Emotional changes during pregnancy

The news of a pregnancy always creates different sensations and emotions , especially in the future mother. They go through various stages , despite the fact that it is usually a very happy moment, it creates insecurities and doubts for parents and those around them . Not knowing if they are going to know how to take care of it , if there will be a problem with the fetus during pregnancy, having to continue with their routine lives and stress despite the advanced stage of pregnancy … These are the main reasons why It produces, especially in mothers, the states of ups and downs in emotions and feelings .

In addition, the body goes through very sudden and rapid physical changes that not all women are prepared for. They feel fat, their legs hurt, they do n’t sleep well, and the anxiety about overeating doesn’t help them feel better or pretty. This produces a feeling of emotional discomfort that should not worry because all these physical, emotional and feeling changes are normal and best of all: they are temporary .

A WOMAN’S BODY GOES THROUGH GREAT CHANGES DURING PREGNANCY

In the vast majority of cases, this is especially accentuated in those moms who do not have a good pregnancy, since they feel vomiting, dizziness or have weak health during the months of gestation ( high or low blood pressure , high or low levels of sugar…). It even causes a decrease in sexual desire , especially for fear of hurting the baby.

Both changes, both physical and psychological, are produced by the alteration of hormones during pregnancy . The neurotransmitters in the brain are altered and this causes feelings and emotions to be altered as well. It is a process that you have to go through, but without being scared. They are normal changes that end up ceasing and it is best to know how to control them so as not to accentuate them .

WHEN THEY USUALLY OCCUR

Emotional changes during pregnancy go through phases according to the months of gestation. As a general rule, they go through three stages with different characteristics :

– The first three months: they are the worst in terms of hormone alteration and therefore emotional changes. In this month three emotions are opposed : the joy of knowing that they are going to be mothers, the worry and insecurity of not knowing if they will know how to take care of them and the uncertainty of how the subsequent months of pregnancy will turn out.

In addition, in these months the body produces great physical changes and it is when the mother is most likely to feel unwell and may have vomiting or dizziness . For this reason, in this month it is normal to feel anxiety, worry, loss of sleep … Precisely because these months are the fundamental and most risky for the baby, they are also the months that more medical control is carried out.

Therefore, if there were any anomaly, it would be known very quickly . If you feel these ups and downs and your doctor assures you that everything is fine, do not worry, you are undergoing these emotional changes that cannot affect your baby at all.

– Second trimester of pregnancy: In this trimester, those based on the fourth, fifth and sixth months, the pregnancy is in the middle of the equator and the body begins to stabilize . As a general rule, unless you have a risky pregnancy, the discomfort has usually stopped and the mothers have already begun to assimilate that everything is fine . They go to the doctor more often and can even see that their baby is healthy through ultrasound scans .

Emotional ups and downs begin to stabilize and they tend to go through states of euphoria and positive emotion rather than bad moods or negative mood swings. The only impediment in these months, if it is a normal pregnancy, is that the belly begins to grow more quickly, but once the ups and downs in feelings have stabilized, it is a fact that even moms are excited about and like. It is no longer a problem to look fat but quite the opposite. They are happy to see that their tummy grows and that their baby begins to grow inside them.

– The last three months: These are usually the best months of pregnancy. The belly has already gained almost entirely, the kilos are maintained, but the excessive weight causes muscle aches and makes it difficult to sleep. This is very normal and as a general rule, it does not worry mothers because they know that they are things that must happen due to their high state of pregnancy. They only notice that time passes very slowly because they are very tired and in these months they cannot do too many things, such as going to work or playing sports. It is recommended to go out for a walk to help the baby to position himself on the tummy and to improve circulatory performance. The changes of emotions in these months have stopped, the only thing left is the joy of the baby’s arrival so close .

HOW TO COPE

How to cope with these ups and downs of emotion is very important because, in many cases, some of the symptoms are caused by the nervousness of the future mother and not by the alteration of hormones. The best way to cope is to assimilate that these processes are natural and temporary and that they are not the product of an abnormality in the pregnancy nor will they cause any problem in the fetus.

Some women, for their peace of mind, go to groups where they meet with other future moms and share experiences, feelings and even give workshops on how to take care of the baby (change diapers, how to wash them, how to treat them in case of classic disease …) and this produces security and tranquility in future moms.

It is important to have the support of the people around us , both family and friends. They are the key to making mom feel good and reassuring when emotional ups and downs occur. Normalizing situations of nervousness , downplaying events such as excess weight or accompanying them to routine visits with the doctor, including prepartum classes, helps them feel supported and loved .