Anxiety and stress are never good for one’s health however they are extremely common during pregnancy. While most people feel that stress is a normal part of pregnancy, it is not always true. Women do tend to develop anxiety while they are pregnant but this is not true for all pregnant women.
Stress and Anxiety during Pregnancy
Stress becomes a symptom of pregnancy because there are several physical and chemical changes in the body during pregnancy. These changes, along with the several hormones, fluctuating sugar levels, pregnancy-related anemia, change in the blood circulation, indigestion, and the change in your overall physical appearance, can together overwhelm you and put you under a lot of stress.
No need to panic yet though. Stress and anxiety are normal during pregnancy and with a little support from your partner, friends, and family, stress during pregnancy is nothing that you cant handle.
Threshold of a ‘Normal Worrying’
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Anxiety comes anytime – as part of being human. Anyone could be a victim, even pregnant mommies.
Researchers recorded that 15% of the pregnant population has anxiety, commonly depression during pregnancy.
Women that will soon be mommies or have previous pregnancy losses and fertility issues, tend to worry about their future babies, their relationship with husbands, if the baby is healthy, the pain of birth-giving, financial issues, etc.
Worrying about all these things makes you still normal. But there is a difference between worrying normally and antenatal anxiety or being consumed by this anxious state during pregnancy.
In this situation, you may need to consult a doctor or expert if your anxiety affects your concentration, makes you panic, or causes physical symptoms like your heart beating rapidly and shortness of breath.
Signs and symptoms of anxiety that you must take note of
The following can show symptoms of severe anxiety during pregnancy:
- A feeling of extreme panic, fear, or restlessness
- Inability to focus on your day-to-day activities
- Issues on functioning at work or home
- Obsessive thinking
- Can not enjoy things that used to make you happy
- Your heart is palpitating
- Tension in your muscles
- Hyperventilation or shortness of breathing
- This anxiety goes beyond the normal way of worrying – but treatment can be done
What causes it during pregnancy
Women that will undergo major changes in their lives – like motherhood – trigger anxiety. Motherhood also stems from new responsibilities, shifts in career, and how motherhood can change existing relationships.
Even pregnancy itself is to worry about. Mommies sometimes fear possible complications during the gestational period, delivery, or after birth.
But mommy, remember that feeling extremely anxious is a medical condition during your pregnancy; you are not at fault for having this condition.
Risk factors resulting in pregnancy anxiety
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Anyone can develop anxiety during pregnancy. By knowing this, there could be criteria that can affect preggy mommies that may result in severe anxiety disorder.
This means a lot of self-checking of how you are feeling when expecting.
Those criteria are the following:
- You were previously diagnosed with anxiety
- Anxiety from the past pregnancy
- Past pregnancy issues or losses
- Bed rest or complicated pregnancy
- Age can affect too (younger pregnants can be more anxious than older)
All of these factors could affect your worrying state. Your anxiety may heighten, and it is better to be keen on your condition.
Seek help
Women deal with a lot of stressors and pains in their life, and they resolve these by struggling through them. But different pregnant women have a lot of differences in how to cope with different things. Knowing that anxiety could be severe, it is immediate to seek help.
Keeping yourself at ease with the common “it will pass once I delivered”, studies conducted claim that preggy mommies with pregnancy anxiety would deal with postpartum depression after birth.
Anxiety and depression are closely related but they won’t occur together.
By learning means to control anxiety before your baby arrives, there will be a high probability that you will enjoy the first few months moments after birth.
Seeking and looking for treatment a way ahead can also prevent the outcome of long-term severe anxiety to a baby’s development issues.
Researchers found that pregnancy depression results in possible preterm birth and low birth weight. Also, as your baby grows, he will have emotional and behavioral issues.
Safe treatments for your pregnancy anxiety
Drugs treating anxiety are pharmaceutically classified as antidepressants, which are tricky to prescribe as medicine for this condition while you are pregnant.
The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) doubts the prescription of antidepressants and the like, and there is a need to carefully analyze the risks-benefits of it.
Even if some anxiety meds are relatively safe to intake during your pregnancy, as a mom you should be cautious also with your baby.
It is better to consult your doctor about which meds are best for your treatment and safe for your pregnancy and baby.
Your doctor and therapist should discuss what types of medications are best for you with more benefits and fewer risks. Having meds for panic attacks, anxiety, or pre-pregnancy depression needs a limit of doses, too.
As per other doctors, a natural treatment could also be done while focusing on your connection with your baby.
Formal kick-counting would stress soon-to-be-moms, but your doctor would recommend a loose counting rather than a formal one. Paying attention to your baby’s movement would also help.
Formal kick-counting helps mothers with high-risk pregnancies, but for mommies with pregnancy anxiety needs, it is not required to count formally.
Relaxation and feeling your baby’s kick would do better instead of obsessively counting from time to time.
If kick counting adds to your anxiety condition, seek your therapist’s advice for an alternative method of natural treatment.
How to cope with pregnancy anxiety
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Loose kick-counting may be an alternative to medications, and there are more natural ways or strategies to cope up. Medications are not necessary if you will be guided all throughout by your psychiatrist, therapist, or counselor.
Strategically, the following tips will help you in calming your anxiety during pregnancy:
Lack of sleep may trigger anxiety. You may ask your doctor for meds inducing sleep that will not affect your and your baby’s health.
Mental health disorders, like anxiety, are clinically tested which results in what we eat. To combat anxiety, eat fresh, whole, and healthy foods while maintaining a balanced diet.
Taking a 10-minute walk every morning will likely reduce anxiety.
Exercise that keeps you active will not hurt and will help you be relaxed and one with nature.
Reading and learning the whats and hows of pregnancy and parenting is one way to be knowledgeable.
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Having a supportive company
Spending time with your friends and experienced mothers who are also expecting will make you feel that you are not alone in the motherhood world.
You may also want to join an online community where you can ask questions and share experiences with people who are on the same page as you are.
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Make a schedule to relax during a day
Don’t be too hard on yourself. Make time to relax.
Relaxation comes in different ways like talking to your husband over funny and enjoying things, reading, listening to music, yoga, cooking, etc.
When to see a doctor?
Days of pregnancy will come with ups and downs. Be cautious of the red flags that will soon rise.
These red flags include a constant feeling of anxiety or bad from time to time, negativity always coming unhandy, panic attacks, the possibility of being depressed, ‘losing sparks’ on anything you used to like, thoughts of self-harm, and hopelessness.
You should see a doctor and an expert on mental health lest you need counsel and advice about your mental welfare.
Pregnancy is such a gift for mothers-wanna-be like you. It is better to know where feelings come from like worrying that may result in anxiety.
To brave yourself enough would let you feel like a mother in success, and will help you keep your baby safe and healthy before entering the world.
Additional information from Nathanielle Torre
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