Born Under Pressure: Prenatal Stress and the Child's Mind

Alexandra, Andrew & Zeyneb do a deep dive on the impacts of pre-natal stress on the developing fetus and after birth. They particularly focus on the potential impacts of stress on the child's developing brain. They also offer some strategies to manage stress for both mother and baby. Tune in to find out more![1] Wu, Y., De Asis-Cruz, J. and Limperopoulos, C. (2024). Brain structural and functional outcomes in the offspring of women experiencing psychological distress during pregnancy. Molecular PsychiatryWhat happens in the womb[2] Zhu, P., Wang, W., Zuo, R. and Sun, K. (2018). Mechanisms for establishment of the placental glucocorticoid barrier, a guard for life. Cellular and Molecular Life Sciences[3] Davis, E.P., Sandman, C.A., Buss, C., Wing, D.A. and Head, K. (2013). Fetal Glucocorticoid Exposure Is Associated with Preadolescent Brain Development. Biological Psychiatry,[4] Coussons-Read, M.E. (2013). Effects of Prenatal Stress on Pregnancy and Human development: Mechanisms and Pathways. Obstetric Medicine[5] Clarke, A.S., Wittwer, D.J., Abbott, D.H. and Schneider, M.L. (1994). Long-term effects of prenatal stress on HPA axis activity in juvenile rhesus monkeys. Developmental Psychobiology, 27[6] Braithwaite, E., Kundakovic, M., Ramchandani, P., Murphy, S. and Champagne, F. (2015). Maternal prenatal depressive symptoms predict infant NR3C11F and BDNFIV DNA methylation. Epigenetics[7] Moog, N.K., Nolvi, S., Kleih, T.S., Styner, M., Gilmore, J.H., Rasmussen, J.M., Heim, C.M., Entringer, S., Wadhwa, P.D. and Buss, C. (2021). Prospective association of maternal psychosocial stress in pregnancy with newborn hippocampal volume and implications for infant social-emotional development. Neurobiology of Stress[8] Mulligan, C., D’Errico, N., Stees, J. and Hughes, D. (2012). Methylation changes atNR3C1in newborns associate with maternal prenatal stress exposure and newborn birth weight. Epigenetics[9] Meane, M.J. and Szyf, M. (2005). Environmental programming of stress responses through DNA methylation: life at the interface between a dynamic environment and a fixed genome. Dialogues in Clinical Neuroscience[10] Herring, C.M., Bazer, F.W., Johnson, G.A. and Wu, G. (2018). Impacts of maternal dietary protein intake on fetal survival, growth, and development. Experimental Biology and Medicine[11] Zhang, H. and Wang, L. (2013). Use of antidepressants during pregnancy: a better choice for some. Shanghai Archives of Psychiatry[12] Desaunay, P., Eude, L.-G., Dreyfus, M., Alexandre, C., Fedrizzi, S., Alexandre, J., Uguz, F. and Guénolé, F. (2023). Benefits and Risks of Antidepressant Drugs During Pregnancy: A Systematic Review of Meta-analyses. Pediatric Drugs[13] Expectful. (n.d.). Expectful—A Health & News Hub from Fertility to Postpartum. https://expectful.com/.[14] Porter, A.C., Hunter, S., Noonan, K. and Hoffman, M.C. (2022). A Mindfulness Application for Reducing Prenatal Stress. Journal of Midwifery & Women’s Health, 67 (4), 442-447. doi:10.1111/jmwh.13359.[15] Pregnancy, birth & baby . (n.d.). https://www.pregnancybirthbaby.org.au/about-pregnancy-birth-and-baby.[16] myGov. (2025). Mental health during pregnancy. https://my.gov.au/en/services/raising-kids/having-a-baby/before-your-baby-arrives/mental-health-during-pregnancyBonus question[17] Rifkin-Graboi, A., Meaney, M.J., Chen, H., Bai, J., Hameed, W.B., Tint, M.T., Broekman, B.F.P., Chong, Y.-S., Gluckman, P.D., Fortier, M.V. and Qiu, A. (2015). Antenatal Maternal Anxiety Predicts Variations in Neural Structures Implicated in Anxiety Disorders in Newborns. Journal of the American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry, 54(4), pp.313-321.e2.

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