Pregnancy is a time of happy troubles while waiting for a miracle. But fear for the future baby sometimes darkens this bright period. “Can I stand it? Will he be born healthy? Will the birth go smoothly? Will I be able to bear the pain? Did such and such harm my baby (a glass of champagne at a party before the news of motherhood, a quarrel at work, a smoking neighbor...).”
Important
If a woman is suspicious, prone to worry, if this is her first child, or especially if she had miscarriages before this pregnancy, an anxiety state may develop during pregnancy.
Inexplicable anxieties that a woman cannot cope with worsen the course of pregnancy, because these are not only subjective experiences and thoughts, but also very real symptoms of fear: heartbeat and rapid breathing, sweating, dizziness, nervous tremors, worsening symptoms of toxicosis in pregnant women. All this, of course, harms the child. Therefore, a pregnant woman with an anxiety disorder needs the help of a doctor.
Anxiety disorder and pregnancy are common neighbors
The woman’s entire nervous system is tense and aimed at maximizing the preservation of the child. But sometimes the hyperactivity of this natural mechanism has the opposite effect. Therefore, it is important to monitor the condition of the expectant mother. If she worries more often than she is happy, her worries do not have a specific reason (pregnancy is proceeding smoothly), and she cannot distract herself from them - perhaps this is already a disease.
Often, a pregnant woman, even realizing that something is wrong with her, is afraid to seek help because she may be advised to terminate the pregnancy or be prescribed medications that will harm the baby. There is a way out of this situation!
Treatment for a pregnant woman differs from therapy for ordinary patients, because it is important not only to help the mother, but also to protect the baby.
Depression during pregnancy
Depression in pregnant women is quite common. Every tenth representative of the fairer sex faces this condition. According to scientific research, women experience prenatal depression much more often than they experience postpartum depression. But the depth of depression during pregnancy is usually less and the condition is easier. The appearance of depression during pregnancy is associated not only with psychological, but also with hormonal changes in the body. Every pregnant woman experiences sudden mood swings, as well as emotional ups and downs. When these experiences drag on in the wake of low mood, then depression sets in. It is characterized by increased irritability, sleep disturbances, anxiety, fatigue, a constant feeling of hunger or a complete lack of appetite.
Depression as a reaction can occur due to stressful life situations that have nothing to do with pregnancy. These can include problems at work, disagreements with a loved one, a change in any circumstances, place of residence, for example, or the death of loved ones. Another reason for depression is financial difficulties in the family. Every woman wants her baby to be fully provided not only with attention, but also with money. Unfortunately, not all expectant mothers and fathers can afford this. But most often, inflated expectations about money and security spoil life more than accepting real opportunities, which are also sufficient.
Depression also occurs due to psychophysical problems during pregnancy. One of these conditions is toxicosis, which is accompanied by malaise and morning sickness. The appearance of depression may also be associated with complications experienced from a previous pregnancy. Women expecting their second child always remember the pain they experienced during childbirth.
Another problem that expectant mothers may face is the lack of support from loved ones. It's no secret that in this case women are fragile creatures that require constant attention and understanding. During pregnancy, they become especially sensitive, so they must be surrounded by warmth and care from friends and relatives. Depression in pregnant women also occurs due to past or present violence, we are talking about psychological violence. This condition can be provoked by the attitude of those family members who do not want the birth of a child.
As mentioned above, every tenth expectant mother experiences not only physical, but also moral discomfort during pregnancy. Not only hypersensitive and emotional women can be prone to depression. This condition can appear in those representatives of the fairer sex who have too high demands on their appearance. During pregnancy, their usual clothes become tight and their shoes become uncomfortable. Depression during pregnancy can also occur in women who did not plan to have a child. There may be ideas that the conditions are not quite right and the time is not yet right when one could allow the birth. These ideas also influence the state.
