{"id":887746,"date":"2026-06-23T19:19:22","date_gmt":"2026-06-23T19:19:22","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/887746\/"},"modified":"2026-06-23T19:19:22","modified_gmt":"2026-06-23T19:19:22","slug":"developmentsl-issues-in-kids-spike-62-when-mom-has-key-health-issue","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/887746\/","title":{"rendered":"Developmentsl issues in kids spike 62% when mom has key health issue"},"content":{"rendered":"

Around 15% of American kids<\/a> experience developmental delays, and the number is rising<\/a>. <\/p>\n

Now a new study suggests that a specific factor in moms\u2019 health plays a big role in whether her kid will face those challenges.<\/p>\n

\u201cPregnancy is not like Vegas, where what happens in Vegas stays in Vegas,\u201d Dr. Evelina Grayver<\/a> told The Post. \u201cWhat happens in pregnancy carries lifelong effect, not only for their mother, but clearly for their child, as well.\u201d<\/p>\n

Experts say women should improve their heart health before they get pregnant. Drobot Dean \u2013 stock.adobe.com<\/p>\n

The study<\/a> shows mom\u2019s heart health affects the environment the baby develops in, which in turn affects development of the brain and behavior years into their life.<\/p>\n

The results do \u201cnot surprise me at all,\u201d said Grayver, director of women\u2019s heart health in Northwell Health\u2019s\u00a0Central Region and at the Katz Institute for Women\u2019s Health.<\/strong> \u201cIt actually is incredibly enlightening the fact that we are finally at the point where we could actually recognize it.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

What researchers found<\/strong><\/p>\n

Over 8,000 moms were scored on their heart health based on their diet, physical activity, smoking, sleep, body mass index, blood lipids (i.e. cholesterol), glucose (i.e. risk of diabetes) and blood pressure. They were sorted into groups with high, moderate or low cardiovascular health.<\/p>\n

Of moms with high heart health, only 8.8% had kids with development delays at age 4. That number nearly doubled (16.8%) for moms who had low heart health.<\/p>\n

\u201cThose with low cardiovascular health had 62%\u00a0increased risk of developmental delay, suggesting that maternal heart health may play an\u00a0incredibly important role\u00a0in shaping long-term neuro development outcomes,\u201d Grayver said.<\/p>\n

Lower heart health was associated with delays across development: communication, gross motor (whole body movements), fine motor (movements in the hands and fingers), problem solving and personal-social skills. Personal-social skills were the most affected.<\/p>\n

A mother\u2019s heart health can affect a child\u2019s gross and fine motor skills. lordn \u2013 stock.adobe.com<\/p>\n

\u201cWhy?\u00a0Well, when somebody is not in their optimal\u00a0cardiovascular health, they are at significantly higher risk of developing adverse pregnancy outcomes, such as preeclampsia, gestational hypertension, spontaneous preterm delivery, which does not give their\u00a0child a true, appropriate time\u00a0to develop,\u201d Grayver said.<\/p>\n

A healthy mom\u2019s heart can better deliver blood to the placenta<\/a>, which transfers oxygen and nutrients to the fetus. <\/p>\n

\u201cOptimizing\u00a0a woman\u2019s heart health before and during the time of the pregnancy may be possibly one\u00a0of the earliest opportunities that we have to influence lifelong health outcomes for both the mom and the child,\u201d said Grayver.<\/p>\n

Broad health benefits<\/strong><\/p>\n

It\u2019s no surprise that taking care of your heart is good for you \u2014 better heart health is associated with less heart disease, longer life and better quality of life.<\/p>\n

And previous research has shown that a mom\u2019s bad heart health can have a big impact on birth<\/a> \u2014 increasing risk of preeclampsia and unplanned c-sections \u2014 and years after, with kids ages 10-14<\/a> showing worse heart health if their mom also had it.<\/p>\n

Mothers\u2019 heart health had a big effect on kids\u2019 personal-social skills.<\/p>\n

People have more power to improve their heart health than they might think.<\/p>\n

\u201cCardiology is quite simple \u2026 80%\u00a0of cardiovascular disease is preventable, and\u00a020%\u00a0of it is genetic,\u201d Grayver said. \u201cKnowing your genetics prior to getting pregnant is important, but recognizing the fact that 80% of it is preventable \u2026 is vital, not only for their mother\u2019s health, but the development of their children as well.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

Tips for better heart health<\/strong><\/p>\n

In 2010, the American Heart Association released a framework for thinking about heart health called Life\u2019s Essential 7: diet, physical activity, exposure to nicotine, weight and risk of obesity, blood pressure, blood sugar and cholesterol. Recently, they added sleep to make it Life\u2019s Essential 8<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Grayver says the first thing she\u2019d recommend is to learn these eight guidelines, then break them down.<\/p>\n