Pregnancy – the most beautiful journey of life, with so many changes in your health. To make it a memory for a lifetime, we all try to keep this memory with so many loving and eventful activities. At this time, your emotions can swing more frequently than normal, you may sometimes need to unknowingly invite a guest, stress, a mental reaction comes with overthinking or responding to any emotional activity. Feeling bored, mentally distressed, and overthinking – very common in your pregnancy journey, but you need to know how to handle them.
Don’t let your Stress effects in pregnancy extend too much, as it may lead to serious illnesses in your pregnancy journey. Because stress is not a solo player, it may invite other gangs as well to make this beautiful, memorable pregnancy journey into a tiresome experience. So let’s explore a unique path which will assist you in getting relief from stress in your pregnancy.
What makes you stressed during your pregnancy?
Care – it sounds great in your phenomenal journey of pregnancy, but stress does not care for anything if you are pregnant. Mind it, you have a new life inside you, and if anything that leads you towards the wave of stress, make it clear – you should avoid these without any time loss.
There are factors or reasons behind stress that instigate your mind and health to get stressed, and you sometimes unknowingly invite stress due to these things.
Why does stress occur in pregnancy?
Causes of stress in pregnancy are discussed below:
Changes in hormones: During your pregnancy, many hormones may be produced, and your body is hosting a surge of cortisol (the stress hormone). This excess of cortisol can mess with your immune system, your blood pressure, and even your mood. Other culprits are progesterone and estrogen, which cause anxiety and irritation without any proper reason.
Changes in Physical appearance: Physical changes in pregnancy are a normal thing – women develop a well-developed body weight, which leads to fatigue, obesity, and inactivity.
Mental Distress: Are you overstressed thinking of your upcoming baby? Thinking and worrying about your baby is a good thing, but while it has passed its barrier, it can be harmful to your health and that of your upcoming baby.
Changes in lifestyle hacks: In your pregnancy journey, your lifestyle gets changed with various health practices – whether it is moving from one place to another, working in offices, or any household activities -and you get stressed due to these activities.
Lack of emotional support: Though it is rare, sometimes you do not get enough family support during pregnancy, which leads to overthinking, tension, moodiness, palpitations, and stress.
Emotional stress affects your pregnancy:
Being a would-be mother, it’s not so easy to complete your pregnancy journey with ease. You may have to face various difficulties, whether it is for any diseases or any health conditions. Excessive stress can cause difficulties in your pregnancy:
Health complications related to stress in pregnancy:
If you are not controlling your emotional stress for a long time during pregnancy, it can cause certain health complications. Symptoms of stress in pregnancy like:
- Sleeping difficulties
- Fatigue
- Headeaches difficulties
- Tired
- Hopelessness
- Heart rate difficulties
In severe cases, in pregnancy, stress can be the cause of
- Cardiovascular disease
- IBS
- IBD
- Anxiety
- Depression
- Diabetes
Difficulty in parental bonding with the baby:
Pregnancy is a beautiful journey where many mothers begin forming a special connection with their baby. However, high emotional stress can disrupt this bonding experience. A mother overwhelmed by stress may find it challenging to establish an emotional connection with her baby, and this sense of disconnection could persist even after childbirth.
Lack of self-care:
Emotional stress during pregnancy can lead to poor self-care. Stressed-out mothers may skip meals or miss crucial prenatal appointments. In some instances, they may resort to unhealthy coping mechanisms, such as overeating or turning to substances like alcohol or tobacco. These behaviours not only affect the mother’s well-being but can also pose risks to the developing baby.
Stress & Upcoming baby’s health:
A mother’s emotional reaction can affect her upcoming baby’s health. Chronic stress leads to multiple bad impacts on a baby’s health, such as:
- Premature birth
- Low birth weight of a baby
- Possibilities of abnormalities in the baby’s development
- Delay in baby development
- Weakens the immune system
Stress-reducing tips in pregnancy:
Want to stay away from stress in your gorgeous pregnancy journey? Do you need some practical tips to manage your stress and get relief from it? Surprisingly, some good habits without medication can prioritise your good health and keep you active and stress-free.
Say no to hard work:
Why are you keeping yourself involved with too much workload? It’s all for the day; now time to schedule your daily routine for relaxation. Hard or heavy workload? Not at all. Move on to lazy hours – where you and only your leisure take a good nap, and relax by taking care of yourself.
Healthy diet:
Boring meals? Let’s adjust it to your preferences, keeping healthy choices in your mindful eating. Practice good hygiene and allow yourself to eat protein, meats, fish, boiled vegetables, and fruits as recommended by your doctors or dieticians.
Sharing feelings & involvement in various activities:
Do not wallow in your loneliness – try to be involved with people or your friends and good wishers. Share your feelings with them and do not keep yourself in a lonely place. Seriously, a little comic relief can go a long way when you’re dealing with stress. You’ll get bonus points if you share your pregnancy cravings with them.
Regular activities & exercise:
Not talking about running a race like a rabbit; it’s all about a normal and smooth exercise which keeps you active and reduces your pregnancy stress. Light exercise, walking, and yoga can help you keep active and fresh. It is also suggested to consult with your medical professionals before exercising.
Pathology blood tests for pregnancy:
As your pregnancy is a special phase of life, certain blood tests help you to be healthy and stress-free by allowing you to continuously monitor your health status. With a focused care and realistic pathology approach, Nirnayan, the leading pathology lab in West Bengal, offers a vast range of all types of required tests at a reasonable price. Tests such as:
Routine blood tests:
- CBC Test
- Diabetes Panel Test
- Lipid Profile Test
- Liver Function Test
- Kidney Function Test
Special blood tests:
- Genetic testing
- Sanger sequencing testing
- Genomic Testing
- FISH Testing
Conclusion:
Pregnancy is a wild ride, and while stress might try to make an appearance, it doesn’t have to be the main character in your story. With the right tools — from self-care and deep breathing to a little humour and support from your loved ones — you can manage stress and enjoy this special time in your life.
