Muirhead 1

Colee Muirhead
English 4
Mrs. Hensel
25 September 2015
How a Mothers Psychological State and Health Can Affect the Child
A pregnant woman has to take in consideration that her health and stress level during
pregnancy can affect her baby. The lack of health and nutrition in the mother can cause major
issues with the fetus. Issues such as premature birth, and sometimes retardation. A womans
stress level during pregnancy can cause behavioral issues with their children later in life.
Smoking, drinking and taking any kind of drugs during pregnancy also affects the child in ways
harsher than others. A womans psychological state and heath can positively and negatively
affect pregnancy and the child after birth.
A womans stress level can cause children to have behavioral issues, such as ADHD as
children. In a study of 142 siblings, ages 6-12, were selected along with their mothers for an
interview. In the group of siblings, the mother of children who showed symptoms of ADHD
claimed they had a higher stress level during their pregnancy with that sibling, and lower stress
level during pregnancy with the other (Grizenko "The Effect Of Maternal Stress During
Pregnancy On IQ And ADHD Symptomatology" ). According to Grizenko , Maternal stress
during pregnancy was associated with the development of ADHD symptomatology after
controlling for family history of ADHD and other environmental factors.

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Another study done on woman and children showed kids had a higher tendency to have ADHD
later in childhood when their mothers were more stressed and had more physical labor during
pregnancy. Woman and their children were selected and interviewed separately. The women,
who showed results of either higher stress or a more physical job during pregnancy, their
children showed symptoms of ADHD. The women who had a more relaxed pregnancy, their
children showed no signs of ADHD.
Studies have also proven that a womans health during pregnancy can affect the fetus.
The lack of milk during pregnancy can cause the fetus to not fully develop properly during
pregnancy. Studies show that women who did not have a well-balanced intake of milk during
their pregnancy, their children had fetal developmental issues. Issues such as the fetuss skull and
limbs not developing right and even cause retardation in the child. The lack of protein such as
meats, beans etc. in a womans diet during her pregnancy can also cause the fetus harm and
issues later in life. The lack of protein in the mother during pregnancy can and may cause the
head to be smaller and limbs not fully developed. The lack of a mothers protein may also cause
the fetus to have mental development issues later in its life (Grizenko).
It has been proven that smoking, drugs, and the use of alcohol during pregnancy can
negatively affect the child. Women who smoked and drank during their pregnancy had more
complications with their children rather than women who did not. The woman who smoked and
drank during pregnancy had pregnancy issues later causing premature birth. The effect of
smoking and drinking during pregnancy and causing premature birth the baby can have a low
birth weight, lung developmental issues etc. Women who did not drink or smoke during
pregnancy had lesser complications with pregnancy and with the baby. Taking illegal drugs as
well as over the counter drugs can cause issues with the fetus and your pregnancy. Illegal drugs

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can cause children to have behavioral issues such as ADHD and anxiety as well as health issues.
Even though most people think over the counter drugs are okay to take during pregnancy they
can often cause the same issues as doing illegal drugs. Over the counter medications can cause
reactions with the fetus that can be harmful and sometimes even fatal (Borazjani et al).
A womans psychological state and heath can positively and negatively affect pregnancy
and the child during pregnancy and even later in life. A womans stress level during pregnancy,
her nutrition during pregnancy, and smoking, drinking, and doing drugs during pregnancy can all
harmfully affect her baby. In studies already done it was proven that stress, health, and the use of
tobacco, alcohol, and any drugs can affect pregnancy and the baby. When a woman gets pregnant
she has to remember that whatever she does during her pregnancy can positively or negatively
affect her child. And to do the best for her baby is to do the best for her.

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Works Cited
Borazjani, Fatemeh, Kambiz Ahmadi Angali, and Shanuak S. Kulkarni. "Milk and Protein Intake
By Pregnant Women Affects Growth Of Foetus." Journal Of Health, Population &
Nutrition 31.4 (2013): 435-445. Academic Search Complete. Web. 21 Oct. 2015.
Grizenko, Natalie, et al. "The Effect of Maternal Stress During Pregnancy On IQ And ADHD
Symptomatology." Journal of The Canadian Academy Of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry
24.2 (2015): 92-99. Academic Search Complete. Web. 21 Oct. 2015.
Grizenko, Natalie, et al. "Maternal Stress During Pregnancy, ADHD Symptomatology In
Children And Genotype: Gene-Environment Interaction." Journal of The Canadian
Academy Of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry 21.1 (2012): 9-15. Academic Search
Complete. Web. 21 Oct. 2015.