Dealing with mood swings in pregnancy? Here's the truth!

To say that pregnancy is a rollercoaster of emotions. You’ll find yourself experiencing many moods simultaneously–from joy to anxiety, from excitement to nervousness, from discomfort to love. While all these dispositions begin to show from the moment you uncover you are pregnant, you’ll notice that mood swings worsen in the second trimester. 

Almost everything and anything can irk you at this stage in your pregnancy. Everything under the sun can make you irritable, from the color of your curtains to the fact that you are now getting more prominent.

The good news is that this is normal for most women. You need to understand why it happens and how to manage it.

Mood swings during pregnancy: What causes these mood swings? 

Several factors like physical discomforts, ever-changing hormones, and everyday worries about the changes (physical and emotional) lead to mood swings in pregnancy. Out of these, the most significant factor causing mood swings is the ever-changing levels of pregnancy hormones. 

When are mood swings the worst during pregnancy?

You might think that pregnancy mood swings are the worst during certain times of the month, but the truth is that they can happen at any point in your cycle. The only times that they won’t manifest are during your period or before ovulation.

Pregnancy mood swings are not just about feeling emotional; they can also include physical symptoms like headaches and nausea. These symptoms can make it more difficult for you to get through your day-to-day activities, so it’s important to know what to do when you find yourself in this situation.

Is it normal to be angry during pregnancy?

Pregnancy is a time of great joy and excitement for many women. But sometimes, even the most loving mothers-to-be can feel angry and frustrated during this special time. If you’re feeling anger during pregnancy, it’s important to understand why—and how to manage it.

Why do women get angry during pregnancy?

Pregnancy is a time of major life changes and hormonal shifts; emotions are often heightened. Your body is undergoing many changes, affecting your mood and behavior.

You may be experiencing more fatigue than normal or have trouble sleeping due to uncomfortable symptoms like heartburn or insomnia caused by hormones released during pregnancy.

You may also be dealing with increased stress from work, family obligations, and responsibilities at home since you will be caring for your newborn child soon after birth.

How can I manage my anger?

If you feel angry during pregnancy, here are some tips on how to manage your emotions:

Make sure you sleep well (7-8 hours per night).

Eat healthy meals that contain whole grains, fruits, vegetables, and protein foods like fish or chicken breast (no processed foods).

Drink plenty of water throughout the day.

What do pregnancy mood swings feel like?

Pregnancy mood swings are well-documented, but they don’t always feel like anything. Some women experience them as a general sense of unhappiness or anxiety, while others have no idea what’s happening. Sometimes, the mood swings can be severe enough to require medication or other intervention.

The most common symptoms of pregnancy mood swings include:

• Depression or anxiety
• Irritability or anger
• Panic attacks or other forms of extreme fear
• Feeling overwhelmed
• Feeling isolated from others, even when surrounded by people in your life who care about you

Can mood swings during pregnancy affect the baby?

Your emotions play an important role in fetal development because they affect how your brain processes information and makes connections between thoughts and feelings.

Stress or anxiety during pregnancy can cause changes in your hormones that affect how your fetus grows and develops over time.

Can pregnancy make you hate your partner?

Pregnancy can be a stressful time for many women. The body changes, the hormones fluctuate, and the cravings are endless. So it’s no surprise that many women feel distant from their partners during pregnancy.

But are these feelings of distance that will last after the baby is born? Is it possible to return to feeling close with your partner after having a baby?

The answer is yes—but it takes time. And it takes effort on both ends of the equation: from you as a new mom and your partner as well as a dad-to-be.

How to reconnect with your partner

Here are some tips for helping you reconnect with each other and make sure your relationship stays strong during this exciting but challenging time:

Talk about what’s happening with each other—and listen without judgment.

Make sure you’re giving each other space when needed (like when one of you needs to sleep or take a shower).

Be willing to compromise when things get tough—and then celebrate those compromises together!

Pregnancy hormones and mood swings

Pregnancy hormones, estrogen, and progesterone are specifically responsible for mood swings.

Estrogen

Estrogen is associated with the ‘happy hormone’ serotonin, a neurotransmitter. Although serotonin does not directly affect your happiness, any imbalance in estrogen levels affects this neurotransmitter.

This imbalance results in its dysfunction and causes mood swings, especially during gestation and early pregnancy. You may also experience anxiety and irritability due to the same reason.

Progesterone

Another hormone that affects your moods is progesterone.

