With the development of social economy, the accelerating pace of modern life and the increasingly fierce competition in society, excessive mental stress has become a major “modern disease” in contemporary society. Likewise, excessive mental stress can be even more harmful to pregnant women. Most pregnant women will undergo a series of physiological and psychological changes after pregnancy. In addition to joy, most pregnant women have great worries and anxiety about their own health and that of their fetus, and if accompanied by workplace downturns, family conflicts and economic distress, pregnant women will suffer even more stress during pregnancy, which will lead to various psychological and physiological problems, which may affect fetal development. Studies have shown that moderate stress is good for physical and mental health and work efficiency, but excessive stress can have a negative impact on a pregnant woman’s own health and fetal development. Studies have shown that excessive stress during pregnancy can have a negative impact on the brain development and learning and memory abilities of the offspring. It is hoped that more researchers will pay attention to this issue and further explore the mechanisms, effects and effective interventions of stress during pregnancy on the neurodevelopment of the offspring. We hope that more researchers will pay attention to this issue and further explore the mechanisms, effects and effective interventions of gestational stress on neurodevelopment of offspring in order to minimize the adverse effects of gestational stress on offspring.