Pregnancy: how to relax and enjoy it

Pregnancy can be a stressful time as well as joyous. Your body undergoes so many physical changes and hormones go haywire, putting you on an emotional roller coaster. You may be worried about the potential financial impact of having a child, and if your partner isn’t totally on board about becoming a parent, relationship issues could contribute to your anxiety.

Stress raises your heart rate and blood pressure: not good for your unborn baby. It may affect the quality of your sleep. Research has also linked it with preterm delivery, low birthweight and miscarriage as well as asthma and allergies in the children of women who suffer stress during pregnancy. New research also links it with long-term effects on your child’s intellectual and language development: language and verbal IQ appear to be lower in children whose moms face the most stress in pregnancy.

This means it’s vital you take steps to manage any stress you may be feeling during your pregnancy, to ensure you feel rested and calm. Regularly finding outlets for stress and anxiety will ensure your baby is protected from any ill-effects. Follow gurgle’s tips for stress relief…

Face up to it

If denial is your main coping strategy when it comes to stress, you’re not doing yourself any favors. Face up to the fact that you’re stressed out – admitting you’re under pressure can be the first step to letting go of it. Acknowledge that you’ve reached your limit and that one more straw will break your back – and start saying no!

Pinpoint your stressors

It can be difficult to pinpoint what triggers stress and finding long-term solutions to it can be more difficult if you don’t know what exactly is causing it. Keeping a stress diary and jotting down everything and anything that happens to you, along with how it makes you feel, can help you trace the things that make you feel anxious and out of control.

Keep it simple

Now you’re pregnant you’ll have a lot on your mind – not to mention the other stuff of life: work, your finances, children if you already have them. You may be juggling so many different things that it feels as if you’re running to stand still. Make your life simpler by having realistic expectations. You can’t do everything – so take a long hard look at what you need to make you happy and what’s required to achieve it, and dump the extras.

Vent if you want to!

Pregnancy hormones will likely have your mood swinging from high to low, and just sucking up that stress and tension is fuel for the fire as far as your stress levels are concerned – it’s vital to release it regularly to stay calm and relaxed, so plan in a weekly vent to clear your mind. Do whatever it takes – cry, curse, punch your pillow, but get it out of your system. As you do so, imagine yourself filling up with warm, tranquil, healing light.

Choose peace

Studies have shown that people who regularly meditate produce less of the stress hormone cortisol. Sit with your eyes closed, and your hands resting on your lap. Breathe slowly in through your nose and out through your mouth and with each exhale, imagine yourself breathing out tension from the top of your head down through your body and out through your toes. It can help you relax even more if you choose a mantra: a single word repeated over and over, such as the traditional ‘ohm’.

Find purpose in your pregnancy

Living with a purpose can bring you a sense of fulfillment that will help to balance your stress. Instead of letting pregnancy niggles get you down, think about their relation to your growing baby. Yes, pregnancy hormones might make you feel sick and emotional – but they’re sustaining your baby. Yes, you might be toting a huge stomach – but that bump is your unborn baby’s home. Yes, you may be panicking about the birth – but your body is built to do it and it means you’ll finally get to meet your little one. Seeing it this way gives you the perspective you need to handle all of the challenges pregnancy sets in your path.

The information in this feature is intended for educational purposes only. If you have any concerns about your health, the health of your child or the health of someone you know, please consult with a doctor or other healthcare professional.

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Last Modified: 25/09/2008

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