Question: I am very worried about my 25-year-old daughter, who is in her seventh month of pregnancy. 5 months ago her partner left her for another and she is living very distressed about her present and her future. Could this cause problems for her or the baby? (RLS, from Olavarría)
Prenatal psychology is the field of study that explores how experiences in the womb affect the psychological and emotional development of the individual since before birth.
It integrates knowledge of psychology, biology and neuroscience from conception to birth and seeks to understand how physical, emotional and environmental factors in pregnancy will then impact mental health throughout life.
When the psyche begins is a matter of debate, both in psychology and in neuroscience, both trying to specify when the fetus begins to experience, process and store informationthus establishing the foundations of your psychic life.
Traditionally, it was assumed that the psyche emerged only after birth, but it is now an undisputed fact that This process begins in intrauterine life.
From the neurobiological perspective, the psyche begins when the nervous system has the functional capacity to process information, which occurs around week 20 of pregnancymoment when the first organized brain waves appear in the fetus and with the ability to respond to external stimuli.
For its part, from the psychodynamic perspective, the prenatal psyche can begin earlier, on an unconscious or symbolic level. Some psychoanalytic theorists suggest that the fetus can experience basic emotions that are stored in the unconsciouseven before having a fully functional nervous system.
How maternal stress impacts
One of the central topics of prenatal psychology is understanding how maternal stress impacts fetal development. Any situation of persistent or severe stress for the mother during pregnancy It causes a series of neurochemical changes that affect the fetus.
This happens due to the release of high levels of cortisol and other stress hormones that cross the placenta and affect the development of the fetal nervous system. increasing the risk of problems such as anxiety, fear or depression in both childhood and adulthood.
Another mechanism is that stress also induces epigenetic changes, altering the expression of various genes important for neurological development and that will have lasting effects on behavior and future mental health.
If prolonged maternal stress triggers premature birth, the risk of physical and psychological complications in the newborn due to this situation.
Consequently, the emotional bond between mother and baby begins to form during pregnancy, in a process that some know as prenatal attachment. This relationship not only has implications for the emotional well-being of the motherbut also for the development of the baby.
Moms with a strong prenatal connection They tend to interact more sensitively and responsively with their babies after birth, which favors a more secure and reassuring bond for the newborn and with the consequence of a solid and healthy psychological and emotional development.
Mothers who go through pregnancy with stress, anguish or depression may experience difficulties establishing this vital early connectionwhich may affect the future mother-child relationship and the normal psychological development of the child during development.
