{"id":1951,"date":"2012-11-26T15:17:11","date_gmt":"2012-11-26T15:17:11","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.speechbuddy.com\/blog\/?p=1951"},"modified":"2023-11-08T10:28:16","modified_gmt":"2023-11-08T18:28:16","slug":"pregnancy-health-tied-to-language-development-in-babies","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.speechbuddy.com\/blog\/news\/pregnancy-health-tied-to-language-development-in-babies\/","title":{"rendered":"Pregnancy Health Tied to Language Development in Babies"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"Depression<\/a>

Image source: Donna.tuttogratis.it<\/p><\/div>\n

Whether you\u2019ve previously been pregnant or this is your first time, you\u2019re probably going to great lengths to ensure pregnancy health. But are you taking care of your emotional and mental health? The physical well-being of the fetus is closely tied to your pregnancy health. But now, a recent study has linked maternal mental health to the child\u2019s language acquisition. Researchers have found that depression during pregnancy<\/a> can negatively impact a baby\u2019s early language development.<\/a><\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

Pregnancy Health Study<\/strong><\/p>\n

The study was published<\/a> in the October, 2012 issue of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences<\/em>. The researchers evaluated three groups of mothers. The first group of mothers exhibited no signs of depression, while the second group had depression during pregnancy that was not treated with antidepressants. The third group of mothers had depression during pregnancy and took serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SRIs)<\/a>, a type of antidepressant.<\/p>\n

After the mothers gave birth, the researchers administered tests to the babies at three different intervals, such as when the infants were six and 10 months old. The tests measured the infants\u2019 heart rate and eye movement responses to language stimuli, both in their native and non-native languages. Additionally, the researchers evaluated the heart rate responses of 36-week-old fetuses in the womb to language stimuli. Nearly half of the mothers of those fetuses were being treated with antidepressants.<\/p>\n

\"Pregnancy<\/a>

Image source: Lbgdesign.com<\/p><\/div>\n

The Results<\/strong><\/p>\n

The researchers found that babies born to mothers with untreated depression during pregnancy had a less developed ability to \u201cattune to the sounds of their native language.\u201d These infants\u2019 language development was delayed<\/a>. On the other hand, babies born to mothers who treated their depression displayed an accelerated ability to acquire language.<\/p>\n

Conclusions<\/strong><\/p>\n

This study highlights the importance of pregnancy health \u2013 both physical and mental. However, it\u2019s also important to remember that the study\u2019s lead researcher, Prof. Janet Werker of the University of British Columbia, notes that the study does not shed any light on whether these language delays or language accelerations will have a long-term impact on the child\u2019s speech and language skills. As well, the study only examined the effects of a certain classification of antidepressant. In the future, the researchers hope to expand the study to evaluate the potential effects other types of antidepressants on prenatal depression.<\/p>\n