I had to watch a TEDx video for my Childbirth Educator class about non verbal communication. The topic was how a life hack that is simple and has been scientifically proven to make us feel more confident, empowered, and less stressed. It involved assuming a ‘powerful’ pose for two minutes. It works by raising Testosterone and lowering Cortisol. You can watch the TEDx video here: https://www.ted.com/talks/amy_cuddy_your_body_language_may_shape_who_you_are/transcript?language=en

This got me thinking- we all know stress is to be avoided in Pregnancy and the infamous ‘stress hormone’ is Cortisol. High levels of Cortisol in the mother’s bloodstream is linked to babies that are lower in weight for gestational age, hypertension, and premature birth among other things. So the need to relax is real.

But- it’s not so simple. Stress hormones play a vital role in gestation and the ‘mothering’ instinct. They are also secreted by the placenta in later pregnancy to facilitate brain growth and lung maturation. There’s obviously a balance and stress hormones are not the enemy. This trick is literally just sitting or standing with a purpose so it is safe to do in pregnancy. It will not cause your body to make any more hormones than are within normal limits.

So wouldn’t this be a good trick to try for Gestation?

Read about Cortisol and pregnancy here:
https://www.parentingscience.com/Stress-hormones-during-pregnancy.html