Answered by Elaine Zwelling with Prof Dieter Wolke RN, PhD, FACCE
"Teaching pregnant women and their partners has been the highlight of my career," says Elaine Zwelling. "I love helping expectant parents enjoy their pregnancy, plan and create a positive birth experience, and then learn about parenting their newborn baby."Elaine Zwelling, RN, PhD, FACCE, is the director and member of the faculty of the Lamaze International Childbirth Educator Certification Program at the University of South Florida. Dr Zwelling is the co-author of Maternal Newborn Nursing: Theory and Practice. She is also a consultant in the field of maternal newborn care, currently working with Phillips+Fenwick, Scotts Valley, California. Dr Zwelling was a professor of maternal-newborn nursing for 23 years, at Capital University and Ohio State University. There, she taught undergraduate and graduate students and conducted research on maternal newborn health care. Dr. Zwelling is certified by Lamaze International as a childbirth educator and is a Fellow in the American College of Childbirth Educators.Dr Zwelling has a grown son and two grandchildren.
Question
I'm six months pregnant and am really worried that my job is bad for my health. I'm constantly stressed out - to the point that I can't sleep some nights. Is all this stress bad for the baby?
Answer
Most of us can't avoid a certain amount of stress. The amount your job is causing you, however, seems excessive - and that can have a bad effect on anyone's health. Too much stress can suppress the body's immune system and cause fatigue, muscle tension, headaches, loss of appetite, diarrhoea, ulcers, backaches and sleeplessness. During pregnancy, stress can affect both the mother and the baby. Although animal and human research studies have shown conflicting findings, they have found that stress may increase the chance of obstetric complications and contribute to low birthweight. You can combat stress by incorporating exercise and relaxation techniques into your daily routine. Try taking 10 minutes at lunch to do slow breathing, for example. When you get home after work, take a walk or do some visualisation exercises. Then, before going to bed at night, soak in a warm bath, play relaxing music and use visual imagery to relax. If none of these strategies helps, you may want to consider making changes in your job situation.