Pregnancy and depression are interrelated factors that can negatively affect the health and psyche of the baby. In order to get rid of this unpleasant condition, if you are in a low mood, if the condition lasts 3 weeks, you should consult a psychologist or psychotherapist. Every pregnant woman should know that only a doctor can diagnose and determine the severity of her depression.
If the depth of the condition allows, a consultation with a psychologist or psychotherapist will help the woman regain a positive mood and peace. Maybe a few sessions of relaxation or hypnosis will be enough, after which the depressive state will go away. To set the stage for eliminating depression during pregnancy, you should consume vitamins, magnesium and folic acid. These substances are resourceful and can improve not only physical, but also psychological well-being. If the depression is severe, a psychiatrist can also help.
Simple physical exercises can also relieve a woman from depression while carrying a child. In addition, expectant mothers are encouraged to spend a lot of time with positive people close to them. In order to get rid of depression, you need not only to distance yourself from sad thoughts and feelings of guilt, but also to imagine your special situation - in itself unusual and full of the mystery of creating a new life. Normally, positive experiences during pregnancy are much more likely to consume your mood. These positive and uplifting experiences are very important for the proper formation of the child. There is no scientific evidence for this, but many consider this fact indisputable: there are many clubs and psychological groups for pregnant women, in these groups they prepare expectant mothers, organize communication and various activities, from physical education and yoga to cultural events.
The above tips on how to act when dealing with low mood and depression during pregnancy will be given by professional psychologists and psychotherapists. As a rule, problems arise up to 3 months, during hormonal changes in the female body. Problems can also occur during the last month before giving birth. Don’t be too lazy to go to a psychologist - this is the right decision, don’t invent depression for yourself and trust a specialist!
The path to happy motherhood
Anxiety disorder after childbirth, especially against the background of postpartum depression, is a frequent visitor to a young family, especially where the child is the first and long-awaited.
For both pregnant and nursing mothers, treating anxiety disorder without antidepressants and anti-anxiety medications is a priority. And this is not at all a reason to stop breastfeeding - the best thing that has been created for the baby’s health.
Psychotherapy, auto-training and self-relaxation training, work with significance, in special cases - hypnosis - this is the arsenal of a psychotherapist in the case when there are two patients.
Doctors at the Mental Health Center have extensive experience working with pregnant women and women after childbirth. A full-fledged arsenal of modern psychotherapy tools makes it possible to carry out treatment without drugs, avoiding harmful effects on the child and giving the mother the opportunity to fully enjoy the joy of motherhood.
Pregnancy: fears and anxieties
– Do you think it’s better to deal with fears in special courses? Can't you just talk to your family or friends? – If you manage to share your fears with family and friends, of course, you can and should. But I am faced with the fact that often pregnant women do not even tell their husbands about their worries and fears. Some are afraid of appearing stupid in front of family and friends, especially if in the “pre-pregnancy” state they are accustomed to seeing a woman as successful, calm and reasonable. And sometimes it’s just difficult to understand from the outside the specific condition of a pregnant woman.
Therefore, I always advise you to find some courses for pregnant women, a psychological group. It's not just about information. This is usually an opportunity to have a good conversation with women who have similar problems in a warm, welcoming atmosphere.
– On the issue of information. In the era of the Internet, there is so much to know, but there is a lot of information. Does studying it help cope with anxiety and fears? – Indeed, anxiety can arise because we have little idea of what we will encounter. How will the birth go? Contractions - how painful are they? Perhaps my stomach will never become flat again? What if my baby cries and I don’t understand what he wants? There are answers to all these questions. Open books, the Internet, go to lectures - and you will feel much more confident.
But here it is very important to maintain an “information diet.” Choose from reliable sources and carefully dose the information so that it has time to be absorbed. Excessive and undigested information, like food, can poison the body. At the same time, this information is not necessarily outright “poisonous”, because if you overeat the most common neutral foods, you will also get indigestion. Try not to read everything just like that, it’s better to look for specific answers to specific questions, choose trusted sources, look for information from experts - doctors, psychotherapists. If you read reviews or other people's stories, focus your attention on how people overcame bad moments, what helped them, or what could have been done differently.