During this stage, along with estrogen, pregnancy hormone progesterone rapidly increases. It is associated with relaxation and is secreted more during the first trimester of pregnancy. This hormone relaxes the muscles during pregnancy and sometimes prevents premature contractions. 

As good as this sounds, sometimes it can make a woman a little too relaxed, which means the usual adrenaline rush is absent. They are conscious of everything leading them to feel fatigued and sad. 

Now let’s take you through each trimester and the mood swings you can expect to experience. 

First Trimester: Changes and effects

Hormones play a significant role in mood swings, but they’re not just them. Other factors lead to mood swings, especially during the first trimester.  

• Physical discomforts like morning sickness can also cause emotional distress.
• The stress of thinking about morning sickness can also lead to anxiety.
• Fatigue is another reason for mood swings. Nobody can function properly if they are physically or emotionally tired. And extreme tiredness is what you may feel during the first month. 

Second Trimester: Changes and effects

The second trimester is also known as the ‘honeymoon’ phase. During the second trimester of pregnancy, hormonal imbalance slows down. You feel more energetic as the morning sickness almost subsides after the first 13 weeks. But mood swings get worse during the second trimester. Here are a few reasons that may not have occurred to you.

• Body changes. This is a phase when you notice changes in your body shape, and maternity clothing comes into the picture. You may have mixed emotions about it. You may feel excited to finally see your baby growing and feel anxious and insecure about the weight gain.
• Ultrasound scan anxiety. Many things like amniocentesis and prenatal test are undertaken during the second trimester. The expectation of results can often cause anxiety, leading to emotional stress. It is also when your baby has almost developed, and you learn and gather as much information as possible.
• Unsolicited advice or information. Reading about all the things that could go wrong during pregnancy and labor can make you anxious.
• Labor anxiety. Many women also experience labor anxiety at this stage. Knowing about ways of giving birth to your child and all the pros and cons of it contribute to it, which in turn causes mood swings to become worse during the second trimester.

But, know that not all these mood swings are negative. You may experience increased libido and sexual desire during the second trimester. And things may start to feel better for you due to the increased blood flow to your pelvic region. 

Third Trimester: Changes and effects  

In your third trimester, you may face different challenges that can lead you to experience various mood swings. 

• Fatigue. You may experience difficulty feeling comfortable and/or sleeping, resulting in fatigue. This fatigue due to sleep deprivation also is a reason for mood swings.
• Labor anxiety. There is constant fear and many worries as you near birth. You may have a birth plan already, but chances are you are going over them repeatedly and stressing over something that hasn’t happened yet.  
• Nesting anxiety. Some women also go through the nesting phase, where they feel an urge to clean and organize items and prepare for the arrival of their baby. It can be both a positive and negative experience. While it may make you feel happy to welcome your bub into this new world, it may also give you anxiety from unreal expectations.

Coping with these mood swings 

While mood swings can be a bummer, they are not in your control. You do not wish for anxiety or fear to appear out of nowhere, and still, they do. But there is nothing to worry about.

This is all part of the process of carrying your little one into this world. If you often feel a surge of varied emotions, here are a few things you can try:

1. Prioritize sleep

Experiencing fatigue and feeling uncomfortable is common in pregnancy. Make sure to take as many naps as possible to ease a bit of the fatigue.

2. Try yoga or Meditation 

Yoga or meditation can relieve your anxiety and make you feel good. You can start prenatal yoga twice weekly and take it up a notch based on your doctor’s recommendations. As for meditation, ideally, you should meditate daily, as it helps calm the nerves and makes you feel more energized. 

3. Keep eating regular snacks

Eat regular snacks between meals, particularly those high in proteins and complex carbs, as it will help you steady your emotions.

4. Connect with other expecting moms

If you have friends in the same phase, speak to them regularly. Talking to someone going through the same experience can lessen your fears and worries. 

In the end, remember that mood swings are part and parcel of pregnancy. Don’t overthink them. They’ll ease as you get closer to your due date, and you’ll experience a new positivity as soon as you hold your little one in your arms.

Republished with permission from theAsianparent Singapore

Here at theAsianparent Philippines, it’s important for us to give information that is correct, significant, and timely. But this doesn’t serve as an alternative for medical advice or medical treatment. theAsianparent Philippines is not responsible for those that would choose to drink medicines based on information from our website. If you have any doubts, we recommend consulting your doctor for clearer information.