如何做個快樂的孕媽媽

著懷孕期間堅持上班的女性人數(shù)激增，很多孕媽媽聽到的忠告都是：放松。壓力不要太大，否則會傷害到肚子里的寶寶。

As sharply higher numbers of women work through pregnancy, many hear the same advice: Relax. Don't stress out or you will harm your unborn baby.

不過，與老觀點相反的是，研究顯示，對大部分孕婦來說，普通的日常工作家庭壓力不太可能造成新生兒體重偏低或其他問題。研究人員說，堵車、任務(wù)的最后期限和其他日常煩惱事不太可能對胎兒造成威脅，那些自我感覺應(yīng)付自如的孕婦往往做得不錯。

Contrary to old beliefs, however, research shows that ordinary day-to-day job and home stress isn't likely to cause low birth weight or other problems for most women. Traffic delays, work deadlines and other everyday hassles aren't likely to pose a threat to unborn babies, researchers say, and pregnant women who feel they are coping well tend to do just fine.


相反，新的研究揭示了某種壓力與寶寶發(fā)育遲緩之間存在聯(lián)系：對懷孕本身過度擔(dān)心。

Instead, new studies are revealing a link between a certain kind of stress and some developmental delays in the baby: worrying excessively about the pregnancy itself.


根據(jù)加州大學(xué)爾灣分校研究人員最近在《兒童發(fā)展》(Child Development)上發(fā)表的研究報告，這種“懷孕特有焦慮”與寶寶12個月時認(rèn)知發(fā)展得分偏低有關(guān)。這與其他研究的結(jié)論相符。患有這種焦慮的孕婦對胎兒發(fā)育、流產(chǎn)或分娩的潛在問題過于擔(dān)心。

This 'pregnancy-specific anxiety' was linked to lower cognitive-development scores in babies at 12 months of age, based on a study published recently in Child Development by researchers at the University of California, Irvine, echoing other research. Women who experience this kind of anxiety worry excessively about potential problems with fetal development, miscarriage or giving birth.


研究人員尚不清楚這一發(fā)現(xiàn)的基礎(chǔ)是什么。女性對懷孕過于擔(dān)心的原因可能是她們感覺到有什么東西確實出了問題，而這個問題可能造成胎兒發(fā)育遲緩。抑或，懷孕期間焦慮、消極的母親可能會在產(chǎn)后提供較少的培養(yǎng)和刺激性關(guān)愛。

Researchers don't yet understand the basis for this finding. Women may become excessively anxious about their pregnancies because they sense that something actually is amiss, which could account for the developmental delays. Or, a mother who is anxious and negative during pregnancy might tend to provide less nurturing and stimulating care after birth.


無論原因是什么，很多產(chǎn)科醫(yī)生都開始敦促孕婦不要對壓力過于擔(dān)心，而是要從家人和朋友那里獲得更多的支持。

Whatever the cause, many obstetricians are urging pregnant women to stop obsessing about stress, and seek out more support from family and friends.

 

一些產(chǎn)科醫(yī)生把孕婦送到產(chǎn)前關(guān)愛小組，在那里她們能夠用傳統(tǒng)的方法放松壓力：與其他孕婦交談。在一項名為“專注懷孕”的項目中，約有十名處于類似孕周的健康孕婦獲得了產(chǎn)前關(guān)愛。在與標(biāo)準(zhǔn)的一對一產(chǎn)前檢查頻率相同的定期兩小時小組活動中，孕婦首先各自接受了血壓、體重等健康指標(biāo)的檢查，然后集中在一起進(jìn)行討論。

Some obstetricians are sending expectant moms to prenatal-care groups where they can get stress relief the old-fashioned way: by talking to other pregnant women. In a program called Centering Pregnancy, about 10 expectant mothers who are all at the same stage of a healthy pregnancy receive prenatal care in a group. In periodic two-hour sessions scheduled with the same frequency as standard one-on-one prenatal checkups, the women first get private screenings for blood pressure, weight and other health indicators, then gather for discussion.

