Stress during pregnancy? Tips to remain calm and happy

Recently, a dear friend who is pregnant called and sounded hesitant at first. Upon my coaxing, she confided that unexpected stress had enveloped her during this ‘beautiful and dreamy’ phase of pregnancy. I immediately recalled my own journey of carrying my baby. While friends, sisters, cousins and co-workers were enjoying and even flaunting their baby bumps in maternity photo shoots on social media, I was freaking out. And to make matters worse, the stress I was feeling had a kind of stigma attached to it. I was supposed to be happy, cheerful and enjoying every moment. Being pampered by one and all, this period of love and care was supposed to feel divine.

But the truth may be different for each of us. So I decided to meet this friend just to lend her an ear. During my pregnancy, I could not talk to anybody for the fear of being judged and even when I tried, my mental state was laughed away as a new ‘mommy to be’ tantrum. I took my friend to her gynecologist and let her bare her emotional state completely.

Like her, there are many others. Stress during pregnancy is a real spoilsport that impacts a large number of expecting moms. Research was carried out with 187 early pregnant women through questionnaires and physical assessment. It was found that 65% of the women were healthy while the remaining were physically and psychologically stressed. Through the same research, it was found that physically stressed women reported higher blood pressure and even consumed significantly more calories per day. The psychologically stressed pregnant women also reported higher anxiety, depression and post-traumatic stress disorder.

Here, we talk about the causes of stress during pregnancy, their impact and more importantly, valuable tips to avoid stress during this crucial phase in a woman’s life.

Common causes of stress during pregnancy

My friend confided to me that she was experiencing fear of labor and delivery. She was stressing about everything – complications during childbirth, not being able to tolerate labor pains, possibility of a miscarriage. In short, dreading the entire process.

A pregnancy may bring several physical issues in the form of nausea, tiredness, mood swings, backache and swollen legs. To top it all, there is the underlying worry of how things will be taken care of once the baby arrives. This upcoming phase in the life of a woman kicks in a severe stress reaction in many. While a general sense of eagerness mixed with anxiety and excitement is extremely common, chronic emotional stress, which makes you slip into a pensive mood without letting you enjoy this new journey, certainly needs to be addressed.

Impact of stress

Sustained and high levels of stress can have a direct and indirect impact on the health of a pregnant mother and her foetus – issues like pre-term birth (babies born before 37 weeks of pregnancy), low birth weight (weight less than 5 1/2 pounds), and even sleep and behavioural disorders are observed.

Preeclampsia is a specific pregnancy related complication that affects one’s blood pressure and organs and can even lead to early delivery. Preeclampsia or high blood pressure during pregnancy is prevalent in a majority of pregnant women. However the fear of developing it puts some in stress mode.

Further, researchers have found that women who have gone through major negative life events or psychological stress exposure, are twice as likely to have early miscarriages. It has also been seen that a stressed out mother has a possibility of birthing a baby that shows behavioural patterns upon growing up, although there is no concrete research in this subject yet.

Tips to avoid getting stressed during pregnancy

A woman’s body undergoes many physical changes during pregnancy. A second time mom might be more relaxed compared to a first time mom since she mostly knows what to expect at each step. However, every pregnancy is different.