Heavy stress during late pregnancy can hinder the smooth running of labor & bull; hello healthy

Childbirth is a happy moment as well as a place to bet life and death. It is not surprising that many new mothers are also shrouded in fear, anxiety, and worry before their baby's birthday. This is not to mention dealing with other sources of stress on a daily basis, such as financial problems and household problems. You should start looking for ways to deal with this stress. The reason is, stress during late pregnancy can hinder the smooth running of labor in various ways, which may endanger the safety of the baby and yourself. Here's the explanation.

Stress during late pregnancy can cause premature babies

When stressed, the body produces cortisol and other stress hormones. The release of the hormones adrenaline and cortisol over time causes an increase in heart rate and blood pressure, faster breathing, dilation of blood vessels in the arms and legs, and increased blood glucose levels. This drastic change in the condition of the mother's body is the basis for the allegations of experts that stress during late pregnancy can increase the risk of preterm labor.

But this does not mean that all the stress will inevitably end in premature babies. Ordinary stress, for example, every now and then cranky with your husband because he is busy at the office or forgets to pay his electricity bill, it will not automatically cause you to give birth prematurely. If stress is treated as soon as possible, the body's response to stress will decrease and the body will return to its original state.

The problem is that when you accumulate these ordinary stresses in your heart and are allowed to eat away at your mind. Chronic stress can cause long-term changes in heart function and the immune system. Changes that continue to get worse are what can potentially lead to preterm labor before the gestational age reaches 37 weeks. Chronic stress means dealing with divorce, death of a loved one, long-term unemployment, severe stress related to pregnancy safety, to depression during pregnancy. It is chronic and severe stress that can increase the risk of preterm labor.

Research by Wadhwa, et al. reports that mothers who experience severe stress during late pregnancy are more at risk of preterm delivery and their babies have low birth weight. Wadhwa also said that several biological changes occur when the mother is stressed, including an increase in stress hormones, and an increase in the chances of uterine infection. The fetus will respond to stress stimuli from the mother and adapt to the changes that occur.

Giving birth in the company of many people can cause the birth to take longer

The pain that goes through childbirth is perhaps the most painful moment in a woman's life. Although there are various ways to minimize the pain of childbirth, the hustle and bustle of your surroundings can unwittingly play a big role in determining how painful the experience is.

When you give birth, there are other people who will help you along the way - your team of doctors, nurses and your husband. Maybe there will also be your birth mother or mother-in-law to accompany you, or even photographers and videographers to capture this special moment. But being surrounded by so many people can stress the mother out during childbirth, causing the birth process to take longer than it should.

Research conducted by Judith A. Lothian published in the Journal of Perinatal Education (2004) reports that the environment in the delivery room that is surrounded by many people, the large number of questions and orders from doctors, and bright glare can play a role in stimulating the brain to increase production. the stress hormone cotecholamine, which slows down the labor process and affects the level of pain during labor.

The increase in the production of the hormone cotecolamine in mothers giving birth is in principle the same as for mammals that give birth in the wild. In nature, when an animal giving birth feels threatened or disturbed, catecholamine stress hormones are released to stop labor. This response aims to buy time for the mother animal to escape danger before finally labor begins again. The release of cotecolamines to temporarily stop labor serves to protect the mother and her offspring.

Likewise, when a woman who is in labor does not feel safe or protected or when her flow of labor is interrupted or changes in one way or another. In response to this stress, the body releases more cotecolamine levels. The contractions can be very strong and difficult to handle or, usually, they become weaker. As a result, labor slows down or can stop altogether. We, like other mammals, need to feel safe and protected in order to give birth easily. If we don't feel safe and protected during early labor, catecholamine hormone levels can and do stop labor.

The importance of a conducive delivery environment if you want a smooth delivery

Keeping your emotional state stable is very important during labor. Therefore, do things you can do during pregnancy to deal with worries about entering labor. This is done to allow you to feel calm and confident in yourself, your partner, other birth attendants, and your midwife or doctor. Ask for understanding and support from those around you to help increase your feelings of security and strength.

You can also practice relaxation or group meditation at any time during labor to help you build strength and confidence or to identify fears that may need to be addressed. In addition, feelings of fear can go away if you are provided with a comfortable environment during labor. Choose the best hospital for your delivery that can give you privacy and comfort.

A calm and stress-free environment during late pregnancy will reduce brain activity to produce stress hormones, and in return increase the release of prostaglandins and other hormones that can speed up the labor process. The hormone cotecolamine can return to its normal level once the mother starts feeling comfortable, so that the reflex encourages the baby to start working again.