Pregnant employees may be in need of stress relief

After observing a rise in the number of Caesarean sections over the past 30 years, a Swedish midwife conducted a study to find the cause and discovered that women who are stressed or not getting adequate sleep are at significant risk for the emergency operation.

However, the researcher, Anne-Marie Wangel, reported that women who sought medical intervention for their worries had average chances of a C-section.

“If we had a system to identify these women and offer them special support sessions with a social worker or psychologist, we probably would be able to reduce the number of emergency C-sections,” Wangel said.

The midwife is now developing ways to determine which pregnant women are most at risk for stress and mental disorders.

Since many women continue to work well into their pregnancy, the workplace may be a good environment to begin staving off stress. Organizations that provide employee wellness programs for workers – pregnant or not – may effectively reduce workplace stress and keep their staff happy and healthy.