Pregnancy comes with a long list of things to track. What to eat, what to skip, how much sleep to get. And on tougher days, stress gets the better of even the most careful plan.
A new study from Oregon Health & Science University suggests that mothers who feel more stress during pregnancy also tend to get less vitamin C. That gap may matter for how their babies feel early in life.
The research, published in the journal Developmental Psychology on November 2, 2026, followed 302 pregnant women through the third trimester and the first six months of their babies' lives.
Trained dietitians logged what the women ate across three separate 24-hour recalls. Supplement use was checked against bottle labels.
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At six months, caregivers rated how often the baby fussed, cried, or was hard to soothe.
What the researchers actually found
Babies whose mothers had reported more prenatal stress were more likely to show those negative emotions at six months.
In families where the mother had been taking a vitamin C supplement during pregnancy, that link was softer.
Vitamin C from food alone did not show the same buffering effect in the analysis. Only supplemental vitamin C stood out.
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The study is observational, so it cannot prove the nutrient directly changes a baby's brain.
In an OHSU statement, senior author Elinor Sullivan is a professor of psychiatry and behavioral neuroscience.
She called vitamin C supplements inexpensive, easy to find, and simple for patients to start taking right away.
How much vitamin C pregnant adults actually need
For pregnant adults 19 and older, the recommended daily intake set by the National Institutes of Health is 85 milligrams, with a safe upper limit of 2,000 milligrams a day.
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Reaching 85 mg is not hard once you know where to look. Half a cup of raw red bell pepper has about 95 mg, already above the daily target.
A medium orange carries roughly 70 mg. Three-quarters of a cup of orange juice adds about 93 mg, and half a cup of sliced strawberries, around 49 mg. Kiwi, broccoli, and Brussels sprouts are also solid sources.
Why intake can fall short during pregnancy
OHSU estimates that around one in four pregnant women in the United States get less vitamin C than recommended.
Stress may make that gap worse. In the new study, higher distress scores clustered with lower intake.
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The research cannot say which comes first, stress or the shortfall. But the authors argue that supporting vitamin C intake is a low-cost step worth adding to prenatal care, especially for people facing food insecurity or heavy stress.
Prenatal vitamins sold in the US typically contain 60 to 100 mg of vitamin C, which covers the daily target by itself.
Anyone unsure whether their current routine is enough can ask their obstetrician or midwife at the next visit.
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This article is made and published by Ida-Marie Palm Varbæk, who may have used AI in the preparation.