Pregnant women should not be nervous, therefore, when they encounter some kind of problem, they are doubly nervous: firstly, they experience because of the problem itself, and secondly, they worry that. It turns out vicious circle. How to open it and stop being nervous?
We offer 9 simple but effective ways to help during pregnancy. Choose which one you like best. Or you can use all nine.
Watch your breath
The simplest and fast way relieve stress during pregnancy - monitor your breathing. Do you think it's impossible? Let's check.
So, get comfortable, you can generally lie down, and close your eyes. Try to relax your body as much as possible. Breathe in as slowly as possible into your lungs, hold your breath, slowly counting to four. Then exhale slowly. Before you take a new breath, hold your breath again for four counts.
How it works: Firstly, they make you breathe slowly, which means they prevent hyperventilation of the lungs, which often occurs during stress. Secondly, as long as you follow your breath and count to four, your overexcited mind is not up to the rest of the problems. Thus, you give him a breather and an opportunity to cope with stress.
Visualize Happiness
You have known for a long time. Remember how you loved to dream as a child. How vividly they imagined a carefree summer spent with their grandmother, and a fairy-tale country in which you were a real queen. So, nothing has changed - you still know how.
Close your eyes and imagine the place and time when you were happy. Walk mentally on hot sand or dew cool from the morning grass; listen to the splashing of the waves, the singing of birds; look at the rays of the sun breaking through the dense foliage, or at the soaring gulls; feel how the herbs warmed by the sun smell, inhale the coniferous-mushroom aroma after the rain.
Visualization of pleasant moments helps to get rid of psychological and bodily clamps, and the pleasant emotions that you experience at this moment are transmitted to the baby. By the way, this psychological reception will help you not to lose control over yourself. In the meantime, it will help relieve stress during pregnancy, find peace of mind and cope with anxious experiences.
To Relax, First Tighten Up
If you feel that stress seems to have fettered your entire body, your head has become heavy, and your hands are dropping, Jacobson's progressive muscle relaxation method will help restore mental balance. It is based on the idea that after strong tension, the muscles automatically relax.
For Jacobson relaxation, you need to lie on the floor on your back, close your eyes and select a small muscle group, such as your hands, abs, or calves. Tighten this group strongly for 5-10 seconds, and then suddenly relax and fully feel this relaxation.
Gradually increase the number of muscles involved in relaxation.
The classic scheme of progressive relaxation: sequential tension-relaxation from the muscles of the neck to the muscles of the tips of the legs.
Breathe in pleasant aromas
Another effective method dealing with stress can become . You can easily combine this method with others. For example, before practicing relaxation or visualization techniques, ventilate the room well and fill it with the scent of any essential oil that makes you feel good. You can add several oils to the aroma lamp at the same time.
Well reduce psycho-emotional stress neroli, bergamot and rose oil. Aromas of petitgrain have anti-stress properties (it helps not only with anxiety and anxiety, but also in case of panic attacks), eucalyptus, fir, pine.
Essential oils of lemon, grapefruit, jasmine, cypress, cinnamon and geranium improve mood and raise emotional tone. Soothe and help cope with lavender oil.
Chat with happy people
Often it is our environment that makes us happy or unhappy. Therefore, when stressed during pregnancy, it is important to communicate more with people who are positive, and limit contact with those who bring you down. If something is bothering you, meeting an optimistic girlfriend is the best cure for stress.
Don't be afraid to share your concerns, because speaking them out loud will reduce the intensity of your stress. Even studies confirm that sociable people overcome stress more easily. In addition, your girlfriend will surely have the right words of support for you. However, do not focus solely on your problems. Having spoken out, be sure to switch to other topics, take an interest in the affairs of a friend - this will also help to distract from disturbing thoughts for a while.
Get creative
If you are now thinking that this method will definitely not help you, because you are not a creative person ... We assure you, it does not matter. Do you know how to knead clay, for example? You know how! Can you make a bun? Still would! Here, do it. It is not the result that is important here, but the process, because clay modeling is a massage of the fingers and palms, which relieves tension and leads to peace. You can fashion some kind of figure that would be associated with your problem, and then get rid of it, and with it, unpleasant emotions.
Also great - intuitive drawing. You don't have to be an artist for this. You can even draw not with brushes, but with your fingers - this has a beneficial effect on the functioning of the nervous system. Trust your intuition, it will definitely tell you what to draw.
