Mood swings are important

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By: Elaine Zwelling with Prof Dieter Wolke

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Article Summary

Pregnancy is a very emotional experience. You've probably found, that other people, doctors and midwives, as well as family and friends, focus more on the physical aspects of your pregnancy. They are concerned that you and your baby are healthy and the physical aspects are more concrete and easily observed by others. Nevertheless most pregnant women agree that emotions and mood swings are just as important.

What makes pregnancy so emotional? And how can you cope?

The Big Adjustment

Changing Roles

What You May Be Feeling

Keeping Your Emotions in Check

The Big Adjustment

Most women look forward to pregnancy and motherhood. But once you become pregnant, whether planned or not, your feelings may be different from what you expected. Women who anticipated feeling fearful may be surprisingly at ease. Those who thought they were ready may suddenly feel unsure.

Typically your feelings change with each passing trimester, and each phase brings its own emotional issues. In your first trimester, you may struggle with the very fact that you're pregnant. During the second, you might focus on the notion that you really are going to have a baby. In the third trimester, you'll probably extend that thinking further and contemplate the responsibilities?and the joys?of being a mother. This takes a lot of emotional adjustment!

Changing Roles

A pregnancy also changes the dynamics of your family's relationships. If this is your first baby, you will go from being an individual or part of a couple, with obligations only to yourself or to another adult, to having full-time responsibility for a totally dependent infant.

If you're having a second baby (or third or fourth), changes still take place within the family as your responsibilities increase. Bringing a new little person into a family can be stressful at times, even under the happiest circumstances. That's why pregnancy is sometimes called a "developmental crisis." Although having a baby is a normal and wonderful part of life, it can still feel overwhelming. And your feelings can be magnified by the hormonal changes taking place in your body.

What You May Be Feeling

Here are emotions and reactions that many pregnant women report. Please note that they are not all negative:

joy, happiness, and excitement

depression, uncertainty, or fear

irritability

calmness

greater dependency on your partner or family members

pride that you have accomplished a miracle

love for your baby, becoming attached even before he's born

reactions to the changes in your body image (you may love the way your body looks during pregnancy, or you may not)

feeling scatterbrained

sadness over the loss of the way things used to be

anxiety about finances, living arrangements, childcare, loss of independence, changes in your relationship with your partner, labour and birth, whether you'll be a good mother, and so on

impatience?feeling as though you've been pregnant forever

oversensitivity to others' comments or advice

frequent crying

daydreams about your baby

Keeping Your Emotions in Check

Although all of the above are normal, you can take measures to lessen your mood swings during this exciting but stressful time:

Stay physically healthy. Eat well, exercise, and get plenty of rest. If you don't feel well or are tired, you're more likely to be anxious or upset.

Become informed. Attend prenatal and childbirth classes and read books about pregnancy. Knowing what to expect, hearing from professionals, and meeting other parents-to-be can alleviate stress.

Share your thoughts and feelings with your partner, friends, or family members.

Avoid overextending yourself with home or work commitments.

Don't take any medicine for depression or mood swings, including herbal remedies. Always consult your midwife or doctor before taking any drugs, over-the-counter or prescription, during pregnancy.

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