When you first confirm you’re pregnant, it can be both exciting and surreal. You start to imagine your family expanding, and all of the wonderful memories that will be built. Some emotional change is completely normal, and sometimes, the reality of such rapid changes in the body can lead to other issues you’d rather forget. Alongside joy and excitement, there can be feelings of uncertainty and apprehension, when we worry and think “Am I ready? Can I handle this?”.
While everyone is unique and will experience pregnancy differently, there are a few key signs that may indicate you’re struggling emotionally, and no matter what the reason, it’s vital to seek help.
Changes in sleeping and eating
Pregnancy can see some changes in your sleeping and eating habits as your body grows and develops to accommodate your baby. However, if you’re losing your appetite or continually struggling to sleep, you may need to seek further support.
When you’re pregnant, you may feel a bit flat every now and then, and might not feel interested in getting out and about. But when you find that activities you normally love to do are no longer enjoyable, or you feel a sense of dread about going out, it may signal problems with emotional health.
Downtime is important when you’re pregnant, but withdrawing from others and isolating yourself can lead to emotional difficulties. Social support and connecting is a vital component in staying emotionally healthy, and not having those connections may also lead to physical health issues.
If you’re finding that you’re struggling more than usual, and can’t explain why you are feeling this way, or you feel like you’re in a perpetual fog and can’t seem to get tasks done each day, then that sense of mental overload can mean it’s time to check in on your emotional health.
Our thoughts are like the steering wheel in a car. They can steer us on the right path, lead us to take detours, and sometimes be difficult to turn. However, we are the drivers behind the wheel, and if we maintain awareness of our thoughts and feelings, this can help us stay in control. Try to check in with your thoughts each day, and ask yourself if they’re changing, getting darker or becoming worrisome. Are they stuck on repeat, leaving you feeling panicked, angry, or sad? If so, then it’s important to seek support.
Experiencing some anxiety during pregnancy is understandable. Fears around the health of your baby, your own health, and coping with the changes to your life are all normal. However, if you find your worries are getting worse or not going away, or they’re leading to a sense of resentment or anger towards your baby, it’s time to chat to someone and get some help to process those feelings.
If you’ve experienced anxiety pr depression prior to being pregnant, you may be more likely to have emotional health issues in pregnancy. That’s not to say you will definitely experience problems, but it’s just helpful to be aware, and know your history.
Emotional health is all about feeling balanced, feeling well in yourself, and being able to handle whatever comes your way. There are a few things you can do to help look after your emotional health during pregnancy.
Pregnancy can feature the highest of highs, and the lowest of lows. Things you never used to worry about suddenly become a big stress, you’re not sure if you really know yourself anymore and your partner turns into the most annoying person on the planet, for no real reason. You’ll be excited, exhausted, elated, embarrassed and everything in between. Going into pregnancy understanding the ups and downs, and preparing in any way you can, is helpful. Preparing those you love for the highs and lows enables them to cope too!
Pregnancy can be tricky; with the many changes (emotional and physical) pregnancy brings, it can feel isolating. But there are so many others around you who are also going on the journey. Having a solid support network of friends, family, and health professionals, can help strengthen your own emotional health during pregnancy.
Those nine months of growing a baby can seem to go so fast, and yet so slowly. It can be easy for emotions to get out of hand while playing the waiting game. If you find yourself feeling overwhelmed, just take some slow, calm breaths and focus on the here and now. What are three things you can see? Three things you can hear? Three things you can smell? Remaining in the present moment and taking things one day at a time can help keep your emotional health steady.
When it comes to emotional health, it’s not about ‘just being positive’ because let’s face it, stuff happens. And pregnancy can be a vulnerable time in your life, where there may be complications or issues that arise. But the key to emotional health is balance. Taking the good and the not-so-good and helping keep things at an even keel. Ensuring you’ve got a good balance of gentle exercise, a healthy diet, and a decent amount of sleep (or at least attempting to get a decent amount of sleep). Also balancing out your thoughts, countering those stressful or upsetting ones with some more helpful thoughts on a situation, is really valuable.
If you think you may be experiencing any emotional issues during pregnancy and after birth, it’s important to get help as soon as possible. Talk to a friend or family member, or your doctor or another trusted health care professional.