A pregnancy is an unpredictable and at times daunting and anxiously anticipated journey. Another thing all pregnant individuals tend to experience is mood swings during pregnancy. And, in fact, these emotional fluctuations - which might include moments of joy, times of irritability or sadness and many more - are a normal part of the pregnancy process. Knowing why these pregnancy mood swings happen can help you feel good about their experience and become a more empowering one. This guide will help you as you make your way through the peaks and valleys of pregnancy emotions and give you tools and suggestions of things you can do to take care of yourself.
Understanding the Causes of Mood Swings
Birth control capsules (such as Yasmin, or Yaz) are likewise typically unsuccessful at mellowing mood swings because of the impacts of hormonal definitions. During pregnancy, levels of hormones like estrogen and progesterone rise significantly. However, these hormones are necessary for a healthy pregnancy and can influence neurotransmitters in the brain causing emotional swings. These changes can feel uncomfortable and intense, but they are, by their nature, normal.
Apart from the hormonal changes, hormonal imbalances, physical discomfort like fatigue, back pain can also make women feel frustrated or irritated. Hormonal changes that occur with pregnancy, frequent urination, and physical discomfort can add to sleep disturbances and intensify emotional sensitivity. Mood changes in pregnancy also come down to stressors such as financial concerns, how to balance a work and home life, and worries about becoming a parent. Together, these physical and emotional things contribute to making pregnancy emotions feel like a roller coaster.
Emotional Challenges by Trimester
The mood swings tend to change depending on what stage of pregnancy you’re at, since your body and mind are just so responsive to changing circumstances. Pregnancy mood swings are normal during expectant motherhood, but understanding how they show up during each trimester can help to better prepare and navigate around them.
First Trimester
During the first trimester, your body is starting to adjust to pregnancy. Hormones enter a surge state during this phase, which often results in much quicker pregnancy emotions, such as excitement, anxiety or sadness. The second trimester of the pregnancy usually produces a sense of wellbeing and it is often the point that many expectant mothers report being particularly emotional or tearful even over pretty minor things.
These feelings are usually heightened in first time mothers in the first trimester when there is so much uncertainty about the first trimester, let alone combined with worry over the health of the pregnancy. The physical symptoms of being pregnant such as morning sickness and fatigue can also leave you feeling simply drained and overwhelmed and can compound mood swings for pregnant women in this stage.
Second Trimester
Early in pregnancy, the first trimester, you may feel very tired. But during the second trimester, many women get more energy and feel less physical discomfort, a period of pregnancy sometimes referred to as the “honeymoon phase.” For some, pregnancy mood swings settle in as the body gets used to the hormonal changes. But this not always the case, and the emotional clutter can linger.
Mood changes in pregnancy may stem from worries over how to juggle work and parenthood, or concern about body image or the baby’s development. While physical symptoms often diminish, emotional fluctuations can persist, and may be triggered by outside stressors or significant life changes.
Third Trimester
The third trimester is a matter of waiting and preparing to deliver your baby. The physical discomfort of late pregnancy; such as back pain, swollen feet, heartburn and inability to get sleep can increase irritability or anxiety especially when excitement to meet your baby is the order of the day.
This phase’s emotional weight of pending parenthood hits many hard. It’s normal to experience some mixed emotions about the issues that surround labor, delivery, and the transition to parenthood. While all of this puts your body and your mind under pressure, mood swings in the third trimester can feel more extreme. But it’s the joy moments, nesting instincts, putting together the nursery or buying baby things, that can help offset that.
Managing Mood Swings Effectively
But the first step in managing this is to acknowledge that pregnancy mood swings are normal – part of this journey. Proactive steps like caring for your emotional well being and leaning in on your network can mean the world of difference.
Build a Support Network
Having open communication with your partner, family, or close friends will help you not feel isolated. It helps others to understand what you’re going through and potentially to encourage and support you practically. Ask your loved ones to participate in activities related to the pregnancy – attending your prenatal appointments, preparing for the baby or whatever else – or at least spend more time together.
Prioritize Self-Care
Engage in Physical Activity: For pregnant women, regular prenatal exercise — walking, yoga, for instance — releases endorphins that may help stabilize mood swings. Besides, these activities promote overall physical health and reduce stress.
Find Creative Outlets: For example, pregnancy emotions can be channelled to a healthy emotional outlet through things like journaling, painting or crafting.
Eat a Balanced Diet: Emotional stability requires good nutrition. Omega 3 fatty acid rich foods, such as salmon, walnuts or chia seeds, will support brain health and limit hormonal mood changes during pregnancy.
Practice Mindfulness: Managing stress and helping temper the ups and downs of mood during pregnancy can be helped by meditation, deep breathing exercises, or taking ten minutes out of each day to sit quietly and meditate.
Maintain Healthy Sleep Habits
It can also be distracting during pregnancy to find the time to get enough rest and sleep is a vital part of emotional regulation. Set up a routine sleeping time, use supportive pillows for your comfort, and try napping for a few minutes every day to keep you from feeling irritable due to fatigue.
Join a Community
Some mothers may find support in prenatal support groups. Talking to other women who are going through the same things as you will help normalize those pregnancy feelings and make you feel less alone. These groups too are an excellent source of practical advice and emotional support.
When to Seek Professional Help
Mood swings while pregnant are normal – sometimes, professional help is needed. If you are going through constant sadness, a sensation of fearfulness that controls you, or suicidal thoughts, call your healthcare provider at once.
Prenatal depression and anxiety are conditions that can be treated. Early intervention can have a big impact. Pregnancy mood swings can be helped by tools from a therapist trained in prenatal mental health. These include Cognitive Behavioral Therapy or other evidence based approaches. One way to be proactive about both your health and your baby’s is seeking help for pregnant women and any emotional issues.
Embracing the Journey
Pregnancy mood swings are no joke, yet they also provide the perfect situation to learn and grow. Learning the roots behind pregnancy emotions and choosing to arm yourself with practical ways to combat them will allow you to take this beautiful experience hand in hand.
The lows are to be kind to yourself, the highs, to celebrate joy and remember that asking for help is a sign of strength. Pregnancy mood swings are a sign of the wonderful, crazy, emotional highs and lows your body and mind are experiencing. By being there for yourself, you can enjoy your pregnancy more and create a more positive place for a growing baby.
But with patience, self care, and support, you can survive these hormonal pregnant emotions, and come out the other side stronger and more ready than ever to take on the wonderful world of parenthood.
Pregnancy is a wonderful time, but mood swings for pregnant women can also be tough to manage, you know just how overwhelming it can be to deal with the emotional swings. Knowing how pregnant women are and how to navigate emotions helps you to take care of yourself, accept the help and promote harmony at the same time.
Write a comment ...