The prenatal microbiome influences offspring health, by potentially altering postpartum maternal behavior. Identified as microbiome disruptors, prenatal stress and gestational antibiotic administration pose risks to maternal and offspring health.We conducted two studies exploring the impact of 1.Antibiotic administration and 2.Stress during gestation on postpartum maternal behavior using Wistar rats. Additionally, we examined the potential benefits of a multi-strain probiotic intervention.In the first study, a subgroup of pregnant rats received an antibiotic cocktail (ampicillin+vancomycin+neomycin+meropenem) daily (4pm-8am) starting with embryonic day (E)11, while another subgroup received daily probiotics (8am-4pm) throughout pregnancy. Maternal care was measured by pup retrieval latency, followed by post-weaning anxiety assessments using Elevated Plus Maze and Open Field Test, and depressive-like behavior via Forced Swim Test. In the second study, pregnant rats underwent one week of restraint stress (E14), with/without probiotic supplementation. Maternal care, followed by post-weaning anxiety tests were evaluated.Dams exposed to antibiotics displayed tendencies toward anxious and depressive-like behavior, with no effect on maternal care. Probiotic supplementation did not alleviate these effects, potentially due to the antibiotic potency. Gestational stress impaired maternal care, inducing anxious behavior, which was mitigated by probiotic(p<0.05).Our findings suggest that adverse prenatal events result in impaired maternal behavior, inducing anxiety, and depression in the case of antibiotics. The probiotic intervention effectively ameliorated stress effects but not the more significant antibiotic impact. These results emphasize the need to consider prenatal factors/treatments in shaping maternal behavior and, potentially, offspring’s neurodevelopment, highlighting probiotics as putative interventions for mitigating adverse outcomes.