Mom Stress and Depression During Pregnancy Make Child Asthma Risk

Depression, stress and anxiety are best avoided for all people, especially for mothers who are pregnant. The study found that maternal depression and stress during pregnancy are more at risk of having a child born with asthma.

"About 70 percent of mothers said that having high levels of anxiety or depression when they are pregnant and to report their child had been hissing (asthma symptoms) before the age of 5 years," said Marilyn Reyes, a senior researcher at the Mailman School of Public Health's Columbia Center for Children's Environmental Health ( CCCEH) and lead author of the study, as reported by Medindia on Saturday (09/07/2011).

According to Reyes, understand how the health of mothers affects the respiratory health of children is important in developing effective strategies to prevent asthma.

Study participants were 279 women with African-Americans and Hispanics was conducted before, during and after birth. These findings support the growing body of research which states that exposure may influence the risk of children developing asthma.

The results of this study have been published in the Annals of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology, the scientific journal of the American College of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology (ACAAI).

So how to cope with stress while pregnant?

Here are some tips on coping with stress during pregnancy:

• Find the cause. Reflect and discuss it with her husband and family what are the things that become a heavy burden your mind.
• Keep your intake of nutrients. Keeping food intake can also help pregnant women reduce the risk of stress and depression.
• Routine exercise. A healthy body helps you in maintaining mental health and mind.
• Avoid bad habits, like smoking and drinking alcohol. Divert your attention every time a desire to do those bad habits come up with activities that can bring more benefits to you. These bad habits can trigger stress and depression.
• Lines of communication. Not only with her husband and family, communication can also be forged among pregnant women. Equation fate and experience can help ease the burden of your mind.
• Diligent move. Active activities are beneficial for pregnant women, such as yoga, hanging out with friends, and recreation, will make your mind is not focused on hard things that you normally think of and also reduce stress hormones.
• Rest comfortably and fairly. In addition to the house, breaks can also be done while traveling out of town. Choose a comfortable place and quiet vacation, so you can rest with ease. Note also the resting position that is right for pregnant women.
• Consult a physician. Wherever possible, all complaints and uncomfortable feelings you discussed with your doctor you trust. The doctor will assess whether you need medical or psychological treatment so that precautions can be done immediately.