Maternal Stress
Maternal stress can occur before, during, and between pregnancies which can negatively impact both mothers and babies. Experiences of racism can increase these risks.
In Guilford County, Black babies die at almost three times the rate of white infants. For far too long we’ve incorrectly placed individual blame for lack of education and/or economics, generational or situational poverty on these disparities rather than looking at how racism has played a role. Black birthing people are often treated differently than White birthing people in our health care systems.
High levels of stress can cause health problems like high blood pressure and heart disease. Stress can increase the chance of having a premature birth or a low birthweight baby. Babies born too soon or too small are at increased risk for health problems. Stress can occur in many forms:
- Negative life events
- Catastrophic events
- Long-lasting stress
- Depression or anxiety
- Neighborhood stress
- Racism
- Pregnancy-related stress
Source: March of Dimes