Babies Can Absorb Their Mother's Stress in the Womb

Research carried out by the Harvard Medical School has shown that women who suffer from stress and anxiety during pregnancy may pass some stress on to their foetuses, in the form of increased sensitivity to allergen exposure, with a possible increase in risk of developing asthma. In the study, researchers analysed levels of maternal stress and mother's exposure to dust mite allergen in their homes while pregnant. These were compared with cord blood IgE expression - a marker of the child's immune response at birth - in nearly 400 infants. They found raised levels of IgE expression in cord blood among babies whose mothers experienced higher level stress even when exposed to fairly low levels of dust mite during pregnancy. The lead researcher, Rosalind Wright, said the research added to a growing body of evidence that connected maternal stress - such as that precipitated by financial problems or relationship issues - to changes in children's developing immune systems, even in pregnancy. "This further supports the notion that stress can be thought of as a social pollutant that, when 'breathed' into the body, may influence the body's immune response similar to the effects of physical pollutants like allergens, thus adding to their effects," she said. Stress related illnesses such as asthma and hayfever are still increasing in children, and it is possible that one factor could be the affect of more mothers having to work late into pregnancy for financial reasons. There is often little that can be done to totally eliminate stress, however, several activities can help. Pre-natal exercise has been shown to be a good way for mothers to relieve stress, and of course a healthy diet and plenty of sleep (not always easy in later stages of pregnancy) can help women to cope under stressful conditions at work and at home.

Pregnant Women Should Avoid Caffeine

Recent research has shown that coffee can increase the chances of miscarriage. The researchers suggest that women should consider giving up caffeine during pregnancy, as even moderate consumption in early pregnancy increases risk of miscarriage. The Food Standards Agency guidelines currently set an upper limit of 300mg during pregnancy, which equals four cups of coffee a day. However, an American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynaecology study found more than 200mg of caffeine a day doubled the risk, compared to abstainers. Experts said they would review the data to see if advice needed changing. Pat O'Brien, spokesman for the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists, has already started advising women to totally abstain from coffee, tea, coke and other caffeine based drinks during the first three months of pregnancy, when miscarraige is of greatest risk. "The first 12 weeks is a very vulnerable time for the baby. It's when most miscarriages occur," - Pat O'Brien. Pat O'Brien also said that a majority of women, in early pregnancy, naturally went off caffeinated drinks, and so should not find abstaining from them too difficult. Research is still unclear whether pregnant women needed to avoid caffeine in later pregnancy. Miscarriage risk "20% of all pregnancies end in miscarriage, which affects approximately 250,000 women in the UK every year. There are a number of well-established risk factors, such as increased maternal age, a previous history of miscarriage, and infertility. But the causes of the majority of miscarriages are not fully understood. Caffeine has been mooted as a risk factor before, but studies have yielded conflicting results. For the latest research, Dr De-Kun Li and colleagues at the Kaiser Permanente Division of Research, studied 1,063 women who had become pregnant in the last month or two." - BBC Health. Abstinence is the Safest Option The increased risk appeared to be related to the caffeine itself, rather than other coffee ingredients because other caffeinated beverages such as tea and hot chocolate showed a similar trend to coffee. Caffeine is able to cross the placenta to the foetus, but it is not clear what affect this has on the growing baby. Dr Li said: "The main message for pregnant women from these findings is that they probably should consider stopping caffeine consumption during pregnancy." Zoe Wheeldon from the British Coffee Association has pointed out that the latest research did not change the current Food Standards Agency recommendation of a safe upper limit of 300mg of caffeine per day for pregnant women. "This evidence must be reviewed in conjunction with existing research and it is important to review all the available data rather than taking one study in isolation." A spokesman from the Food Standards Agency said: "In order to provide a more robust basis for the FSA's advice to pregnant women on caffeine consumption, an FSA-funded study, involving around 2,500 pregnant women, was commissioned in 2003. "This is almost complete and the results will be presented to the Committee On Toxicity in closed session for consideration. "We will ask the committee to also look at this new American study. When the committee has reached conclusions the agency will, if appropriate, revise its advice on caffeine consumption in pregnancy." Caffeine Facts 300 mg of caffeine is roughly equivalent to: Four average cups or three average mugs of instant coffee Three average cups of brewed coffee Six average cups of tea Eight cans of regular cola drinks Four cans of so-called "energy" drinks 400g (eight standard 50g bars) of normal chocolate Caffeine content in a cup of tea or coffee varies by different brands and brewing methods Source: Food Standards Agency