Being pregnant is a beautiful experience, but consequently, it can be incredibly stressful too. Throw a pandemic into the mix, and you may see expecting mothers all over the world going from happy and joyful to fearful and concerned.
Scientists have investigated the impact of chronic emotional stress on human growth. They have also researched how babies’ birth weight is impacted because this is said to be the primary predictor of health risks at birth and later life.
Consequences of Low Birth Rate
Any weight of child which is less than 2500 grams for a pregnancy duration between 37-42 weeks includes an increased risk of infection; poor learning and school performance; psychological problems; diabetes, adult overweight, and heart disease; reduced adult earnings; and, on average, an earlier age at death
Emeritus Professor Barry Bogin, a specialist in Biological Anthropology in the School of Sport, Exercise and Health Sciences, and Dr. Carlos Varea, Madrid Autonomous University, has revealed through previous biocultural studies how COVID-19 will impact the birth weight of the next generation. They also analyzed the changes in birth weight related to the 2008 financial crisis in Spain. The biocultural approach contemplates how social and emotional factors interact and impact human biology.
The pair predicts that to assess the biocultural consequences of the COVID‐19 crisis on people—from fetuses to the aged, it will take two or more generations. Hypothetically, it can be noted that there will be a global increase in maternal emotional stress and a decline in birth weight in the immediate future.
Reaching this conclusion
It is entirely right that pregnant women must stay relaxed or not get stressed due to concerns that a flare in emotions may impact their unborn baby.
Professor Bogin and Dr. Varea discussed in their commentary on how chronic stress can result in a variety of various biological changes in the body—ranging from cellular-level tweaks to altering hormone levels.
They interpret chronic stress as insecurity related to housing, money, social support. It also includes worry about the loss of benefits, job loss, loss of a partner, or loss of housing.
Also, the pair says that fear of pandemic has spread fast and as deep as the disease itself—this fear plays out in many ways pervading every aspect of society, emotional causing stress.
Chronic emotional stress has biological impacts on people, and this insecurity lasts for months or years. Pregnant women, their fetuses, and young people of all ages, if exposed to chronic, toxic emotional stress, will suffer. Chronic toxic stress undoubtedly takes a toll on human health, including the physical growth of people.
Therefore, it is important to understand the child’s birth weight as it is one of the most sensitive indicators of the health of a newborn and its future health. The government and their public health workers should provide social, economic, and emotional to everyone to keep our future generation healthy.
People should be told in multiple languages on how and where to access this support. Pregnant mothers should speak with their medical doctors during their scheduled medical exams about the pregnancy’s progress.