Stressing About Finances Could Be Affecting Your Baby’s Potential Birth Weight

Stressing About Finances Could Be Affecting Your Baby’s Potential Birth Weight

A new study found a correlation between a woman’s financial strain and low-birth-weight baby

Researchers at The Ohio State University who were primarily studying a group of 138 pregnant women to evaluate flu shot effectiveness, actually found a correlation between a woman’s stress levels and the birth weight of her newborn baby.

Specifically, a woman’s stress that was caused by financial worries regarding the addition of a new member to the family, is what was linked to the low weight.

“It’s important to understand the factors that make it more likely for a woman with lower socioeconomic conditions to have a baby at higher risk of complications and death,”explained Amanda Mitchell, the lead author of the study and a postdoctoral researcher in Ohio State Wexner Medical Center’s Stress and Health in Pregnancy Research Program.

The study’s results offer physicians and women who are pregnant the opportunity to both monitor and adapt lifestyles to be more reflective of a stress-free everyday life, especially throughout pregnancy.

Mitchell suggests women incorporate meditation and seeking help as potential ways to offset stress levels and potential fetal impact.

According to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention, about 8.07% of infants are born with low birthweight. Worries about labor, delivery, relationships changing and whether the baby will be unhealthy are other concerns that add to soon-to-be mom’s distress, states the study.

Cover image courtesy of Getty Images.