It is always good to be stress free in our life to lead a healthy and happy life. When it comes to a pregnant woman, leading a stress free life becomes more and more important as the stress in the expectant mother gets transferred to the baby also.
Stress Due to Bodily Changes during Pregnancy
Pregnant women come across certain
bodily changes during pregnancy. Body weight of the pregnant women goes higher leading to obesity problems and back aches. Anaemia and oedema are also some common problems seen during pregnancy. All these physical changes during pregnancy may create discomforts to the expectant mother which would cause unnecessary stress during pregnancy.
Psychological Stress Due to Pregnancy
In spite of the bodily changes during pregnancy, the pregnant women also come across certain
mood swings and psychological changes during pregnancy due to the changes in the hormonal levels in pregnancy. Additionally, the pregnant women may also feel stressed due to the financial crisis in the family, emotional problems with the family members, work load,
anxieties about how to handle the baby after childbirth and so on.
Effects of Being in Stress during Pregnancy
The stress caused during pregnancy due to the physical and emotional changes occurring during pregnancy would have ill effects on the development of the foetus. Sometimes, the stress in pregnant women may lead to the birth of the
premature baby or baby with low birth weight. When the pregnant women are stressed more during the first trimester of pregnancy, it may lead to severe consequences such as miscarriages.
It is also said that the stress being transferred from the expectant mother reaches the child through the hormones secreted during the period of stress and if it lasts for longer periods, it may even lower the IQ level of the baby or lead to spoiling the development of the brain in the unborn baby.
How to Tackle the Stress during Pregnancy?
A good balanced diet and sufficient intake of water is the first and foremost thing required for a pregnant woman to keep herself balanced during pregnancy. Pregnant women should learn to be relieved from whatever stress they have by setting aside all the tension for the sake of their baby, which is their dream. It is good to exercise under the supervision of expert and after consulting a doctor or meditate regularly in order to keep stress free during pregnancy.
Sometimes warm water bath would help the pregnant women to get relieved from the body aches that they have, which would in turn have positive effect on the stress that they have. Reading good books, listening to melodious music, watching good programs on television, etc. also play a good role in bringing down the stress during pregnancy. Good relaxation techniques such as breathing exercises, massages, etc. can be good alternatives for physical exercises when the pregnant women are extremely tired and stressed.
Planning Helps in Being Stress Free during Pregnancy
Many pregnant women during their first trimester of pregnancy become stressed as they would not have idea about pregnancy. They would have planned for pregnancy as well. So, lot of reading about pregnancy, child care,
labour, planning for life after delivery, etc. would be an eye opener for them. This helps them at least to plan for their pregnancy period and for the future of the child so that they can be relieved from the tension that they have.
Following the advice of the doctors and seeking support from the family members and life partner would definitely help a lot for the pregnant women to be stress free during pregnancy and give birth to healthy and happy babies.