Also, negative thoughts will be forced out of the head and activities that require concentration, such as knitting, embroidery, scrapbooking, will balance the nervous system.
Get out into nature
True, when you found out about your pregnancy, you almost immediately wanted to go somewhere to the village, where there is fresh air, cucumbers from the garden, apples from the garden, milk from a real cow, and peace and grace around. Yes, it helps calm the nerves. As well as rest in the mountains or on the seashore. But if your nerves are failing right now, and you may be at work, then get out to the nearest park. Quarreled with your husband? To the park!
Enclosed in four walls, the problems increase markedly and seem insoluble. But as soon as you take them out into the open, they begin to shrink and return to the state of the little things of life. In the meantime, you enjoy the singing of birds, the rustle of leaves, saturate your body with oxygen and take free vitamin D3.
Contemplate the beautiful
So, you got out into nature, and that in itself is good. But you can still enhance the effect and faster, if you try the method of contemplation. It sounds serious, but in reality everything is simple and pleasant. While walking, just look around, trying to notice more details: from a black crow on top of a poplar tree to a ladybug landing on your sleeve.
Sitting on a bench or just on the grass, choose some interesting object for yourself and study it. It could be a tree with an interesting twist, or a cloud that looks like someone's face. Look at them, try not to have anything else occupy your attention for a while.
Go in for sports
They say you can't run away from problems. Don't believe! Most effective method Stress management is physical activity. Because during exercise, endorphins are released - hormones of happiness. So - the best medicine for stress.
Don't want to run? Dance! Music plus physical activity is a double whammy for stress. If you want something quieter, find out. The main thing is not to sit idly by.
Drink fresh
Fresh juices will save you from stress. Studies conducted by British scientists have shown that one glass of pomegranate juice a day reduces stress levels, and with regular use of freshly squeezed pomegranate juice, you will not only react less to external stimuli, but also feel an emotional lift! Carrot and pumpkin juices will also improve mood and help during pregnancy, because they are rich in vitamins and trace elements that have a beneficial effect on the nervous system.
Stress, even in the normal state of a person, is a very serious test for any organism. What can we say about how hard it is tolerated during pregnancy. At this time, both external factors (cold and heat, hunger and thirst, physical activity, etc.), as well as emotional, psychological ones (resentment, fatigue, fear of childbirth, death of a loved one, nervous tension, etc.) can disable the nervous system. .). Any nervous stress during pregnancy is dangerous both for the health of the woman herself and for the condition of the child she is carrying.
It often happens that a pregnant woman does not even notice that she is under constant stress. She gets used to it so much that she takes all her fears and worries for granted. In the meantime, constant stress during pregnancy is doing its destructive work from the inside. Therefore, every expectant mother should be able to analyze her condition and pay attention to the main symptoms of stress:
- apathy, indifference to everything, lethargy;
- decrease in working capacity;
- lack and loss of appetite;
- periods of inexplicable anxiety, nervousness;
- frequent heartbeat;
- dizziness;
- tremor of the limbs (their trembling);
- lowered immunity - frequent colds.
If all this is the case, most likely, your condition is serious enough and requires prompt correction. Scientists have found that in the female body in a state of stress during pregnancy, the amount of special hormones, glucocorticoids, increases significantly. And they affect not only genes, but also have a close relationship with the work of the placenta. Accordingly, their consequences can be the most serious.
Why is stress dangerous during pregnancy?
There are women who talk about the strongest stresses they endured during pregnancy, which had absolutely no effect on the condition of their baby and childbirth. These are very controversial situations, since the consequences can manifest themselves much later - problems can begin in a child at school or transitional age, when serious changes in the psyche occur. Doctors have long explained how stress affects pregnancy and the future health of the baby. It can lead to the following consequences:
- small ;
- premature birth;
- stress in late pregnancy provokes anomalies in the formation of the child's nervous system;
- problems of adaptation in the team;
- autism or hyperactivity;
- fears and phobias;
- stress on early dates pregnancy can lead to severe fetal hypoxia.
- enuresis;
- terrible birth anomalies - such as "cleft lip" or "cleft palate";
- allergic and asthmatic reactions in the newborn;
- the development of diabetes;
- cardiovascular diseases;
As you can see, being strong is a very serious test for both the baby and the expectant mother. That is why it is so important to try to avoid it by all means. And this should be understood not only by the woman herself, but first of all by those who surround her during this period of life.
