Dr. Hunter Featured in National Geographic

Dr. Noël Hunter was recently featured in an article entitled “Will pandemic ‘coronababies’ live with long-term trauma?” in the National Geographic online magazine. She was interviewed as an expert on chronic trauma and childhood adversity. COVID trauma is a worldwide concern, and the author explores one unique possibility that could result from these devastating times: lifelong traumatic effects on children.

This article was a result of several gynecologists from different countries (Canada and the Netherlands) posited that mothers who were pregnant during the Corona pandemic would give birth to a generation riddled with cognitive, mental and physical challenges and disabilities in need of lifelong care. Of course, the prenatal period (and the earliest years of childhood) are for sure the most formative years of one’s life, in every way, there are many factors beyond heightened anxiety during a societal period of stress that impact the lifelong trajectory of children.

These doctors were suggesting that there would be an entire generation of disabled and defective individuals because their mothers were stressed out. While it is certainly true that prenatal stress is associated with differences in long-term emotional and behavioral characteristics after large scale events like mass famine, genocide, and poor nutrition, there is no evidence to suggest that difference equals disability. Further, this is all speculation based on studies of correlation.

The problem with asserting such doomsday scenarios is multifold. For one, it implies, very subtly, that kids born into any areas where mothers are stressed out (like, say, those in a minority group, in a violent neighborhood or country, or those in poverty) are likely going to be emotionally and physically handicapped in some form for life. That’s a lot of kids. And a lot of people considered less-than or inferior to the likely White upper class doctors who made such postulations.

Second, it ignores the actual stressors children face throughout their life when born to mothers who have experienced massive events like genocide and war. Often, these children experience chronic trauma throughout their lives as a result of the circumstances they’ve been born into. This cannot be ignored. It also ignores the mitigative factors of parental attachment bonds, motherly love, and not having chronic stressors beyond the pandemic.

Third, just because someone ranks higher on aggression or stress on a scale does not mean they are necessarily disabled or diseased. In fact, if my child has more aggression because he has been born into circumstances that are truly life-threatening, that sounds pretty HEALTHY to me. Granted, if the child is no longer in such circumstances later in life, that aggression may need to be curtailed or managed differently. But, to suggest that such a person is somehow derailed at birth for the rest of his or her life is, quite frankly, just terrible.

Fourth, there is such a thing as nocebo messages. This is when someone is told that they are less than, defective, diseased, and/or should have little hope… and so they act accordingly. This happens all the time in physical medicine, as well as with issues around racism and classism.

Lastly, and perhaps most importantly, these doctors seem to ignore the astounding fact that humans have been experiencing famine, pandemics, plagues, war, natural disasters, etc. since the beginning of time. Humans are amazingly resilient. We learn to adapt to new surroundings, and this is what helps us SURVIVE. That is not disease. The idea that the only “normal” life is one in which there is little adversity, little stress, and all the comforts of a middle-upper class life is one that is as about out of touch as one can get.

We absolutely need to have compassion for those who are suffering from financial loss and isolation during this ongoing pandemic. Early childhood trauma does impact a person throughout life, physically and emotionally, and we need to take better care of all our children. People need to come together in community and help not just pregnant women, but all our fellow mankind find a basic sense of safety and connection. And, yes, children will suffer if this does not happen. But, children will also heal. Mother’s will heal. We need to be helping mothers and children as a standard of living, not just for those feeling anxious or alone because of a pandemic.

As Dr. Hunter states in this article, “When we work together and support one another, we can overcome almost anything.”