Published Paper Details:

Pregnancy and childbirth are normal life events, yet women are exposed to a significant amount of stress. The reasons for unhappiness in some women's lives are related to poor socio-economic status, lack of social support and domestic violence.Many mothers also experience unnecessary distress and anxiety simply because they did not anticipate or did not know about the normal psychological upheavals, emotional changes and the adjustments required that are integral to the childbearing process.A decreased maternal workload, family spacing, availability of rest and easy access to supportive people and environmental resources are perceived as markers of good health. How one reacts to stress depends on how one perceives the stressful event, the stressor or the degrees of change caused by it, and one's ability to adapt which is determined by one's health, genetic endowment and available coping mechanisms. Herbert Benson MD, is the father of modern mind-body medicine. From the late 1960 onwards he demonstrated that the relaxation response, which brings about bodily changes that decrease heart rate, lower metabolism, decrease the rate of breathing and bring the body back into what is probably a healthier balance.