How to avoid stress during pregnancy?
To help a pregnant woman avoid the terrible consequences of a stressful state should be the doctor observing her, and her relatives and friends. After all, it is on the latter that her psycho-emotional state depends. Pregnancy is not a time for quarrels, tantrums, and even more so divorces. To avoid nervous tension, the expectant mother needs to know methods that quickly and effectively restore peace of mind.
- Learn to control your thoughts: stop thinking about the bad, wait only for the negative. Tune in to the positive and think about a safe birth and your baby, whom you will soon be hugging. If you feel that you are not able to do this yourself, be sure to sign up for special trainings or go to a psychologist.
- Don't be alone with your fears. Find someone you can tell everything to. Do not leave negativity in yourself, get rid of it by any means.
- Walk more in the fresh air, do not forget to ventilate your room.
- Eat well, especially fresh fruits and vegetables in your diet.
- Sleep as much as you want.
- Do physical education for pregnant women: special, swimming, even yoga.
- Communicate only with those people who are pleasant to you. Eliminate from your social circle those who often offend you or just annoy you.
- Get plenty of rest, especially in the first few months. While you are working, your lunch break is a must. Do not work in the evenings: before going to bed, you need to learn how to relax and get pleasant emotions from some favorite thing that gives you pleasure.
- There are many ways to relax: discover the world of aromatherapy, book a massage or acupuncture, meditate.
Every woman who is preparing to become a mother should be very clear about the dangers of stress during pregnancy and why it is so important to avoid it by any means. To keep your baby safe negative consequences, you need to be able to concentrate on the main thing - on your position, and try to ignore annoying little things and failures.
Stress during pregnancy can be caused by both external and internal factors. From the first days of pregnancy, a complete restructuring begins in the body. At the beginning of pregnancy, nausea may begin, later frequent urge to urinate, constipation, heartburn, digestive system upset, bad or vice versa, increased appetite, dizziness, etc. others suffer from all the symptoms at once, others are tormented by only some of them. A psychological condition often joins a poor physical condition. Pregnant women, and at the same time those around them, are tormented by frequent mood swings, tearfulness, irritability, resentment, increased anxiety, vague fears, etc. In the second trimester, the gums may begin to bleed, headaches, runny nose, slight swelling may disturb.
The very state of pregnancy causes a woman a little stress, primarily from changes in hormonal levels. A woman during this period is preparing to become a mother, which completely changes her previous lifestyle - and this is also a kind of stress. Added to this are problems at work or in family life, a woman begins to worry greatly about her future and the future of her baby. Closer to childbirth, a woman is haunted by fear of this process, especially if the child is the first and the pregnancy was not going very well. Stress in small doses is even useful, both for mom and baby. But if this condition haunts a pregnant woman for a very long time and manifests itself quite strongly, in this case it is worth seeking help from a specialist, because the negative effects of stress can seriously affect the mental health of the child.
By about the fifth month, the woman’s physical condition returns to normal, she is not bothered by morning sickness, frequent headaches disappear, she is less often irritated over trifles, and she is happy from the realization that a small life lives in her. But over time, a woman feels pulling pains in the lower abdomen, this is due to the fact that the ligaments that support the abdominal press are tightened. She is more and more distracted, more tired, closer to childbirth there is a feeling of fear of this process, especially in first-borns.
All these conditions cause some stress in the body of a pregnant woman, but not in the usual sense. Such shallow experiences do not affect the health of the future person, moreover, with small negative emotions, the hormone cortisol appears in the human body. This hormone, in reasonable doses, is necessary for the child to proper development. And with severe stress, cortisol in the body of the mother, and, consequently, the child, receives too much, which, according to experts, can lead to congenital pathologies.
Severe stress during pregnancy
If a woman experiences severe stress during pregnancy, her chances of giving birth to an autistic child are doubled (autistic is a person with a mental disorder, which is characterized by immersion in the personal world, such people have a greatly weakened connection with the outside world, they lose interest to reality, there is no desire for communication, they have a very meager emotional manifestation).
Such conclusions were made by American scientists who conducted an experiment involving five hundred pregnant women. During the experiment, experts assessed stress by the strength of the impact. As it turned out, women in whose group of stressful situations were superior in strength to others were 2 times more likely to have children who were subsequently diagnosed with autism.
