A certain amount of stress is fairly common among pregnant women. Minor or fleeting stress is generally harmless. However, if you have severe anxiety or constant extreme stress, this can be dangerous for your baby. High stress levels throughout pregnancy can result in premature labor and low birth weight. It’s important to learn to relieve stress for your sanity and your baby’s health.
Common Causes of Stress:
* Fear of parenting ability
* Financial Stress
* Fear of Labor and Delivery
* Worries about the baby’s health
* Life changes or how pregnancy will affect your marriage
It’s normal for a pregnant woman to worry about these things. Most of us do at one time or another during pregnancy. If the stress and anxiety you feel is overwhelming, constant or interferes with your ability to function in life, seek help.
Talking to someone about your stress can help. Start with your husband or partner. He’s probably scared too. He may have the same fears and fear for your health and safety as well. Sharing these fears can help you relieve stress and realize you aren’t alone in your worries. Talking with your husband can bring you closer together and alleviate the fear that you will grow apart.
Talk to other pregnant women or new mothers. You’ll find that your pregnant friend or family member went through many of the same fears. This can be very helpful. If you’re worried about the baby’s health, talk to your doctor for reassurance. Normal test results can often take care of this fear. Worries about labor and delivery can be calmed by reading books or taking a child birth preparation class.
Get plenty of rest to reduce your stress level. Lack of sleep causes fatigue, which will add to anxiety and stress. If you aren’t working, take a nap during the day. Mothers with small children can nap with the kids. If you work, rest your eyes and put your feet up during your lunch break.
Prior to getting pregnant with our fourth baby, I would stay up late working after my three kids went to bed at night. Often, I would work until 2 a.m. I’d then go to bed and wake up at 6 a.m. to get the older two kids off to school. This had to change after I got pregnant. Now, I nap in the afternoon with my three year old and go to bed between 10 and 11 at night.
Exercise can also help lower stress levels. Go to the gym, take a walk or try swimming. Prenatal yoga is a relaxing workout that really helps my stress levels. Call a local yoga studio or get a prenatal yoga DVD and work out at home. Always check with your doctor before starting any workout routine.
Watch your diet, especially when you are feeling stressed. Many women experience loss of appetite in response to anxiety. This robs your baby of needed nutrients. Focus on eating healthy foods. If you aren’t eating much during meals, fill in your diet with healthy snacks throughout the day.
Meditation can help relieve stress. Learn to meditate. This can actually help lower your blood pressure and heart rate. Deep breathing and relaxation exercises may also help. This calms your nerves and helps you prepare for labor. Sit in a comfortable position and practice breathing deeply. Put your hands on your belly and feel the breathing in your abdomen.
Treat yourself to a professional massage. This will relieve stress and often takes care of the common aches and pains associated with pregnancy. Look for a massage therapist that has experience with pregnant women.
Take a look at your schedule to find the causes of stress. As women, we often over schedule our lives. Work, children, cleaning, cooking and volunteer work take up all our time, leaving no time for relaxation. Write down all your activities in a typical week. From this list, you can find a way to cut down on your activities. Your most important job right now is to relax and grow a healthy baby.