Prenatal stress can affect the fetal and infant brain

By Nicole Letourneau and Justin Joschko Comments Off on Prenatal stress can affect the fetal and infant brain child development, Child health, Child poverty, childhood, children, cognitive ability, dépression, infant, prenatal stress, toxic stress

Last month, it was reported that an Edmonton woman was badly beaten by her spouse. Though the attack put her in the hospital, the police offered a silver lining by stating that her unborn baby, at least, wasn’t harmed. Sadly, this claim underestimates the profound effect severe stress can have on children’s development in their first years of life, including while they’re still in the womb.