DOMESTIC VIOLENCE AND PREGNANCY

You wouldn’t think someone would abuse a pregnant women, let alone the father of the unborn child, but it happens every day. We invite you to take a few brief moments to learn the facts about domestic violence, pregnancy, why it matters, and how you can save lives.

• 1 in 3 women experience abuse sometime in her lifetime. Many women report the abuse began or escalated during pregnancy.

• Abuse is not always physical. It can be verbal, emotional, financial, sexual, or even spiritual. It is about power and control.

• Domestic Violence does not discriminate. It does not care what race or age you are or what neighborhood you live in or even how much or little money you have.

• Studies have proven when a pregnant woman is in an abusive environment, her stress hormones are elevated, altering her unborn baby’s developing brain. Sleep disorders, learning disorders, emotional disorders, and even eating disorders often manifest in a young child’s life when he/she was exposed to domestic violence while in utero.

• According to the CDC, violence during pregnancy may be more common than gestational diabetes, preeclampsia, and neural tube effects.

• Although an abusive partner may strike anywhere on a pregnant woman’s body, often he will attack her abdomen as a means of hiding any bruising while harming their unborn child.

• Studies also report violence in pregnancy is often associated with an increase risk of miscarriage, low birth weight babies, fetal injury, preterm labor or death of the unborn.

• Abuse during pregnancy also has been linked to perinatal and post-partum depression.

• Assaults cause more pregnancy complications than car accidents or accidental falls.

• Homicide by an intimate or former partner is the leading cause of death among pregnant women.

At Truelove Homes, we understand the complexity of relationships as well as the dynamics of domestic violence and how it can effect not just your pregnancy, but your very life! You deserve to be safe and even cherished. In the event you feel you may need to move elsewhere to protect yourself, please take the time to browse our online resources, which can assist you along your safe passage.