The Mother Whisperer |
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Can breathing mitigate the stress of a prenatal diagnosis ?
Fetal conditions are stressful .
They interrupt families ’ lives ,
put new demands on their
time and finances , shatter
their expectations of what
parenthood might be .
That stress has real
consequences . In the U . S .,
about 1 in 7 moms and 1 in
10 dads experiences some
kind of perinatal mood or
anxiety disorder . In fetal care
units , those numbers more
than double .
“ Most of the mothers
in our center are facing
very stressful , uncertain
situations ,” says psychologist
Allison Dempsey , Director of
Behavioral Health Programs at
Children ’ s Hospital Colorado ’ s
Level IV Neonatal Intensive
Care Unit and Colorado Fetal
Care Center . “ So much feels
out of their control .”
And what stresses the mother
stresses the baby — whose
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health , by virtue of their diagnosis , is already fragile . Stress is risk .
Dr . Dempsey is working to counter that risk by teaching mothers how to breathe .
“ When you breathe a little slower , a little deeper , your blood vessels dilate , your blood pressure goes down ,” says Dr . Dempsey . “ It calms the autonomic nervous system .”
It also increases a phenomenon known as heart rate variability that ’ s been linked to a host of health benefits , most notably stress reduction . Interestingly , heart rate variability decreases naturally during pregnancy . But various studies have shown that biofeedback can help pregnant women increase it , even during the peripartum period .
“ It ’ s well-established for anxiety ,” Dr . Dempsey says . “ But never in the high-risk population .”
For that , Dr . Dempsey is using an established 5-session protocol that focuses initially on helping mothers slow their breathing to about 6 breaths
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per minute ( the average
person breathes at about 12 to
18 ). In later sessions , patients
turn their attention directly
to heart rate variability
using a variety of programs
and games . In one game , for
example , patients can clarify
a blurry picture by increasing
their heart rate variability .
So far , patients have reported
lower stress . Dr . Dempsey
hopes to quantify her results
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by recording objective
outcomes data — does heart
rate variability improve with
practice ? — as well as more
subjective measures of stress ,
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anxiety , depression and posttraumatic
stress symptoms .
She ’ s also working on a
research protocol in which she
hopes to follow subjects for at
least a year .
“ We ’ re giving them something
tangible they can use to focus
on their physical reactions
and change their mental
health ,” says Dr . Dempsey . “ It
can ’ t just be an afterthought .
Mental health affects
physical health . We need to address it in real time .” •
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One in 7 mothers experiences a perinatal mood or anxiety disorder . In fetal care units , that number doubles .
Above : A prenatal diagnosis is stressful — and stress comes with risks . Dr . Dempsey is working to counter those risks by teaching mothers how to breathe .
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