motherhood

Childbirth trauma and post traumatic stress

What’s wrong with the status quo? © 2006-2013 Gwen Dewar, Ph.D., all rights reserved Childbirth trauma in cross-cultural perspective In Western countries, parents are expected to respond to childbirth with happiness and joy. But when anthropologist Wenda Trevathan reviewed childbirth in other cultures, she discovered that joy is not very common (Trevathan 1987). In many … Continue reading

Stress hormones during pregnancy: How a natural rise in hormone levels may benefit babies and re-program mothers’ brains

Natural changes in stress hormones during pregnancy Prolonged, severe stress is bad for pregnancy. And stress hormones are to blame. When stress hormone levels run very high, women are less likely to conceive and more likely to miscarry (Sapolsky 2004; Nepomaschy et al 2006). Babies are more likely to be born prematurely and underweight. They … Continue reading

The owner of this website has made a commitment to accessibility and inclusion, please report any problems that you encounter using the contact form on this website. This site uses the WP ADA Compliance Check plugin to enhance accessibility.