• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer

Birth Goddess

Empowering Women for a Positive Birth & Beyond

  • Home
  • About
  • Reviews
  • Work with Me
  • Contact
  • Shop
You are here: Home / Birth Resources / Do Anxious Mothers Produce Anxious Babies?

Do Anxious Mothers Produce Anxious Babies?

February 8, 2013 By Katrina Zaslavsky

If babies are aware and listening, does that mean they are affected by the mother’s anxiety or negativity?

Pregnant women have secretly wondered—and ironically worried—whether their negative emotions during pregnancy impact their baby, and researchers have been on the case.

Crying Baby Boy

Dr Marcy Axness, PhD, explores in her book Parenting for Peace how the lifelong emotional health and wellbeing of a child is directly affected by the experiences of the mother during pregnancy. Scientists have acknowledged a pregnant mothers’ moods significantly impact the brain development of her baby.

While occasional stress is not a real concern, a pregnant woman who is in a state of constant anxiety will have elevated stress hormones that “communicate” to her baby that he or she is in an unsafe environment, despite the fact this may not be true!

The constant stimulation by the stress hormones causes the baby’s cells to mutate and prepare for a delivery into the unsafe environment that it perceives is the world outside the womb.

Dr Axness writes, “Chronic stress in pregnancy tends to sculpt a brain suited to survive in dangerous environments: short of attention, quick to react, with reduced impulse control, with a dampened capacity to feel calm and content.

This makes for a temperamental baby, difficult to soothe and calm, a baby who is challenging to parent”.

Therefore, if the mother experiences chronic stress during pregnancy, it can create a temperamental baby who is a challenge to the parent and difficult to soothe and calm. This sadly sets the initial relationship up between parent and child as one of struggle, while being unable to connect in a loving and satisfying way.

The scientific evidence from the field of neuroscience is backing up what spiritual wisdom has been alluding to throughout time; that our experience in the womb is preparing us for our lifelong lessons about who we are and how we are going to fit into the world around us.

We can use this amazing knowledge to ensure we feel supported, loved and safe in order to influence the fundamental brain development of the foetus in a positive way. Thus setting the child up to be born with the idea of love and safety and not ready to tackle a dangerous world!

*A preview extract from the book A Modern Woman’s Guide to a Natural Empowering Birth by Katrina Zaslavsky

Marcy

Marcy Axness, PhD, is an early development specialist, popular international speaker, and author of Parenting for Peace: Raising the Next Generation of Peacemakers. She is a top blogger at Mothering.com and a member of their expert panel. Featured in several documentary films as an expert in adoption, prenatal development and Waldorf education, Dr. Axness has a private practice coaching parents-in-progress. She considers as one of her most important credentials that she raised two peacemakers to share with the world — Ian and Eve, both in their twenties.

You can connect with Marcy here.

She is also one of the valued expert contributors to the book A Modern Woman’s Guide to a Natural Empowering Birth, a collection of inspiring birth stories, expert tips and practical insights to reclaim our birth power and overcome our fears in a modern world Now available worldwide as a gorgeous embossed paperback from our inspiring birth store, all good bookstores Australia-wide and as a kindle e-book on Amazon!

Book-Presented

Find out what Dr Marcy Axness has to say about A Modern Woman’s Guide to a Natural Empowering Birth here.

Get Your FREE Empowering Birth Magazine Issue 

60+ pages of positive, holistic articles, recipes, stories, real truth (without the fluff) plus stunning visuals of bumps and babes to feast your eyes on!

Invalid email address
We promise not to spam you. You can unsubscribe at any time.
Thanks for subscribing!

Filed Under: Birth Resources Tagged With: Pregnancy

A little about me …

Katrina Zaslavsky is an inspired international author, speaker and voice for women. A public health professional turned mum on a mission and now Birth Goddess founder, magazine editor, certified Coach and Practitioner of NLP, Hypnotherapy & more, Katrina is making positive waves across the globe and committed to being a part of the Positive Birth Revolution and empowering women for the journey into motherhood.

