Lots of things can influence the health of an unborn child during the pregnancy 0 smoking, alcohol consumption, the mother's health. One other factor to consider is stress.

According to an article in Mangalorean.com:

Researchers led by Vivette Glover at London's Imperial College studied 267 women, taking a blood sample from the mother and a sample from the amniotic fluid surrounding the baby.

They measured levels of a stress hormone called cortisol in both samples. At the age of 17 weeks and older, they found the higher the level of cortisol in the mother's blood, the greater the level of cortisol in the amniotic fluid, said a report published Thursday in the British Journal of Clinical Endocrinology.

So how does this affect the baby? The article goes on to explain:

It had found babies exposed to the highest levels of cortisol while in the womb had lower intelligent quotients (IQ) at 18 months, compared with the infants of mothers who were less stressed.

Studies have also shown that children of highly stressed and anxious pregnant women were at double the risk of hyperactivity and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) at the age of four.

John Hemming's Web Log states:

"What is now clear is that high levels of stress in pregnancy can, in some cases, be detrimental to the health of the baby and to remain as stress-free as possible is certainly important. It is vital that pregnant women are given adequate support and reassurance from their family, friends and employers, to ensure they have a happy and healthy pregnancy."