How new parents perceive their personal childhood experiences has a significant impact on the health and wellness, as well as their unborn child. It is paramount for expectant parents to care for themselves in order to reduce stress and physical illness on their unborn child. When a mother experiences extreme amounts of stress, neurohormones are released from the expectant mother to the fetus, causing a fight or flight response (Center for Child Counseling, 2023). Maternal stress can appear in an unborn fetus as early as 4.5 months. High blood presssure (HTN) and gestational diabetes are of great significance to onset maternal stress. Without the proper care, expectant mothers are at a greater risk of delivering earlier, or delivering a child with delays (CFCC, 2023). In order to secure a healthy pregnancy for both baby and mother, significant stress, and maternal support must be reduced.
You may ask, "how can expectant mothers protect themselves from ACEs?" It is significant to ensure that expectant parents can attend healthy counseling sessions, develop healthy communication and healthy habits to promote wellness, and provide maternal resources for a more healthier pregnancy. Expectant mothers can learn additional parenting skills that will promote oneness between both mother and child. If a mother experiences higher ACEs scores following delivery, it is important for them to receive professional support, and be reassured that their past does not determine their present, and they are nurturing mothers who protect and care for their child in the best possible manner.
Center for Childhood Counseling. (2023). Aces and pregnancy. Retrieved from www.centerforchildcounseling.org.
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