The Truth About Stress During Pregnancy

You’re doing so much. You’re growing a whole human, navigating constant changes, and trying to keep up with life at the same time. And then someone tells you to “just relax”… as if that’s something you can flip on like a switch.

Between the nausea, the emotions, the appointments, the financial worries, and all the advice you didn’t ask for, it’s completely understandable to feel overwhelmed. And that extra layer of guilt, the feeling that stress is somehow your fault, can be even heavier than the stress itself.

Here’s what we want you to know: your experience matters, and your stress isn’t something to ignore or push down. It’s a signal from your nervous system that you’re carrying too much, and no one has taken the time to explain what’s really happening inside your body or your baby’s beautifully developing nervous system.

What most people don’t realize is that the umbilical cord isn’t just delivering nutrients. It’s also creating a powerful neurological connection between you and your baby. When your nervous system gets stuck in that heightened stress mode, your baby’s nervous system begins to adapt to what it senses, learning patterns long before birth.

And this isn’t about blame.It’s about understanding something called fetal programming and how your experiences, emotions, and environment are shaping your baby’s neurological foundation. Even more importantly, it’s about the hope you have once you understand what’s happening.

When we support your nervous system and help your body shift into a calmer, more regulated state, both you and your baby get the space to thrive.

You’re not alone in this. You’re doing an incredible job, and there is so much you can do to support both your healing and your baby’s development.

Your Nervous System Is Teaching Your Baby's Nervous System

The umbilical cord is so much more than a way to deliver nutrients. It creates a direct neurological connection between your nervous system and your baby’s developing one. When stress hormones like cortisol stay elevated, they can cross the placenta and influence how your baby’s brain begins to wire and adapt.

Your baby’s nervous system is learning right now. If your body is stuck in sympathetic dominance, that constant “fight-or-flight” state, your baby’s nervous system starts to recognize that heightened state as normal.

We often describe the nervous system as the air traffic controller for the entire body. When the controller is overwhelmed or stuck in panic mode, everything else can become disorganized or dysregulated.

Research published in Development and Psychopathology found that infants of mothers experiencing higher stress levels showed significantly increased stress reactivity. These babies were more easily upset, harder to soothe, and took longer to settle. These patterns began during pregnancy, long before they took their first breath.

Fetal Programming Creates Lifelong Patterns

Fetal programming refers to the way a baby’s nervous system and stress response are shaped during pregnancy. These patterns aren’t about perfection or pressure. They simply remind us how incredibly responsive and intelligent a developing nervous system is.

During pregnancy, the amygdala — the part of the brain that helps process fear and stress — can become more reactive when exposed to ongoing stress. The HPA axis, which is your baby’s stress response system, begins to learn its “set point” during this time. If stress is constant, that set point can become overly sensitive.

One of the easiest ways to understand this is to imagine the nervous system as the foundation of a home. If the foundation has cracks, it doesn’t matter how beautiful the rest of the house is. The structure will always have to work harder to stay balanced. Your baby’s neurological foundation is being built right now, and chronic stress can create those early cracks before birth.

The vagus nerve, which plays a huge role in calming, digestion, heart rate, inflammation, immune strength, and emotional regulation, also begins to develop its tone during pregnancy. When stress is high, vagal tone may not develop as strongly, which can influence a child’s overall regulation and resilience in the years that follow.

Studies show that children whose mothers experienced chronic stress during pregnancy have higher rates of challenges like ADHD, anxiety, Sensory Processing Disorder, asthma, and allergies. These patterns aren’t random or “bad luck.” They reflect how sensitive and adaptable the nervous system is — even before birth.

Understanding the "Perfect Storm"

For many families, the “Perfect Storm” doesn’t suddenly appear in childhood. It often begins long before pregnancy even starts. Fertility challenges, multiple rounds of treatments, months or years of emotional stress, hormonal medications, financial pressure, and the strain it places on relationships can leave the nervous system worn down before a baby is even conceived.