Severe stress, according to doctors, is moving to a new place of residence, bereavement of loved ones, job loss, conflicts with relatives, etc. It is especially dangerous if a woman has undergone severe stress from the 24th to the 28th week of pregnancy, since during this period the mother's nervous strain can be very strongly reflected in the baby's brain.
As a result of the research, it turned out that the appearance of autism is associated not only with genetic abnormalities, as previously assumed, but to a large extent this is due to the negative factors of the surrounding world, in particular, the psycho-emotional state of the mother during pregnancy.
Nervous stress during pregnancy
Nervous stress during pregnancy is accompanied by every woman. Even in those moments when she is absolutely happy, a woman endures heavy mental stress. Any external irritant, which is conditionally divided into physical and mental, can lead to a severe psychological shock. The physical source of stress is characterized by a constant effect on the body of a pregnant woman - heat or cold, thirst or hunger, heavy physical exertion. Physical stress is possible with malnutrition, insufficient sleep, reduced physical activity. With psychological sources of stress, emotional overstrain is observed, this state can be provoked by a lie of a loved one, resentment, as well as situations where there is a threat to personal relationships (for example, with a husband), social status, financial condition. Also, lack of time can lead to psychological stress, when responsibility is felt, but there is no time to think about a decision. Moreover, the source of stress here is precisely the attitude of a person to the situation.
Stress loads accompany a woman throughout pregnancy. The main sources of stress here are natural restructuring, pregnancy, which was not included in the plans, thoughts about how to live on, about the health of the child, fear of childbirth. Experiences are usually associated with the news of pregnancy, the need to attend a consultation, communicate with doctors, conflict situations in the family or at work.
Stress during pregnancy has a very strong effect on the nervous system of the unborn child. As a result of frequent nervous shocks of the mother during pregnancy, children grow up more nervous, restless, it is harder for them to adapt to the world around them. Children whose mothers were pregnant who suffered from the cruelty of their husbands showed lower intellectual development than their peers who developed in calm conditions. Scientists have found that the cause of this is the hormone cortisol - the higher its level in the mother's blood, and, accordingly, in the amniotic fluid, the higher the risk of developmental delays. Approximately 15% of children who have anxiety, attention deficit, delays in the development of psychomotor functions, became victims of a strong nervous shock of the mother, transferred during fetal development. The most dangerous for the expectant mother is the stress in which she is subjected to cruel treatment, in this case, the risk of hyperactivity syndrome is doubled. If the mother's stress during pregnancy could be reduced in a timely manner, the development of hundreds of thousands of severe psychological and neurological disorders in children could be avoided.
Experts say that stress and negativity cannot be kept in oneself, one must get rid of it. Sometimes you need to talk to make it easier. Nervous strain can be relieved by having fun and relaxing time. If there is no positive dynamics, you should definitely consult a doctor, you may need the help of a qualified specialist. It is necessary to understand the source of the stressful situation and eliminate it from your life as completely as possible.
Sleep is the most the best remedy for the treatment of stress, nervous tension and anxiety can occur from lack of sleep. Therefore, you need to rest more. If it’s hard to fall asleep, you need to do interesting active work (as far as possible), then the body tired during the day will relax and rest faster. You can take a warm bath before bed. Activity to some extent helps to get rid of nervous tension, so you can consult a doctor about special exercises or gymnastics for pregnant women. There are many hobbies that will help you forget unpleasant moments, get distracted - cooking, walking, taking photos, reading, etc. During pregnancy, the main thing is to see everything only positive sides, if possible, avoid stressful situations and set yourself up for the best.
Constant stress during pregnancy
Prolonged stress during pregnancy negatively affects both the health of the expectant mother and the health of her child. Strong and prolonged nervous shocks exhaust the body of a pregnant woman, she becomes lethargic, lethargic, suffers from insomnia, anxiety causes trembling in the body, heart palpitations. Severe stress can cause skin rashes, headaches, and soreness in the body. With such stress, various complications of pregnancy are possible. A woman may suffer from increased toxicosis, chronic diseases are exacerbated, a newborn may have congenital malformations.
