As more women work through pregnancy they hear the same advice: don’t stress or it could hurt your unborn baby. But Sue Shellenbarger reports that new research shows that ordinary work-related stress or tension caused by commuting or work deadlines isn’t likely to pose a threat to the unborn baby. What’s bad, she says, is stressing out about the pregnancy itself.

As more women work through pregnancy they hear the same advice: don’t stress or it could hurt your unborn baby. But Sue Shellenbarger reports that new research shows that ordinary work-related stress or tension caused by commuting or work deadlines isn’t likely to pose a threat to the unborn baby. What’s bad, she says, is stressing out about the pregnancy itself.