Babies

Health of the Child to Be Born

Pregnancy is a period of profound transformation, marked by physical, emotional, and psychological changes. For some women, this period can be accompanied by stress and anxiety, which can have repercussions on their own mental health as well as that of their unborn child. Psychoanalyst Daniel Stern refers to the term "psychic transparency" to describe the state of emotional vulnerability and heightened receptivity to emotions and unconscious thoughts during pregnancy. This transparency can make pregnant women more sensitive to stress and negative emotions, which can affect their mental health and that of their baby. Prenatal Stress and Fetal Development The scientific article "Maternal prenatal stress phenotypes associate with fetal neurodevelopment and birth outcomes" explores the various types of prenatal stress in pregnant women and their impacts on fetal neurodevelopment and birth outcomes. Researchers identified three prenatal stress profiles: the healthy group (HG), the psychologically stressed group (PSYG), and the physically stressed group (PHSG). The results show that prenatal stress can influence birth sex, birth complications, and the development of the fetus's central nervous system. Epigenetic Dimensions Research on microRNA maturation regulation demonstrates that disruptions in this process could have significant implications for understanding various diseases, including cancers and neurodegenerative diseases. MicroRNAs are small non-coding RNA molecules that play a crucial role in regulating gene expression. Another research area involves genomic imprinting, an epigenetic mechanism where the expression of certain genes depends on their parental origin. Anomalies in this mechanism could lead to genetic syndromes, developmental anomalies, and certain cancers — specifically, growth syndromes, certain cancers via abnormal methylation, neurodegenerative diseases, and metabolic disorders such as diabetes and obesity. The Importance of Psychological Support It is important to continue research in this area longitudinally, to better understand and prevent these conditions by also measuring the mental health of parents. In parallel, it also seems essential to provide adequate psychological support to pregnant women to mitigate the negative effects of prenatal stress. This psychological support allows the detection and treatment of mental disorders — such as anxiety and depression — that may occur during pregnancy, and helps develop a healthy and harmonious mother-child relationship.