In addition, constant nervous tension negatively affects the immune system, which is already greatly weakened during pregnancy. The body's weak defenses cannot cope with the viruses that enter the body, so the woman is in a constant painful state. A difficult physical condition is aggravated by an even more severe mental one - complete discontent, apathy, irritability. But no matter how hard it is for a woman, at this moment it is even harder for a man who has not yet been born into the world, and if a woman does not change her mind in time and does not bring her mental state back to normal, this little man may never know what life is.
Constant stress during pregnancy has very serious consequences, which is why you need to get rid of it as quickly as possible. The best option during pregnancy is to learn how to prevent such nervous shocks. A woman in position should think more about pleasant things, she should be able (or learn) to relax, it may not be superfluous to attend special yoga courses for pregnant women. All existing problems should not be kept in oneself, they should be immediately expressed, discussed in a calm atmosphere with loved ones. If you want to cry - cry, if you laugh - laugh, you should never be ashamed of your own feelings, especially for pregnant women, for whom a good emotional state is extremely important. Your motto during this period should be "movement is life." Try to walk as often as possible, swimming is very useful for pregnant women. As you know, sleep cures all diseases, stress among them. If you do not get enough sleep, then stress in this case is guaranteed.
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Effects of stress during pregnancy
Stress reduces the body's defenses. If a person is subject to frequent stressful conditions, he is more susceptible to infectious diseases, and this is extremely harmful for a pregnant woman. But, stress during pregnancy is a fairly common condition, unfortunately. If the state of stress is not deep and passes relatively quickly, then there is nothing dangerous in this. Such light and short conditions, as it were, train the body of a woman before childbirth, strengthen the nervous system of the baby in the tummy.
The situation is different with a prolonged, severe state of stress during pregnancy. This condition is harmful both to the woman herself and to her unborn child. Prolonged depression drains vitality. The woman becomes lethargic, sleepy, suffers from insomnia at night. The baby will have the same state when he is born, if the mother does not find the strength to overcome this difficult condition.
Stress during pregnancy has serious consequences: severe anxiety, which can occur even without serious reasons, tachycardia (rapid heartbeat), trembling in the hands, in the chest, dizziness, headache attacks, rash (manifested in especially sensitive women). Toxicosis manifests itself much more severely, as a result of a weakened immune system in a woman, which threatens with pathologies in the development of a child.
The central nervous system child. If a pregnant woman is constantly under stress, the nervous system of her child will be extremely vulnerable. Even at a conscious age, it will be very difficult for a child to adapt to the world around him, he will be very restless, nervous, anxious. Such children are more prone to various fears than their peers. Allergies and asthma are one of the consequences of a mother's stress during pregnancy, and this can be a consequence of both prolonged stress and a short, but strong and frequent stress state. If it were possible to find a way to reduce stress levels, many children would not suffer from severe psychological and neurological disorders. If the mother experienced severe nervous tension in the first three months of pregnancy, then her child may develop schizophrenia over time, since it is during this period that the baby's nervous system is formed. The chances of developing schizophrenia in this case are approximately 70%. Experts are unequivocal in their conclusions: external psychological factors have a direct impact on the formation of the nervous system in the early stages of human development.
Every pregnant woman noticed that in case of anxiety, the baby began to actively move. There is a simple explanation for this - if the mother is in an anxious state, the child does not have enough oxygen and, with his movements, he seems to begin to massage the placenta in order to get blood with the necessary elements.
A child whose mother was often nervous during pregnancy will suffer from enuresis and diabetes in the future. Also, autism is one of the consequences of a strong nervous tension of the mother during pregnancy.
With a strong nervous shock of the mother, her body can independently get rid of the weak male fetus, i.e. this can lead to miscarriage. By the way, but for unknown reasons, the body does not get rid of the female fetus. It is also interesting that boys who were born when the mother was in a very stressful state live much longer than those who appeared in this world under favorable conditions.
Malformation of the fetus, popularly referred to as "cleft lip" or "cleft palate" was observed among women who were in a long stressful state during pregnancy. The risk of developing a malformation in women in constant nervous tension is 2 times higher than in those who were more calm during pregnancy. Strongly restless women risk giving birth prematurely, the weight of the child in this case will be much lower than normal and the chances of survival for such children are very small. If such children survive, then they have a deformation of all body functions, so such children are prone to frequent illnesses.
Conflict situations in the family can lead to mental and emotional inhibition in a child. Also, frequent quarrels in the family can provoke premature birth or miscarriage. Constant stress leads to a long delivery, during which the child may die. Poor sleep, dissatisfaction with oneself, severe fatigue leads to premature and rapid childbirth.
