Pregnancy & Pet Stress: Is Yelling Harmful to Baby?

Question
Hi my name is Angela I am 22 years old. I am currently 2 months pregnant. This is my first pregnancy. I never smoked, did drugs or drank. I have a 10 month old German Shepherd Dog. I am having alot of trouble getting him to listen to me. I always end up yelling at the top of my lungs at him and sometimes I cry then that puts me under alot of stress. Will this harm my baby in anyway? I barley get enough sleep because as soon as my husband leaves for work he starts acting up and he works 8-10 hours a day which means im home by myself all day with the dog and im always yelling at him. I dont want to harm my baby. PLEASE HELP ME!

Answer
Dear Angela,

Stress is definitely not good for you - period. It affects your blood pressure, which will affect your pregnancy as you progress.

Yelling at him only will escalate the dog and you. My own personal recommendation is to watch the Dog Whisperer. (Seriously!) I have gotten such great tips on handling my dogs from that show! It is on the National Geographic channel, I think. Otherwise... you and your husband may have to think of another solution for keeping the dog contained during the day if you cannot handle him without becoming so stressed.

I hope this information has helped a bit and I wish you well.

Brenda