Everybody knows about the physical symptoms; the gas, the nausea, the fatigue, and so on. However, what’s not talked about as much are the emotional symptoms of pregnancy and how they might affect expectant moms. Emotional symptoms are an important part of your pregnancy, and tracking them can tell you more about your well-being.
Why can pregnancy be such an emotional roller coaster?
Whether a result of hormone changes, lifestyle changes, or just genetic makeup, moms-to-be experience a wide range of emotions for a whole bunch of reasons.
- Pregnancy-related hormones: When you’re pregnant, and particularly during the first trimester, your hormone levels will be raging to prepare your body for delivery. Along with this elevation in hormones may come some fluctuation in your moods, because your body is simply not used to all this activity. Some women report feeling stronger emotions, or feelings of moodiness or anxiety. All are normal, and these deep, hormonal emotions usually go away by the end of the first trimester. New symptoms and body changes may also play into some unpredictable emotions, so just remember: Every mom-to-be goes through this.
- Environmental factors: In addition to hormonal and bodily changes and everything else going on inside and outside of your body, environmental factors can also really affect women’s emotions throughout pregnancy. Lots of women feel stressed out when preparing for such a big change, and there’s nothing abnormal about questioning these changes and wondering how they’ll impact your future.
- History of mental illness: Many women go into pregnancy with a history of mental illness. For example, the National Institute of Mental Health reports that nearly one in every eight women will experience clinical depression at some point in life. The statistics are different for other mental illnesses, but the point is the same: Many women go into pregnancy with a history of depression, anxiety, or some other mental illness. If you’re one of those women, you’ll likely need to manage these symptoms during your pregnancy, and one good way of doing this is tracking your emotions.
Emotions and your health
Feeling extra depressed or anxious while you’re pregnant doesn’t just affect your ability to enjoy the happy moments and manage the more difficult ones – it could also put your health at risk. Women who are under a lot of stress are at higher risk of high blood pressure and preeclampsia, and they’re more inclined to suffer from headaches, insomnia, and fatigue. Some studies have even linked elevated stress in pregnancy to problems for baby. It’s definitely best to try and manage your emotions in the most effective way possible for you. Maybe that means exercising regularly, carving out more relaxation time, seeing friends more often, or maybe it means seeing a therapist or taking medication. A good way to know that your efforts are succeeding is to track your emotions during pregnancy.
Obviously, you’ll still have negative emotions from time to time, but the most important thing is to be aware of them and what they say about your wellbeing.
The bottom line on tracking
Your emotions are just as much a part of you as your heartbeat or your cervical fluid. It’s normal to have fluctuating emotions in pregnancy, but at the end of the day, you are your own best champion when it comes to your feelings and emotions, and tracking your feelings is one of the best ways to monitor your health throughout your pregnancy. Logging feelings and moods can help you notice patterns between certain feelings you have, and what you eat, how much exercise you get, your sleep, or any number of other things. This can help you make sure that you’re in charge of your body and staying as healthy as possible. Tracking your emotions can also help let you know when something is not quite right, and when it might be time to call your healthcare provider.
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Sources
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- S Kulkarni, I O’Farrell, M Erasi, MS Kochar. “Stress and hypertension.” Wisconsin Medical Journal. 97(11):34-8. Web. Dec-98.
- Radboud University. “Stress during pregnancy related to infant gut microbiota.” ScienceDaily. ScienceDaily, 1/26/2015. Web.
- “Depression During Pregnancy: Treatment Recommendations.” ACOG. American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, Aug 2009. Web.
- “Emotional health – your feelings and worries.” CYH. Women’s and Children’s Health Network, n.d. Web.
- “High Blood Pressure in Pregnancy.” National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute. National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute, n.d. Web.
- “Mental Health Medications.” NIMH. National Institute of Mental Health, NIH, HHS, Oct 2016. Web.