Stress during pregnancy is a condition that needs to be dealt with urgently. A woman, first of all, should think about the health of her baby, whose life is now completely dependent on her, and not only from a strong physical condition, but also a balanced emotional and mental one. A woman must remember that any of her anxiety cuts off the oxygen to her child, he literally begins to suffocate. It is for this reason that when mom is nervous, he begins to actively move to show her how bad he is now.
], [Stress is the body's reaction to the impact of various adverse factors (physical or psychological). Being short-term, it does not pose a threat and helps to adapt to circumstances, but if this state is delayed, negative consequences inevitably occur. Stress is especially dangerous in the early stages of pregnancy, as well as throughout the rest of the period of bearing a child.
Increased psycho-emotional stress to which the expectant mother is exposed can cause many complications related to the health of the woman and the fetus. Therefore, all pregnant women should learn to protect themselves from stress, recognize its signs in time and take the necessary measures.
Most people get into stressful situations on a daily basis. As a result, one gets used to this state of affairs and the person stops paying attention to it.
You can understand that the situation has become critical by a number of symptoms indicating constant stress:
- apathy, lethargy;
- decrease in working capacity;
- difficulty falling asleep, restless sleep;
- attacks of tachycardia (rapid heartbeat);
- lack of appetite;
- dizziness, tremor of the limbs;
- increased blood pressure;
- decreased immunity (frequent and prolonged colds).
Some people react to stress differently. For example, there are sudden headaches, causeless discomfort in the abdomen, skin itching, a feeling of lack of air.
Causes
The causes of stress can be many, they depend on life circumstances and perception of a person. The fact that for some expectant mothers is quite normal and does not cause psychological discomfort, for others it becomes a problem.
Sometimes a stressful situation arises even because of weather conditions(intense heat, cold rain). The reason can also be a change of residence, a change in the regime of the day, hunger, excessive physical activity.
Often, stress is associated with the state of pregnancy itself. The most common concerns for expectant mothers include:
- Physiological changes. Weight gain, the appearance of stretch marks, the fear of spoiling the figure and losing attractiveness can put many people into a state of stress. It is important to remember that it is temporary and reversible.
- Childbirth fear. The process of giving birth to a child is shrouded in many myths and conjectures, in which it is the quintessence of danger and pain. Of course, this does not contribute to the positive mood of the expectant mother.
- Anxiety about a child. While waiting for the baby, especially if the pregnancy is complicated, the woman worries about him, fearing a miscarriage, premature birth, possible congenital pathologies and abnormalities in the development of the fetus. All this can lead to prolonged stress.
- Family problems. During pregnancy, sometimes there is a cooling between the spouses. It may seem to a woman that her husband does not understand her and does not fully support her. Added to this are the experiences associated with the imminent change in the way of life. Such problems are more typical for couples expecting their first child.
- Financial difficulties. If the family has a small income, the costs associated with the upcoming replenishment can overshadow the joy of future parents.
- Conflicts and difficulties at work. Since most women are forced to work until the 30th week of pregnancy, solving work tasks and communicating with the team can be a burden on the expectant mother. After all, with the growth of the abdomen, it is more and more difficult to cope with work, and the nervous system becomes more vulnerable.
In addition to the usual negative factors, unforeseen circumstances are possible. The death of a loved one, a break in relations with a spouse, an accident or an accident can cause severe stress during pregnancy, which has sad consequences.
Danger
It was found that in response to stress in the human body, special hormones are produced - glucocorticoids. The result of a frequent increase in their concentration in the blood of a pregnant woman can be pathologies of the placenta and a violation of the development of the child.
The likelihood of these and other negative consequences is not one hundred percent. In many ways, the danger of stress experienced by a woman for the fetus depends on the gestational age.
In the early stages
In the first trimester of pregnancy, when the baby's organs and nervous system are laid down, strong feelings are especially undesirable. This can lead to miscarriage or the formation of maxillofacial anomalies of the fetus (cleft soft and hard palate).
Also, as a result of the stress experienced by the expectant mother, the child increases the risk of developing schizophrenia in the future, and the immune system suffers. Possible disruption of the functioning of the placenta, lagging intrauterine development of the fetus due to hypoxia.
