Working During Pregnancy Linked to Higher Stress and Poorer Maternal, Newborn Outcomes: Study
Political Storm Erupts Over Rajasthan Health Minister’s Remarks on New Mothers
With a significant proportion of women now engaged in employment, it's crucial to recognize the potential implications for pregnancy and childbirth. Working conditions in India vary significantly across sectors, regions, and the formal and informal employment divides. Formal sector includes government jobs and registered private companies. These jobs often offer fixed hours, better wages, legal protections (e.g., Provident Fund, maternity leave, etc.), safer work environments. Informal sector includes unregistered businesses, daily wage labor, domestic work, street vending, etc. No job security, poor wages, no health/safety standards, no social security benefits.
Women’s participation in the workforce is challenging because of harassment and unsafe environments, Lack of crèche facilities, unequal pay, poor maternity leave enforcement in the informal sector. Working conditions in India are improving in pockets, especially in technical and large urban sectors, but remain harsh and insecure for the majority in informal, rural, and unorganized employment. Legal frameworks exist but need better enforcement, especially for health, safety, social security, and gender equity.
The research focused to analyse the impact of employment on maternal and neonatal health consequences among pregnant women. With a significant proportion of women now engaged in employment, it's crucial to recognize the potential implications for pregnancy and childbirth. This study observed significantly higher stress levels among working mothers than non-working mothers.
The study utilized a cross-sectional design over one year from October 30, 2019, to October 29, 2020,which involved selecting 70 mothers who were working and 70 mothers who were not and provided with a questionnaire on stress levels and the association between employment and maternal and neonatal outcomes were studied.
The mean stress level of working and non-working mothers was 59.5±14.8 and 42.0±10.5 respectively which was statistically highly significant (p<0.001). (70%) AGA babies and (30%) SGA babies were born to working mothers, whereas (85.7%) AGA babies and (14.3%) SGA babies were born to non-working mothers which was statistically significant (p<0.05). The incidence of GHTN in working and non-working mothers were 20 % and 2.1 % respectively which was statistically significant (p< 0.05). Semiprofessional workers were higher in numbers for SGA babies (p<0.001).
Modification of the working environment like avoiding night shifts, reducing physically demanding working conditions in the workplace like prolonged standing and lifting heavy weights, post lunch sleeping time be provided to decrease stress levels in working mothers which will help to reduce adverse maternal and neonatal outcomes.
In this research, there is a increased frequency of LSCS in the majority of working mothers due to either maternal or fetal complications, and the patient is subjected to operative deliveries, complications, and future pregnancy complications.
Babies delivered as SGA or preterm are prone to develop long-term metabolic disorders like diabetes mellitus, systemic hypertension, ischemic heart disease, impaired lung disease, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, and neuro-cognitive disorder from adolescence up to adulthood.
As the study quoted working 32 hours or more in pregnant women is as risky as smoking during pregnancy, the policymakers should be sensitized regarding this, in providing a good working condition and reduced working hours by implementing prenatal and antenatal programs effectively. These programs can focus on reducing stress and modifying the maternal psychological status. By addressing stress factors, particularly in working mothers and providing support tailored to the needs of working mothers during pregnancy may be the essential steps toward improving birth outcomes and promoting maternal well-being. These interventions can help mitigate risks like intrauterine growth restriction and unfavourable maternal consequences, contributing to healthier pregnancies and neonatal well-being. In this study, authors noticed a higher number of LSCS among the majority of working mothers due to either maternal or fetal complications, and the patient is subjected to operative deliveries and future pregnancy complications. Babies delivered as SGA or preterm are prone to develop long-term metabolic disorders. By prioritizing maternal mental health and implementing comprehensive support systems, one can strive to mitigate the adverse effects of stress on maternal and neonatal outcomes, ultimately promoting healthier pregnancies and childbirth experiences.
Source: Raman et al. / Indian Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology Research 2026;13(2):382–386
