Dealing with Mood Swings during Pregnancy

Pregnancy is one of the most important stages in a woman’s life. Definitely, it is a life-changing event. It
marks the beginning of the phase in your life in which you start your own family. Of course, you wanted
it to be perfect – free from all the hassle and the stress that comes with it.

However, as much as you wish it to be like a walk in the park, you find yourself easily irritated with the
little things that you don’t normally care for. A little disagreement with your partner would turn out to
be a huge quarrel. You easily get emotional and prickly which isn’t really what you are before pregnancy.

What causes mood swings? Is this normal?

The good news is that you are perfectly fine. During pregnancy, the pregnant mother’s body undergoes
many changes. Due to such changes, mood swings occur frequently. Here are some of the causes of
mood swings during pregnancy:

• Hormonal changes during pregnancy

Mood swings are generally due to the hormonal changes in your body that happens during pregnancy.
This hormonal changes are essential for child development and prepare the mother’s body for
childbirth.

On the first trimester of pregnancy, hormones such as estrogen and progesterone levels rise. Estrogen
spikes during the first trimester and reaches its peak during the third trimester. The major increase of
estrogen levels may cause morning sickness experienced during the early stages of pregnancy.

While estrogen is responsible for heightened energy and emotions, progesterone calms the nerves.
Progesterone is responsible for relaxing your body to prepare you for birth. This is the reason why most
pregnant women get constipated. High levels of progesterone relax crucial parts of your body. It may
help slow down the digestion of food and decrease bowel movement.

The combination of estrogen and progesterone is the potent mix that causes mood swings. The
fluctuating levels of hormones in your body generally affect your emotions during pregnancy. You may
start your day right, but after encountering a thing that irritates you, you crumble and cry a lot. After a
few minutes, you go back again on track. Pregnant women experience this on a regular basis. So you
don’t have to worry a lot. Try to channel your thoughts on controlling your emotions when mood swings
hit you.

• Psychological causes

Along with the hormonal changes of your body, excitement, fear, self-worth, and self-confidence are
thrown in the mix. A roller-coaster ride of emotions might become unbearable for you. Late at night,
you may worry too much about the idea of having a baby. Am I really prepared for this? Can I really give
my baby a bright future? Am I doing this correctly? These are just some of the questions that might
trouble you.
• Other causes of mood swings

Other causes of mood swings include the discomfort you experience during pregnancy. You experience
morning sickness on a regular basis. The constant feeling of nausea is tough and it may irritate you.
Morning sickness may come at the most unexpected places. While going to work, you may suddenly feel
nauseous. Hence, you’ll be starting the day on the wrong foot.

Fatigue can also be a factor in most mood swings. Pregnant women easily get tired physically and
emotionally.

Discrimination is also common. In the workplace, you may be discriminated against just because on the
fact that you are pregnant. You are singled out based on factors that are not totally work-related.
Workmates tend to rub on you the fact that you can do less work and need more privilege in the
workplace just because you are pregnant. In public places, people may treat you badly when they see
that baby bump on you.

Effects of mood swings

• Mood swings has no known adverse effects to babies

Generally, mood swings do not have adverse effects on your unborn baby. Mood swings are perfectly
normal on pregnant women. Constant mood swings may be due to physical and emotional reasons.
Hormonal changes on the body greatly affect the frequency of mood swings. On the emotional level, the
person’s disposition may trigger common mood swings during pregnancy.

It is actually a common misconception that mood swings affect the child. Some people say that a woman
with mood swings during pregnancy makes the baby suffer adverse congenital defects. Some also claim
that the baby would grow up to be more emotionally dependent to the mother compared to other kids.

• Depression may lead to negative effects

However, as they say, everything in excess can be harmful. Severe mood swings could lead to
depression and have negative effects on your baby. Studies have shown that severe depression and
emotional trauma could lead to birth defects, premature birth, malnourish baby, and miscarriage.

The mother’s feelings have a physical connection to the unborn child. The mother’s thoughts are
communicated to the child through neurohormones. This is similar to the physical effects on nicotine
and alcohol to the unborn child.

Stressful pregnancy is also shown to have adverse effects on the psychological development of the child.
Studies have shown that children born from extremely stressful pregnancies tend to have behavioral
problems as they grow. Stress and depression during pregnancy affect the endocrine system of the
unborn baby which has an active role in the fetal development of the child.
How to cope mood swings
Firstly, you must understand that it is normal. Don’t panic. Women undergo this condition during
pregnancy. The best you can do is to minimize or manage these mood swings to have a less stressful
pregnancy. Pregnancy is stressful in itself. You must not do things to exacerbate the situation.

When you hysterically cry over a TV advertisement, here are some of the ways to manage your mood
swings:

• Exercise

During pregnancy, your body may feel heavy. It makes women less energetic. Of course, the weight of
your belly burdens the back muscles and hips. Regular exercise strengthens the muscles in these areas.

Exercise is one of the best stress eliminating activities. It improves the circulation of the nutrients all
over our body which is helpful for your child. The distribution of oxygen throughout your body helps
prevent constipation, leg cramps, and varicose veins.

