOUR BABY SHOULD YOU DECIDE TO KEEP IT. Your baby's health is influenced by any medication you take, both prescribed and self-medicating, and you need to discuss it with professionals if you are worried. It is best to do this now, while you still have legal options, than later.
posted by goo at 7:15 PM on March 20, 2012
And re-reading your question, you highlighted 'before you knew you were pregnant'. There's no such thing anymore, unless you're a medical anomaly. Get an early test and find out for sure.
posted by goo at 7:21 PM on March 20, 2012
posted by goo at 7:21 PM on March 20, 2012
Nthing what everybody else says here. Had a stressful life (mentally not physically), depression, during pregnancy, a traumatic birth and severe PPD, and my kid is happy go lucky, though a born skeptic, which I consider a good thing honestly.
There is depression in my family, so I'll be watching him for that, but if he's like me, it won't show up till adolescence or later.
I'll tell you one thing I kept telling myself during the worst postpartum time when he was tiny: "he won't remember what a fuckup I am." And he doesn't! I wasn't a fuckup really, but I was depressed and worried constantly that I sucked at being a mom. But I still fed and bathed and snuggled him, and he's fine and has no memory of me crying all the time or arguing with my spouse when he was little. Of course things are better now too, because I got help. But really, the fact that infants don't remember infancy helped me a lot when I was tempted to fret about ruining him somehow. He had no clue, because all infants care about is eat, poop, sleep. Thank goodness.
posted by emjaybee at 10:23 PM on March 20, 2012
There is depression in my family, so I'll be watching him for that, but if he's like me, it won't show up till adolescence or later.
I'll tell you one thing I kept telling myself during the worst postpartum time when he was tiny: "he won't remember what a fuckup I am." And he doesn't! I wasn't a fuckup really, but I was depressed and worried constantly that I sucked at being a mom. But I still fed and bathed and snuggled him, and he's fine and has no memory of me crying all the time or arguing with my spouse when he was little. Of course things are better now too, because I got help. But really, the fact that infants don't remember infancy helped me a lot when I was tempted to fret about ruining him somehow. He had no clue, because all infants care about is eat, poop, sleep. Thank goodness.
posted by emjaybee at 10:23 PM on March 20, 2012
Seconding the person who mentioned medications you might be taking for depression. You need to find out what effect they may have on your baby, and what you need to stop taking with the help of your doctor. Don't let anyone scare you into an abortion if that is not what you want or can live with. I know too many women who were told that something MIGHT be wrong, and the baby was fine. It is more about doctors fearing lawsuits than concern for mother or child in too many instances. IN any event, it would finally be your choice, not your doctors or friends and certainly not strangers on the internet.
Heredity and genetics have a component in depression and anxiety, so your child may have similar problems in the future, but we all inherit some less than perfect tendencies, and nobody can predict which genes may be passed on to a particular individual.
Many of us had healthy babies in the past before there were so many tests and restrictions on what pregnant women should be doing. It is always good to be prudent, but not to the point of worrying constantly about everything that might affect your child. About studies, remember as someone else here said "correlation is not causation" and view them all with a grain of salt, especially those quoted in a "sciencey" context to support some pre-supposed claim about maternal emotions greatly impacting the fetus. There are always so many factors that it is hard to isolate out one as the cause of mood problems in the child in future years.
posted by mermayd at 3:28 AM on March 21, 2012
Heredity and genetics have a component in depression and anxiety, so your child may have similar problems in the future, but we all inherit some less than perfect tendencies, and nobody can predict which genes may be passed on to a particular individual.
Many of us had healthy babies in the past before there were so many tests and restrictions on what pregnant women should be doing. It is always good to be prudent, but not to the point of worrying constantly about everything that might affect your child. About studies, remember as someone else here said "correlation is not causation" and view them all with a grain of salt, especially those quoted in a "sciencey" context to support some pre-supposed claim about maternal emotions greatly impacting the fetus. There are always so many factors that it is hard to isolate out one as the cause of mood problems in the child in future years.
posted by mermayd at 3:28 AM on March 21, 2012
This has been recommended in other threads, but altdotlife.com has good boards (you see alt.mama them when you register) for pregnancy that has a similar vibe to mefi.
posted by ejaned8 at 6:38 AM on March 21, 2012 [1 favorite]
posted by ejaned8 at 6:38 AM on March 21, 2012 [1 favorite]
Response by poster: Thanks to all who responded. I've worked as a scientist (hard and soft) for a few years, and I have looked at peer-review articles. But I'm not interested in those right now.
Some of you were perceptive enough to point out that anecdotes would make me feel better. (They did!) I just needed some person-to-person reassurance to put my mind at ease.
With that said, I did ask myself certain questions that simply can't be answered by science / research. I thought of things like:
-What if the mother had a month of traumatic memories and stress, and then got pregnant, and was medicated shortly after? What if she wasn't medicated after, but saw a therapist?
-What if the stress persisted from week 0 through week 10, but all stress seems to cease after that?
-How do you measure each person's threshold? How do you define "highly stressed"?
-Did those studies ask mothers to describe their pregnancies after their children were born, or during the pregnancy?
Etc...
Anyway, the point is I feel much better knowing that the only thing that's worth "worrying" about is how to relax. So I'm going to do exactly that. THANKS BabyFilter! :)
posted by mild deer at 1:54 PM on March 23, 2012
Some of you were perceptive enough to point out that anecdotes would make me feel better. (They did!) I just needed some person-to-person reassurance to put my mind at ease.
With that said, I did ask myself certain questions that simply can't be answered by science / research. I thought of things like:
-What if the mother had a month of traumatic memories and stress, and then got pregnant, and was medicated shortly after? What if she wasn't medicated after, but saw a therapist?
-What if the stress persisted from week 0 through week 10, but all stress seems to cease after that?
-How do you measure each person's threshold? How do you define "highly stressed"?
-Did those studies ask mothers to describe their pregnancies after their children were born, or during the pregnancy?
Etc...
Anyway, the point is I feel much better knowing that the only thing that's worth "worrying" about is how to relax. So I'm going to do exactly that. THANKS BabyFilter! :)
posted by mild deer at 1:54 PM on March 23, 2012
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posted by BlahLaLa at 1:20 PM on March 20, 2012 [2 favorites]