Dealing with Pregnancy Hormones: Emotional Wellness During the Second Trimester

If you’re pregnant and you’re experiencing emotional changes that are affecting your lifestyle and/or your mental health, there is no reason to be ashamed or even concerned. The truth is that pregnancy hormones such as estrogen and progesterone, while needed for a healthy pregnancy, can cause emotional changes that you might not realize could be a part of pregnancy. Once you understand them a little better, it’s easier to figure out what to do about them.

Pregnancy Hormones 101: What to Expect

The combination of estrogen and progesterone can cause several negative side effects, including nausea, extreme fatigue, and even mood swings. Many women who always felt in control of their emotions before they got pregnant are surprised that they’re much more emotional once they become pregnant. And it isn’t just mood swings; it’s also crying unexpectedly and being easily irritated or agitated.

If you’ve experienced a miscarriage before this pregnancy or you had to go through fertility treatments to get pregnant, your emotional ups and downs might be even more severe than someone who’s never had a miscarriage and got pregnant quickly. The emotions you feel when you’re pregnant can center around logical concerns such as how you’re going to handle your finances after the baby arrives or on irrational concerns and fears.

If you’re having problems dealing with your emotional changes during pregnancy, there is no need to worry because there are things that you can do to improve the situation. Let’s take a look at some of them.

1. Find Someone to Talk to About the Situation

If you have a best friend or a group of friends you enjoy hanging out with, try to get together with them as often as possible. This allows you to talk about your feelings so you can feel better and cuts down on the isolation that you might be feeling right now. Both of these things can help a lot when you’re dealing with the emotional changes of pregnancy.

2. Take Good Care of Yourself

If you eat right, participate in light to medium exercise on a regular basis, and rest as often as possible, you’ll feel better physically, which can help you feel better emotionally as well. Being in good health is necessary for a healthy pregnancy and gives you a simple way to better cope with your emotions.

3. Find Ways to Remain Calm

If you are tired of dealing with mood swings during pregnancy, spend some time each day concentrating on staying calm. Suggestions include meditating, listening to calming music, taking long baths, and inhaling essential oils such as lavender, geranium, or Roman chamomile. There are also apps with calming sounds on them that you can download, which are especially useful when you’re trying to go to sleep.

4. Try to Take Things One Day at a Time

Pregnancy can cause some tension if you think too far in the future because it makes it easier to worry about things, which isn’t good for you physically or emotionally. If you take one day at a time and concentrate only on the present, you’ll find it easier to cope with the emotions you’re feeling. It is said that most of the things we worry about never happen, which is good to remember when you’re pregnant.

5. Eat a Healthy Diet

Eating more natural foods instead of processed foods is not only better for the baby but can also help you feel better emotionally. After all, we are what we eat, and concentrating only on putting healthy food in your body can go a long way in helping you feel better emotionally. In fact, you might be surprised at the results.

When to Ask for Help

It is not unusual for people to need help with anxiety or depression at some point in their lives, so if it happens to you while you’re pregnant, it is no cause for shame or embarrassment. If you have trouble concentrating, can’t stop crying, feel depressed or sad all the time, or feel overwhelmed -- especially if you feel like you might want to harm yourself -- it is time to get professional help.

If you can’t afford it, keep in mind that most cities have free mental health clinics available with excellent therapists who can help you. Simply put, there is no reason to feel this way for very long when there are so many places you can go to for help. A licensed therapist can help more than you know and can get you back to your old self again in no time.

Conclusion

Mood swings and extreme emotions are not that uncommon during pregnancy. In most cases, you can improve the situation if you take care of yourself, rest as much as possible, meditate, and concentrate on the here and now instead of the far-away future. You owe it to yourself and to your baby to take care of yourself both physically and emotionally.