Anger During Pregnancy

Failure to recognise and understand anger can lead to a variety of problems for pregnant women and their unborn babies.

According to APA (American Psychologists Association) documentation, anger is accompanied by physiological and biological changes: when we get angry, our heart rates and blood pressure go up, as do the levels of our energy hormones as adrenaline and epinephrine are released, contributing to growing tension and causing blood vessels to constrict. This reduces oxygen to the uterus, thus compromising foetal blood supply. Even suppressed anger has long been thought to cause anxiety and depression. The Counselling Centre for Human Development at the University of Florida agrees that anger can have detrimental effects on relationships, patterns of thinking, and cause many physical problems including colds, ulcers, asthma, high blood pressure (hypertension), heart problems, headaches, skin disorders and digestive problems.

The UK-based charity Tommy’s, the baby charity, is dedicated to funding research into, and providing information on, the causes of miscarriage, stillbirth and premature birth. Tommy’s research has shown that long-term anger or anxiety can have detrimental effects on your baby. Some effects include premature birth (delivered before 37 weeks), a problematic birth or even result in a low birth weight (even when full term), and this is the leading cause of infant mortality. Normal birth weight is defined as greater that 5 lb. 5 oz.; moderately low birth weight is 3 lb. 5 oz. to 5 lb. 8 oz., and very low birth weight is less than 3 lb. 5 oz.

Tommy’s studies have also suggested that stress in the womb could affect baby’s temperament. Babies, whose mothers experienced high levels of stress, particularly in the first trimester, show more signs of depression and irritability (as well as being colicky).

Research has also indicated that extreme anxiety during pregnancy could double a mother’s chance of having a hyperactive child.

The verdict is out; anger and stress in pregnancy could be detrimental to your baby. Do not delay. To seek help and learn to manage and reduce your anger, please contact us or call us now on 02 9328 5899 to book an appointment today.

Here’s a very useful resource on Anger & Pregnancy – https://momlovesbest.com/pregnancy/maternity-health/anger-during-pregnancy

By Renee Mill|2022-07-11T15:41:39+10:00August 19th, 2019|Anger, Parenting|

About the Author: Renee Mill

Renee Mill -- Anxiety Solutions CBT Director, Principal Clinical Psychologist, Supervisor and Best Selling Author -- has counseled hundreds of individuals, couples and families for over 30 years. She cares deeply about her clients and has created a warm and safe environment for all thrive. Renee has worked intensely on creating a new technique for dealing with generalised anxiety disorder, social anxiety, fear of public speaking, performance anxiety and panic attacks. Renee’s other key areas of interest are depression, relationships and couple therapy, self-worth, parenting, resilience and well-being. Renee has published 3 best selling books and lectured in Australia, China, Israel, the United States and South Africa. She is well known on the speaker’s circuit and is often called upon by the media for her professional opinion. To hear Renee’s interviews or read her articles have a look at our Media Section.