An overabundance of information is part of our modern reality. It seems to me, as a specialist, that this is now one of my tasks - to help a woman in a safe environment choose and “try on” the knowledge from which her parental position will be formed, to help distinguish reliable and useful information from “horror stories”, to teach her to isolate herself from unsolicited advice. In our courses, we also pay great attention to this. Another important thing that is not always remembered is fear of medical personnel. This is also a separate skill that can be learned (and good courses usually include such topics) - how to defend your rights, how to establish contact. A time like maternity leave is a good time to calmly deal with all your fears, worries, and think about the future.
Causes
To treat insomnia during pregnancy, it is necessary to find out exactly what causes it - physiological or psychological. In the second case, treatment turns out to be much simpler, since it usually does not require the use of medications, but is corrected by a psychologist who helps to work through fears and relieve tension in the nervous system.
Physiological causes of sleep disturbances during pregnancy include:
- pain in the back and uterine area;
- cramps in the calf muscles;
- the need for frequent urination in later stages;
- attacks of nausea;
- heartburn;
- breathing problems in later stages;
- itching of the skin of the abdomen due to the formation of stretch marks;
- fetal movements in the uterus;
- problems with choosing a comfortable sleeping position with a strong increase in the size of the abdomen;
- training (false) contractions.
Psychological factors that can cause sleep problems in women are:
- fears associated with childbirth;
- constant anxiety about the condition of the fetus (more often occurs in women who have been diagnosed with any anomalies in the structure of the reproductive system or placenta);
- general nervous tension;
- perception of most negative moments during the day as pronounced stress;
- nightmares due to fear of harming the child during sleep due to incorrect posture.
Only after the causes of sleep disturbances have been identified will it be possible to carry out the correct treatment, which will be effective in a particular case.
Sleep during different periods of pregnancy
Depending on the period of bearing a child, a woman’s sleep patterns change somewhat. The body is ready for physiological changes, and they do not harm it, but only if a pathological sleep disorder is not added to this.
In the first trimester, dramatic hormonal changes occur in the body, which also affect the nervous system. As a result, a woman’s anxiety increases, the cause of which she herself cannot always understand. This sleep disturbance during pregnancy does not last long and goes away on its own as soon as the body gets used to hormonal changes. The situation is more serious with insomnia due to toxicosis. With this condition, usually from the 5th week of pregnancy, regular night awakenings occur, which are caused by attacks of nausea, leading to vomiting. At this time, the presence of any sounds, changes in temperature in the bedroom, or even bright light further worsens sleep. Such insomnia must be dealt with by seeking medical help. Sleep disturbances in early pregnancy usually do not exhaust a woman very much.
In the second trimester, they occur quite rarely, since this period is the most comfortable for a woman’s body. Usually only psychological factors can provoke sleep disturbances, the main one of which is fear of childbirth. There are no physiological reasons for the appearance of insomnia at this moment, since toxicosis has already passed, and the stomach is not yet so large as to interfere with taking a comfortable lying position and getting a good night's sleep.
In the 3rd trimester, especially at 40 weeks of pregnancy, sleep problems become serious. Almost all late-term women experience constant awakenings and difficulty falling asleep. They arise due to the child’s frequent noticeable movements, as well as due to the ability to sleep only on the side, pain in bones and muscles, and heartburn. Also during this period, training contractions appear. Occurring at night, each time they usually greatly frighten the woman, forcing her to listen to her feelings so as not to miss the onset of labor. In the last days before giving birth, the pregnant woman is most worried about the psychological factor due to the worries associated with the upcoming event in the near future. Sleep disturbance in pregnant women in the later stages is dangerous because the body weakens before childbirth.