Katrina Zaslavsky: View My Blog Posts

Primary Sidebar

Product Search

Shop Online

  • My account
  • Cart
  • Checkout
  • Frequently Asked Questions
  • Shipping Information
  • Terms and Conditions
  • Returns & Refunds

Popular Products

Handmade Silk Scrunchie Light Blue
$7.00

Get it NowQuick View

Empowering Birth Magazine ~ Ripe and Ready
$6.99

Get it NowQuick View

Birth Goddess Empowered (9mths Private Coaching+ Full Product Range)
$904.00 $799.00

Get it NowQuick View

Empowering Birth Magazine ~ Love
$6.99
5.00 out of 5

Get it NowQuick View

Empowering Birth Magazine ~ Rise and Shine
$6.99

Get it NowQuick View

Birth Goddess Coaching
$147.00 – $720.00
5.00 out of 5

Select optionsQuick View

Peppermint Scrub – Pregnancy Bath Nurture & New Mum Self-Care
$15.00

Get it NowQuick View

Empowering Birth Magazine ~ Hormones
$6.99

Get it NowQuick View

Empowering Birth Magazine – Premiere
$6.99

Get it NowQuick View

Empowering Birth Magazine ~ Nurture
$6.99

Get it NowQuick View

Empowering Birth Magazine ~ Intimacy
$6.99

Get it NowQuick View

Lavender Lip Balm
$10.00

Get it NowQuick View

Empowering Birth Magazine ~ Gentle Beginnings
$6.99

Get it NowQuick View

Birth Goddess Coaching – Full Journey (9mths private support)
$720.00 $695.00

Get it NowQuick View

Birth Goddess Labour Audio
$17.95

Get it NowQuick View

Birth Goddess Cards
$29.95
5.00 out of 5

Get it NowQuick View

Empowering Birth Magazine ~ Celebration
$6.99

Get it NowQuick View

Lavender Scrub – Pregnancy Bath Nurture & New Mum Self-Care
$15.00

Get it NowQuick View

Empowering Birth Magazine ~ Holistic Pregnancy
$6.99

Get it NowQuick View

A Modern Woman’s Guide to A Natural Empowering Birth
$34.95
5.00 out of 5

Get it NowQuick View

Birth Goddess Pregnancy Audio
$12.95

Get it NowQuick View

Birth Gift Set – Book and Cards
$59.90

Get it NowQuick View

Empowering Birth Magazines – All Issues (15 Digital Issues)
$104.85 $98.00

Get it NowQuick View

Empowering Birth Magazine ~ VBAC
$6.99

Get it NowQuick View

Peppermint Lip Balm
$10.00

Get it NowQuick View

Empowering Birth Magazine ~ Conscious Choices
$6.99

Get it NowQuick View

Empowering Birth Magazine ~ Fertility
$6.99

Get it NowQuick View

Empowering Birth Magazine ~ Mind Body & Soul
$6.99

Get it NowQuick View

Birth Goddess Ultimate Birth Kit (Book + Affirmation Cards + 15 digital Mag Issues)
$169.75 $149.00

Get it NowQuick View

Orange Lip Balm
$12.00

Get it NowQuick View

Empowering Birth Magazine ~ Postnatal Bliss
$6.99

Get it NowQuick View

Handmade Silk Scrunchie Turquoise
$7.00

Get it NowQuick View

Birth Goddess Resources

  • Positive Birth Stories
  • Healthy Recipes
  • Birth Goddess Blog
  • Birth Resources
  • Events
  • Reviews
  • Empowering Birth Magazines
  • Birth Products

About Katrina

Tags

Baby (3) bath during labour (2) Birth (9) birth book (5) Birth Goddess Cards Reviews (3) birth plan (3) birth support (2) breathing through contractions (2) calm birth (3) confidence for motherhood (4) conscious pregnancy (4) doula (2) easy natural birth (6) Empowering Birth Magazine (16) Empowering Birth magazine reviews (10) empowering mindset for birth (3) Fertility & Conception (4) fertility nutrition (2) homebirth midwife (2) hospital birth (2) husband support in labour (2) hypnobirthing classes (2) meditation (2) midwife (3) midwifery care (2) Motherhood (3) Mum book reviews (66) natural birth (3) natural hospital birth (3) new generation of strong women (2) overcome birth fear (2) overcoming fear and tension during childbirth (4) positive birth story (6) Postnatal Care (4) Pregnancy (18) preparing for natural birth (5) Professional book reviews (47) recommended reading (4) stress-free birth (4) timing contractions (2) VBAC (2) VBAC Support (11) Video Reviews (11) water birth (2) waters breaking (3)

Search Articles @ Birth Goddess

Footer

Prenatal & Birth Professionals

Do you work with pregnant or birthing women? Find out how you can empower your clients for a positive birth with our tools & resources.

  • Wholesale
  • Affiliate
  • Sponsorship
  • Speaking
  • Media
  • Contribute

Birth Goddess in the Making

Your FREE weekly inspired blog series with positive birth tips, insights and more, delivered with love (aka ‘love notes!’)

Your privacy is safe with us.

© 2022 Copyright Birth Goddess ~ All Rights Reserved. Log in