More importantly, exercise helps you in childbirth. Studies have shown that exercise could help in
minimizing the duration of childbirth and medical intervention. Exercise though does not eliminate or
reduce the pain during childbirth, but it somehow shortens it.

You don’t need to do a heavy workout, a simple 5-10 minute cardio workout every day helps a lot.
Swimming is also a good physical activity. It provides you that sufficient cardio activity you need and it
also helps in maintaining your muscle tone. Walking is also a good exercise. A 10-minute walk along the
park also helps you to clear your mind from all the stress you are experiencing.

• Take a good rest

You may experience lack of sleep during pregnancy. On the first trimester, mood swings are often. These
mood swings may span during bedtime affecting your sleep. Lingering thoughts on childbirth may bring
a lot of stress and anxiety. On the latter part of pregnancy, sleep can also be challenging considering the
uncomfortable feeling on your belly.

Thus, you need to find ways to rest. A power nap really helps a lot. During breaks at work, you may take
a short rest. This refreshes your body and gives you energy for the rest of the day. During bedtime, you
may want to make your bed comfortable. Placing additional pillows would help. Pillows may help
support your belly bump.

Also, you need to minimize uneasiness during sleep. Just have happy thoughts when you are about to
sleep. Don’t dwell too much on the negative stuff. Have a positive disposition and outlook on yourself.
When you are able to clear your mind from all the negativity, sleep becomes easy.

• Take a break
Regular breaks help a lot in managing stress during pregnancy. Bond with your partner. Go on dinner
dates or casual walks by the beach or the park. Being pregnant does not mean that you deprive yourself
of receiving love from your partner. You don’t need to stay all day in your room just to keep your baby
safe. You have the right to go out and enjoy. Being pregnant is not a burden, but a symbol of your love
with your partner.

When your partner is busy most of the time, don’t fret. It’ll just trigger the mood swings you are having.
Instead, have a “me time”. Do the things that you enjoy to do. Taking a break alone could help you
strengthen your mind and know more about yourself at the same time.

• Talk with your partner

Communication is an essential factor in relationships. It does not stop when you’re pregnant. In fact, you
need to communicate more often with each other during this crucial stage of your relationship.

It would be convenient if your partner understands what you are going through. Mood swings can be
triggered by disagreements between couples. Hence, it is important that your partner has to be more
patient with you for 9 months.

You should also do your part. Being pregnant does not grant you a license to nag on trivial things. You
don’t need all the drama and the brouhaha in the household. Instead, try to control your emotions. You
need to consider that your partner is also going on through a major phase of his life. You need to work
together with him to manage your stress levels.

Your partner may be the recipient most of your mood swings since you to express your anxiety and
problems with the one closest to you. This can be tough to your partner. It is helpful that once in a
while, express your admiration and love to your partner.

• Have a healthy diet

As they say, you are what you eat. In the case of pregnancy, your baby’s health is what you eat.

Avoid unhealthy food during pregnancy. Pizza, fast food, and junk food are out. Try to have a balanced
diet. Eat vegetables and meat during meals and fruits between meals. Meat gives you a lot of protein,
but stay away from processed meat. It contains a lot of salt which is not healthy for you and your baby.

Avoid drinking alcohol. Alcohol could influence the development of birth defects on your baby. It also
does not provide the needed nutrition for your baby.

• Meditate

Meditation works wonders on your mind. It helps to reduce anxiety and stress. Moreover, it gives an
increased sense of well-being. You can meditate practically anywhere. Others try to meditate before
they sleep. They try to reflect on the events during the day and plan on things for the next day.
You may also meditate at your favorite spot in your house. Others go to the beach to mediate or to a
more secluded place.

Taking a yoga class is a form of meditation and exercise. There are a lot of yoga classes for pregnant
women out there. Try to check on your area. There are yoga instructors who have developed gentle
yoga exercises that improves blood circulation for pregnant women.

• Seek professional help

As mentioned earlier, severe depression could have adverse effects on your baby. When you can no
longer bear all the stress you are experiencing, you need to consult a counselor. They could advise on
ways to manage your anxiety and stress. You don’t need to be diagnosed with psychological problems
before you consult a counselor.

Mood swings and depression are different. Mood swings are brought about by the hormonal changes on
the body during pregnancy. On the other hand, depression is a more complicated condition brought
about by numerous factors.

When you have extreme difficulties going through your day, you may be suffering from depression.
Depression could affect not only you but also your baby as well. Seeking prompt professional advice
could be crucial. Unaddressed depression could lead to a more serious condition which is postpartum
depression.

When a panic attack strikes, most people take medication without a prescription. You must avoid taking
any medication without seeking professional help. Taking medication without prescription can be
harmful to your baby. It could lead to incurable birth defects and other adverse physical conditions.

A final word
Again, mood swings during pregnancy is a normal thing. Your body undergoes a lot during this stage.
Just maintain a positive attitude and everything will fall into place.