Stress

Stress is not just a feeling. Stress is a physical force that can damage every system in the body. Chronic elevated stress contributes to hypertension and cardiovascular disease. It also contributes to diabetes, infection, inflammation, and low birth weight. Stress during pregnancy affects the fetus as well as the mother. Stress can even change how coping systems develop. In turn, the health of the child is affected.

The stress of racism has been shown to contribute to the rates of premature delivery and low birth weight among African Americans. Two publications that shed light on this work are:

• Race, Stress, and Social Support: Addressing the Crisis in Black Infant Mortality
• Race and Gender Matter: A Multidimensional Approach to Conceptualizing and Measuring Stress in African American Women

To learn more about racism and stress and the impact on health, see this bibliography

We can work to get rid of some of the causes of stress. We can also protect some people from the exposure to stressful situations. But each of us needs to be able to manage the stressors in our lives. Stress can be understood and managed.

Here are some resources to help us understand the nature of the stress-response mechanism and how to control that response for better life long health.

Powerpoint presentations from a PNMC Stress Management Conference Stress:

• Symptom Recognition and Management Suggestions
  Emma Robertson Blackmore, PhD
• Breathe for Life- Smoking Cessation Through Stress Management
  Alise Gintner, LCSW
• Pregnancy and Stress
  Tom O’Connor, PhD
• Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction Exercise – Learn by Doing!
  Michael Krasner, MD, FACH

For more detailed information, find articles of interest in this bibliography.

Online Resource Directories

Directory of obstetricians and midwives
Directory of perinatal support services