As a psychologist friend of mine once told me if you don't feel stress in your life you're not paying attention. Everyone experiences stress, even pregnant women. What is not clear, however, is whether stress can have harmful affects on pregnancy.

High levels of stress may pose special risks during pregnancy. Pregnancy presents a unique set of circumstances that can mean joy and bliss in some, but overwhelming anxiety and stress in others.
The physical effects of pregnancy (such as hormone-related mood swings, nausea, fatigue, frequent urination, swelling and backache) can be stressful. In addition, many have emotional stress due to concerns about the baby's health and parenting responsibilities.

Minimize your exposure to worrisome issues and you'll minimize your stress. Sometimes, too much information about pregnancy complications and problems can cause unnecessary stress. If your pregnancy is proceeding along normally without any complications, reading about these possible problems can make you stressed for no real reason.

Maternal stress during pregnancy is also found to cause of asymmetry in coordination of ears, fingers, feet, elbows, etc. Stress doesn't have to be bad especially when you take care to manage the stress you experience during your pregnancy. Eat a healthy, well balanced diet. Eating well will provide you the energy you need to get through the day, especially when you feel tired or overworked. Exercise has huge stress reducing qualities. Walking is another activity you can do in order to keep fit and reduce stress.

A good relaxation CD will not only prove useful to alleviate stress during pregnancy and make you feel better, but can also be very beneficial in preparing you to relax your mind and your muscles during labour and birth.

meditation can help to reduce stress, relieve pain, lower both your blood pressure and your heart rate, and improve the quality of your sleep. When you’re ready to meditate, simply find a comfortable, distraction-free place to sit; set a timer for five minutes (you’ll gradually want to work up to 20 minutes); place your hands on your belly; close your eyes; and focus on the sound of your breathing until the timer goes off.

Talk to others about your emotions and how you're feeling. You can talk to your partner, family, friends or your own doctor. Communication with others and knowing that you have people who are on your side willing to help can go a long way in reducing stress while you're pregnant.

Be prepared to give up some control over the life-style you have worked so hard to attain. Many things about pregnancy are not in your control. You may experience severe morning sickness. You may have overwhelming fatigue. You may develop a pregnancy complication requiring hospitalization or home bed rest.

Go for a massage. Not only does having a massage help to relieve backaches, leg cramps, headaches, and other pregnancy-related aches and pains: it also soothes and relaxes the nervous system by releasing endorphins into your body. Just make sure the person doing your massage has been trained in prenatal massage.