Will anger affect pregnancy?

            Anger is a negative emotion that can negatively affect our physical and mental health in various ways.  This is definitely true when you are pregnant, and anger can certainly have a big impact on you and your baby.  One of the main symptoms that go along with anger is stress.  Stress typically can cause a higher blood pressure if not taken care of.  Higher blood pressure can have a number of negative impacts on you and your baby.  High blood pressure has been associated with preterm birth.  When a baby is born preterm, there could be many complications, such as developmental delays, low birth weight, and organ defects, among other things. 

            Anger can be a pretty toxic emotion if you are not careful and continue to hold on to it.  If you continue to hold on to anger rather than processing through it, it could cause anger and sadness towards your child.  If you get in the habit of not processing through the difficult emotions, that could intensify with the hormone fluctuations involved in pregnancy.  This could then continue once your child is born, leading to a lot of anger and resentment towards your child.  The first few months of your child’s life are extremely important developmental-wise. If you have resentment and anger towards your child in those first months of their life, that could prevent healthy attachments from forming, which could cause future mental health issues for your child.

            Being pregnant with your child is something that you can never get back.  If you are angry throughout your pregnancy, that could, unfortunately, be something that you regret later because you cannot get that time back. Increased cortisol when angry, which is the hormone associated with stress, will likely leave you feeling somewhat miserable throughout your pregnancy.  If you can identify the things you are angry about and develop an action plan for those things, that can help you process through your anger before it becomes too constant and toxic.  Anger is not easy to deal with, but if you can make processing through it a priority, that hopefully can prevent any negative impacts from happening on your pregnancy. 

For all guidance regarding your pregnancy, please consult a licensed medical professional.