大部分孕婦面臨中等強度的壓力，不過也有少部分人有著長期未疏解的壓力。面臨極度貧困、種族歧視或嚴(yán)重家庭問題等更困難環(huán)境的孕婦，早產(chǎn)或胎兒出現(xiàn)發(fā)育問題的風(fēng)險更高。此外，研究發(fā)現(xiàn)，在孕早期經(jīng)歷了自然災(zāi)害等創(chuàng)傷性事件的孕婦早產(chǎn)或新生兒體重偏低的風(fēng)險也會加大。

While most pregnant women face moderate stress, a smaller slice have unrelenting, chronic strain. Women facing more difficult circumstances, such as extreme poverty, racism or serious family problems, have a higher risk of preterm birth or developmental problems. Also, research shows that going through a traumatic event, such as a natural disaster, during the first trimester also raises the risk of premature delivery or low birth weight.

在克服各種壓力的過程中，家人和朋友能給予很大的幫助。社會支持逐漸開始成為抵抗懷孕壓力的強大武器，比如關(guān)心的話語、善解人意的朋友、以及能夠引發(fā)微笑和歡笑的環(huán)境。

In coping with all kinds of stress, family and friends can help a lot. Social support -- kind words, nurturing friends, and surroundings that prompt smiles and laughter -- is emerging as a powerful antidote to pregnancy stress.


在2008年瑞士的一項研究中，60名孕婦暴露于壓力事件中，比如在攝影機或觀眾面前進(jìn)行模擬工作面試或數(shù)學(xué)測驗。研究發(fā)現(xiàn)，那些反映說自己的生活中有更多“日常樂事”的人（比如微笑、歡笑和受到表揚）對壓力做出負(fù)面反應(yīng)的可能更小。這項研究發(fā)現(xiàn)，積極的社會經(jīng)歷看來是一種緩沖。

A 2008 Swiss study that subjected 60 pregnant women to stressors, such as a simulated job interview and a math test before a camera and an audience, found those who reported more 'daily uplifts' in their lives, such as smiling, laughing and receiving compliments, were less likely to react negatively to stress. Positive social experiences seem to act as a buffer, the study found.

研究人員越來越相信，孕婦對壓力的反應(yīng)是影響壓力結(jié)果的一個主要因素。密歇根州立大學(xué)的研究人員進(jìn)行的一項研究發(fā)現(xiàn)，敵對態(tài)度與早產(chǎn)風(fēng)險增加之間有聯(lián)系。敵對態(tài)度指的是，孕婦經(jīng)常容易感覺憤怒、多疑、憤世嫉俗、緊張或不安。

Researchers increasingly believe that how individual women react to stress is a major factor in its effects. A study led by researchers at Michigan State University has linked a hostile attitude in and of itself -- that is, the tendency in a pregnant woman to feel angry, suspicious, cynical, tense or nervous a lot of the time -- with an increased risk of preterm birth.


研究對2,018名女性進(jìn)行了研究，結(jié)果發(fā)表在2008年的《社會科學(xué)與醫(yī)學(xué)》(Social Science & Medicine)期刊上。研究中，女性的敵對傾向是用她們對一系列有關(guān)感覺和態(tài)度的問題的回答加以衡量的。

In the study of 2,018 women, published in 2008 in the journal Social Science & Medicine, women's tendency toward hostility was measured by responses to a series of questions about their feelings and attitudes.

研究人員說，建立“壓力復(fù)原能力”是生育健康寶寶的一個關(guān)鍵。“壓力復(fù)原能力”指的是在嚴(yán)重壓力期間，保持冷靜和樂觀、繼續(xù)關(guān)愛自己的習(xí)慣。加州大學(xué)洛杉磯分校婦產(chǎn)科學(xué)副教授、作家Michael Lu鼓勵女性在懷孕之前就開始建立對壓力的復(fù)原能力──培養(yǎng)良好的運動、飲食和睡眠習(xí)慣，學(xué)會如何在不被壓力壓倒的情況下解決問題、面對挫折。

Researchers say building 'stress resiliency' -- a habit of staying calm and optimistic, and continuing to care well for yourself through periods of heavy stress -- is a key to healthy birth outcomes. Michael Lu, an author and associate professor of obstetrics and gynecology at University of California, Los Angeles, encourages women to start building resiliency against stress even before they become pregnant -- forming good exercise, nutrition and sleep habits, and learning how to solve problems and face adversity without stressing out.

他說，學(xué)會享受生活中的樂趣、心懷感激、從積極的角度看待負(fù)面事件，這些能夠為快樂懷孕奠定基礎(chǔ)。
Learning to savor life's joys, be grateful, and look at seemingly negative events from a positive angle, he says, can set the stage for a pregnancy immune to the hazards of stress.