Can stress during pregnancy have lasting effects after birth? 

We are a group of psychology undergraduates studying at Lancaster University and we’d like to ask for your help in sharing our invitation for families to take part. The aim of our study is to see if stress experienced by pregnant mothers can have an effect on a) newborn infant behaviour and b) the parenting decisions of the mother. 

Foetuses experience rapid brain development whilst in the womb and it is important that we gain further understanding into the short- and long-term effects that maternal stress can have on both the mother and the child. By doing so, we can provide valuable information to healthcare teams on where and how to target mental health support during pregnancy.  

We are looking for mums who are close to, or have given birth, within the last month to fill out our short questionnaire that asks questions about their feelings on stress during pregnancy, their feelings on certain parenting decisions (such as routines), and their new-born’s sleeping, feeding, and crying patterns.  

Would it be possible for you to share our advertisement (attached) on your page/blog/website so that we can ensure that a wide range of families have seen that they can take part? 

Please let us know if you have any questions we could answer.  

Many thanks and best wishes, 

Heather Greenbank    h.greenbank@lancasterac.uk 

Rowan Allen                r.l.allen@lancaster.ac.uk 

Pritha Arya                   p.arya@lancaster.ac.uk 

Natasha Drury             n.drury@lancaster.ac.uk