Mood Swings In Pregnancy

Pregnancy is, for any woman, one of the most exciting stages of life, but at the same time it can be stressful months, no matter how desired and sought after the baby is and no matter how excited the mother is. A multitude of changes will always be experienced, both at the hormonal level, as well as in the person’s life: body and physical changes, work changes, in the couple, etc.

Therefore, the emotional ups and downs that a pregnant woman suffers are totally normal and both the couple, as well as those around her at this precious moment of her life, have to put themselves in her place and support her unconditionally.

Pregnancy and hormones, what happens?

Hormonal changes during pregnancy carry with them certain emotional fluctuations that are worth considering. They are due to the large increase in progesterone and estrogens, which makes the woman more emotional than usual, although she is still rational.

The most important thing is to know that this works like this and not give it more relevance than it has since, although it is very annoying to be one day with a smile and another crying, hormones are necessary for the pregnancy to develop properly. Its existence improves the immune system of the woman, prevents a new ovulation and protects against a possible abortion.

Apart from these changes at the level of mood, the increase in progesterone and estrogens favors that we feel more tired, which in turn can also alter us emotionally if we are very active people.

Estrogens are also responsible for our developing hypersensitivity to certain smells or sensations and on the other hand, it inhibits the production of serotonin, a neurotransmitter responsible for emotional stability, so you should not be surprised if you start crying and laughing at the same time.

Not everything is hormones

It is true that the emotional cocktails that are produced in this stage are very powerful and flood our brain, which makes self-control difficult, but also the pregnancy itself, for what it supposes and will suppose it can produce many overflowing emotions in women.  It is normal that you feel fear and anxiety, since you are going to face something new that you do not know, you wonder if everything will go well, if there will be a lot of expenses, what the delivery will be like, etc.

Every decision carries consequences and it is true that your life will no longer be the one you knew. Sometimes you will have to deprive yourself of certain experiences and adapt to new ones, but you will benefit from others much more amazing.

Tiredness, sleep, nausea and all the physical changes that are experienced can also cause you to feel more irritated and even angry and it is logical, nobody likes to feel bad, but even so, think that it is the most beautiful discomfort that you will feel and that it has an expiration date with a happy ending.

Something you can do

E l first step is to accept unconditionally with your ups and downs. You may not be able to control them easily but you do have power in how you judge yourself for having them. If your internal dialogue is of the type “I am an unbearable hysterical”, “I will be a bad mother as long as I continue like this” or “my husband is going to send me to the bat”, you must immediately replace those thoughts with more rational and moderate ones.

Remember that it is normal to experience these changes, you are not a freak, almost all women suffer ups and downs and that does not mean that they are “hysterical” people, but rather people who sometimes, at this stage of their life, find themselves down and that they are entitled to it.

To do this, you have to stop always putting yourself in the worst case scenario : if you are afraid of whether things will go well or not, think about why they should go wrong, what is more likely to happen with the means we currently have and in the number of women who have children and everything happens normally.

Enjoy more of everything, and when I say everything, it is everything, even the bad part. To do this, you have to think that everything is part of the wonder of bringing a person into the world. Think about what you are doing: together with your partner, you have created life, a human being who will have his role in the world and who will know him thanks to you.

Finally, take advantage of this stage to reinvent yourself, it is true that you will have to be inactive for a long time, but you can continue doing things. Maybe you can get back that hobby that you gave up a long time ago and you liked so much. It is about with what attitude you approach your pregnancy and there you do have the power of choice.