Coping With Stress During Pregnancy

How can you deal with stress during pregnancy? Pregnancy is without a doubt one of the most beautiful phases a woman can experience in her life. Your partner can also enjoy the pregnancy and the development of the baby.

Yet it is you, the mother, who is going through the emotional rollercoaster of pregnancy. That’s why we’ve put together a list of strategies that will help you deal with stress during pregnancy.

Stress during pregnancy

The hormonal and biological systems are under control during pregnancy. Nevertheless, the psychological system of you and your partner also plays an important role.

Maintaining mental balance, peace and calm during pregnancy is essential for the development of the baby, as well as for your physical and psychological health.

It is completely normal for pregnant women to experience waves of different emotions during their pregnancy. Stress is no exception. At first you may not recognize yourself physically, and then you begin to become aware of the changes to come. This can cause a lot of stress.

As the months go by and you enter the second trimester, you may become more aroused and your body accustomed to housing another creature.

Nausea and discomfort will decrease, the fatigue will decrease and you can probably really enjoy your pregnancy. But as we said, most women continue to feel emotional ups and downs like tidal waves.

Still, it’s important to try to control the stress these emotions can cause. We know that stress can upset your body’s natural balance, also known as homeostasis, and put you at risk of getting sick. As a rule of thumb, managing stress is good for everyone, but especially for pregnant women.

Strategies to deal with stress

Pregnancy in itself is considered a promoter of biological activation and regularly tops the list of stressful life events. Half of the pregnant women report experiencing more symptoms of anxiety and depression than before the pregnancy.

Several studies have shown a positive association between a mother experiencing stress during pregnancy and children with cognitive or linguistic impairments (LaPlante, Barr, Brunet et al, 2004).

In addition, studies show that fetal development is extremely sensitive to changes in the mother’s emotional state. So much so, that even small levels of stress can affect the fetus.

So we’d like to share a few strategies to help you manage your stress levels starting today:

Spend time with other pregnant women

Social support is a great stress buffer for everyone. As for pregnant women, spending time with other women in the same situation has been shown to significantly lower stress levels.

This is probably because positive social relationships allow us to share our experiences, express ourselves emotionally without being judged, and receive positive social reinforcements that naturally increase serotonin.

Do Laughter Therapy

Laughter and humor are powerful stress relievers. Watch funny videos whenever you can, put on a movie that makes you laugh, or just laugh with your partner… just because you can! You will see that after a few minutes you will be overcome with giggles.

Practice mindfulness

Mindfulness has many benefits, including helping to prevent prenatal stress. They are exercises that allow us to focus our attention on the here and now, without judgment. Mindfulness can help us gently push away thoughts, guilt, and worries as we connect with the present.

Be realistic

Demanding too much of yourself during pregnancy can harm your mental health. Try to stay away from pressure and negative thoughts.

Express your emotions

Don’t suppress your feelings and emotions because of what people might think of you or for fear of appearing weak. Pregnant women go through endless emotions, some unpleasant. If you feel like crying, don’t hold back. Bottling up those emotions will only increase your stress level.

Finally

Pregnant women themselves can do a lot to manage stress, but this doesn’t go far enough. Women need support from their partner, who would be wise to be a little more lenient with the emotional changes, show empathy and understanding and be willing to let go of certain quarrels or problems.

That way, you won’t feel as much pressure, which will help you free yourself from the stress that pregnancy itself can bring. It’s not about “treating the pregnant woman like a queen,” but about showing more compassion and, of course, empathy.