By the time pregnancy finally happens, the body and nervous system may already be operating from a place of depletion. Then pregnancy adds its own layer of stress: physical discomfort, uncertainty about the baby’s health, fears surrounding labor, financial concerns, work demands, and the day-to-day pressures on relationships. All of this becomes the environment your baby is developing within.

Here’s what we want parents to understand: children don’t simply “grow out of” early stress. The nervous system grows through it, and it often shows up in different ways as they move through developmental stages.

Colic at two months may shift into chronic constipation at six months. Constipation can evolve into sensory sensitivities by 18 months. Sensory challenges may look like early ADHD signs around age five. ADHD can develop into anxiety by age ten. These aren’t separate issues; they are different expressions of the same stressed and overwhelmed nervous system that began adapting during fetal development.

You Can Help Your Nervous System Regulate — Starting Now

Here’s something important to remember: you’re not expected to eliminate every stressor in your life. That isn’t realistic, and it’s not your job to create a perfectly calm world while growing a human. Life is still happening around you, and that’s okay.

What is possible is supporting your nervous system so it can shift out of that constant sympathetic “go-go-go” mode and into a more parasympathetic, calm, regulated state. When your nervous system feels safer and more balanced, it creates a healthier internal environment for both you and your developing baby.

How Neurologically-Focused Chiropractic Care Supports This

Neurologically-focused chiropractic care works at the root of the issue: your nervous system. Gentle, specific adjustments help release the tension and interference that keep the body stuck in survival mode. As that interference decreases, the nervous system can finally breathe, reset, and move toward regulation.

We use INSiGHT Scans to get clear, objective information about how your nervous system is functioning:

• Heart Rate Variability (HRV): shows how well your body is adapting and balancing between stress and calm

• Surface Electromyography (sEMG): reveals where the nervous system is holding excess tension

• NeuroThermal scans: identify areas of irritation or imbalance along the spine and nerves

These scans help us track progress over time, often showing improvements in regulation before you even notice changes in how you feel.

When your nervous system becomes more regulated, your baby senses that calm and begins to learn regulation as well. Pregnancy is an incredible window of opportunity where the foundation for lifelong health is being built. What you do now can support not only your own wellbeing, but also your child’s neurological health for years to come.

And the best part? You don’t have to do it alone. We're here to support you every step of the way.

A Real Story: Catherine’s Fifth Pregnancy

Let’s talk about Catherine. This was her fifth pregnancy, but only her second one supported with Neurologically-Focused Chiropractic Care.

Her earlier pregnancies, without that support, were filled with constant heartburn, sciatic discomfort, exhaustion, and a level of stress that felt impossible to manage.

This time was different.

Throughout this pregnancy, she chose to get adjusted 2–3 times each week. Even though she was older than in any of her previous pregnancies, she felt better than she ever had before. Her nervous system stayed more regulated. Her symptoms were lighter. She had the energy to keep up with her other kids. She slept well, and her heartburn stayed manageable instead of overwhelming.

Her INSiGHT scans matched what she was experiencing. They gave clear direction for care, allowing each adjustment to be specific to what her body needed in that moment.

Just weeks before welcoming baby number five, Catherine shared that this was the most confident she had ever felt heading into labor and delivery. She trusted her body. She felt prepared. And she knew that supporting her nervous system throughout the entire pregnancy had made all the difference.

Stories like hers remind us how powerful a regulated nervous system can be—for both mom and baby.

You Have More Control Than You Think

At Tiffin Family Chiropractic, we understand that your baby’s nervous system is developing right now. Your nervous system teaches your baby’s nervous system. The choices you make today, especially those that address nervous system dysregulation at the root, can influence your child’s health for years to come. We are here to support you through that process.

You have more control than you may realize. Not by trying to remove every source of stress, which no one can do, but by helping your body regulate and adapt so you can handle stress with greater ease. When you are ready, reach out to schedule a consultation.

You deserve support, clarity, and confidence. If you are not local to us, you can explore the PX Docs directory to find an office near you. Your baby deserves a calm, regulated foundation — and it’s absolutely not too late to start creating that environment today.