Having an occasional crying spell isn't likely to harm your unborn baby. More severe depression during pregnancy, however, could possibly have a negative impact on your pregnancy.
Mood swings and crying spells are a normal part of pregnancy, especially during your first trimester as hormones ramp up. It also takes some time to absorb the emotional weight of life's big changes, like having a child. Take a deep breath. It's your pregnancy, you can cry if you want to!
Most recently, some studies are suggesting that stress in the womb can affect a baby's temperament and neurobehavioral development. Infants whose mothers experienced high levels of stress while pregnant, particularly in the first trimester, show signs of more depression and irritability.
Studies have shown that infants as young as one month-old sense when a parent is depressed or angry and are affected by the parent's mood. Understanding that even infants are affected by adult emotions can help parents do their best in supporting their child's healthy development.
“Assuming there are no medical issues, there is no harm in a baby's excessive crying,” he says. “They may get a hoarse voice, but they will eventually get tired and stop crying. Your baby may also get a little gassy from swallowing air while crying, but that's OK.
Some studies show that high levels of stress in pregnancy may cause certain problems during childhood, like having trouble paying attention or being afraid. It's possible that stress also may affect your baby's brain development or immune system.
Chronic stress could also cause problems for your baby. These can include effects on your unborn baby's growth and the length of gestation (your pregnancy). They can also increase the risk of problems in your baby's future physical and mental development, as well as behavioural issues in childhood.
While genetic factors are a major contributor to the etiology of ASD, mounting evidence supports a role for environmental factors, allowing possibilities for prevention or early intervention. Prenatal stress and maternal immune dysfunction appear to contribute in some way to a significant proportion of these ASD cases.
A routine prenatal ultrasound in the second trimester of pregnancy can identify early signs of autism spectrum disorder (ASD), according to a study from Ben-Gurion University of the Negev and Soroka Medical Center in Israel.
The behavioral symptoms of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) often appear early in development. Many children show symptoms of autism by 12 months to 18 months of age or earlier. Some early signs of autism include: Problems with eye contact.
Summary: A routine prenatal ultrasound in the second trimester can identify early signs of Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), a new study has found.
This ultrasound study suggests that a mother's stress and/or depression can influence the movement patterns of unborn babies reflecting their body awareness. They also found key differences between the movements of singles and twins in the womb.
Yoga or Gentle Exercise – The easy motion of prenatal yoga, stretching, walking or swimming will rock baby to sleep. You could even do it at the same time every evening, and that might become a baby's bedtime.
Although less studied than depression, research suggests that anxiety may negatively affect both the mother and the fetus. Anxiety increases the risk for preterm birth, low birthweight, earlier gestational age, and a smaller head circumference (which is related to brain size).
A baby's cry not only demands our attention, it also changes executive function in the brain—the very neural and cognitive processes we use to make everyday decisions.
Answer From Yvonne Butler Tobah, M.D. While excessive stress isn't good for your overall health, there's no evidence that stress results in miscarriage.
The takeaway
While it's true your baby can cry in the womb, it doesn't make a sound, and it's not something to worry about. The baby's practice cries include imitating the breathing pattern, facial expression, and mouth movements of a baby crying outside of the womb. You shouldn't worry that your baby is in pain.
Risks of depression during pregnancy can include premature birth, an underweight or undersized baby, being more irritable, less active, less attentive, and having fewer facial expressions; learning, behavioral, and developmental problems; and mental problems later in life.
Some women experience irritability and even anger during pregnancy. Hormone changes are one reason for these mood swings. Just like some women experience irritability just before their period arrives every month, these same women may struggle with feelings of frustration and anger during pregnancy.
No, but It Can Affect Your Pregnancy.
While excessive stress isn't good for your overall health, there's no evidence that stress results in miscarriage.
Stress results in increased catecholamine production, which in turn leads to decreased uterine blood flow and increased fetal hypoxia. Animal studies indicate that hypoxia affects a variety of developmental processes (eg, cell death)29 and organ systems, which could result in various types of birth defects.
The outside noise your baby hears inside the uterus is about half the volume we hear. However, unborn babies may still startle and cry if exposed to a sudden loud noise.