Redes 2.0 has reissued the documentary last night "Emotional education from the womb", which we have already talked about at the time. I had not seen it before and although it had already started when I turned on the TV, I stayed stuck to the screen because the Punset combination, babies and emotions told me that the thing promised.
This morning I have seen it complete for the first time in A la Rtve's letter and I want to rescue the essence of the message conveyed by the documentary: how maternal stress has long-term effects on the baby's development.
The phrase that sums it up is from the interviewee Vivette Glover, a professor of research in perinatal psychobiology at Imperial College London where she directs the fetal and neonatal stress group. Say what “Improving the emotional state of pregnant women is improving the health of society”.
It is curious how today a woman who expects a baby receives all the care from the medical point of view. You have prenatal tests of all kinds such as amniocentesis, glucose test, ultrasound, tension is taken periodically, but your emotional state is not controlled at all.
No one asks a pregnant woman about her emotional health, if she is depressed, if she has problems in her family, at work or with her partner. Couple conflicts are the ones that produce the most stress in women and these have repercussions not only on her but also on the baby she carries inside.
The cortisol produced by the stressed mother penetrates the placenta, also affecting the baby. It has been shown that infants with higher levels of cortisol in amniotic fluid are twice as likely to develop hyperactivity, attention deficit and behavioral problems, a risk factor for subsequent criminal behavior.
The documentary does not have a minute of wasted 28 minutes. If you have not seen it before, I recommend you see it (in the link below) to begin to discover how the human being is influenced by the environment in which he lives the nine months before birth and why taking care of the emotional state of the pregnant woman can lead to improve the health of society.
