At this point there is no doubt that the psychological state of the mother during pregnancy influences the development of the baby. We have already spoken on some occasion that the mother's stress affects the baby.
So far, we knew that one of the most direct consequences of living a serious episode during pregnancy is preterm birth or giving birth to children with low weight, however a new study gives us information about the relationship between the stress experienced by mother during pregnancy and the mental health of her future baby.
Researchers at the University of Manchester have shown through a study that the children of women who suffered an episode of severe stress such as death or illness of a very close relative during the first trimester of pregnancy, they would be more likely to develop schizophrenia.
To do this, they followed almost 36,200 children whose mothers had suffered death or serious illness from a family member and found that 7,331 children developed schizophrenia.
The experts emphasize the importance of the moment in which the mother lives that traumatic experience. Those who suffered during the first three months of pregnancy were 67% more likely to have their children develop schizophrenia or other associated disorder, according to doctors.
However, if the episode occurred at another time during pregnancy, no relationship was found with the development of the disease.
Apparently, the explanation could be in the chemical components that the mother's brain releases from the stress situation, which could have an effect on the development of the brain of the fetus in full formation during the first trimester of pregnancy.