At a later date
If a woman experiences stress in the second and third trimesters of pregnancy, the child has a tendency to, hyperactivity,. In the later stages, sometimes there is a multiple entanglement of the fetus with the umbilical cord, due to its active movements during the psycho-emotional stress of the mother.
Pregnant women have an increased risk of developing diabetes. Against the background of constant stress, complicated prolonged labor or premature birth of a child is possible.
How to avoid?
To maintain their health and protect the baby, the expectant mother should try to avoid stressful situations. For example, stop communicating with unpleasant people who provoke conflicts. If it is impossible to eliminate stressors, you need to try to change your attitude to the situation.
Make a list of the reasons that cause psycho-emotional stress, write down ideas for how you can reduce their influence next to it, and follow this plan. When you get into an unpleasant situation, do not forget about self-control and do not exaggerate the importance of what is happening.
Also to increase stress resistance will help:
- walks in the open air;
- full sleep;
- a balanced diet that includes many vegetables and fruits;
- light physical activity, if there are no contraindications (, swimming, yoga for pregnant women);
- communication with friends and pleasant people;
- making time for hobbies or extra rest.
Some pregnant women find aromatherapy and meditation to help them relax. Whatever you do, a positive attitude is important. Remember that within 9 months you are responsible not only for yourself and it is in your power to create comfortable conditions for the baby to develop.
What to do with stress?
According to experts, the worst thing to do is to keep negative emotions in itself. Therefore, if it was not possible to avoid stress, you need to learn how to deal with it correctly.
You can relieve stress in the following ways:
- Take a few slow deep breaths in and out. Focus on breathing and imagine how oxygen is supplied to the baby, stroke the stomach with light massaging movements.
- Listen to music for relaxation. To do this, you can create a special collection of pleasant calm melodies.
- If you are at home, take a warm bath with aromatic oils.
It will be easier to survive an unpleasant situation if you speak out, discussing it with a loved one - husband, mother, girlfriend. It is also useful to attend relaxing massage sessions, if there are no medical contraindications to this. It is recommended to read light books, such as women's novels, and watch only positive films.
An important role in the fight against chronic stress is given to sleep - pregnant women need to sleep at least 9 hours a day. If it is difficult to fall asleep due to nervous strain, you may need to take light herbal sedatives, such as tincture or. The dosage and duration of their intake should be discussed with your doctor.
If all of the above does not help, do not be afraid to seek qualified help. In difficult situations, when it is impossible to find support among relatives, working out the problem with a psychologist gives good results.
Consequences
Stress allows you to mobilize the forces of the body for a short time, due to the production of a number of hormones by the endocrine glands. At the same time, the heart rate increases, the level of blood pressure rises, and sweating occurs. But after a period of resistance negative impact comes the stage of exhaustion.
Such overloads strike at the nervous and immune systems. The number of T-lymphocytes responsible for fighting viruses and infections decreases, which increases the likelihood of prolonged and complicated colds. With chronic stress, these changes become permanent. Against their background, exacerbation of chronic diseases and even the development of oncological processes are possible.
Increased psycho-emotional stress is undesirable for any person, but a pregnant body is especially susceptible to its influence. Loss of strength, seizures, complicated colds, the risk of developing late toxicosis - all this threatens the expectant mother, who often experiences negative emotions. The consequences of stress during pregnancy also affect the child, causing deviations in his physical and emotional development.
A woman preparing to become a mother should be aware of her responsibility for the life of the baby. Avoiding stress during pregnancy and getting rid of unnecessary worries, you will protect the child and keep your health.
Useful video: how to deal with stress during pregnancy
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Severe stress negatively affects the mental and physical condition person. An acute shock affects the functioning of the immune system, health and performance deteriorate. Therefore, during the bearing of a child, it is extremely unfavorable. Not only the mother's body suffers, but also the fetus.
Of course, within nine months it is impossible to completely isolate oneself from exciting situations, but it is an acute and protracted stress factor that is dangerous. Powerful emotional trauma can cause the development of various pathologies, for example, missed pregnancy. But not everything is so scary. Scientists believe that small worries are even beneficial for the female body and the nervous system of the baby. Serious damage is caused only by constant stress and deep feelings. What consequences, in addition to a missed pregnancy, can be with a prolonged stress factor?
The effect of stress on the female body
Long-term chronic stress affects the condition of a pregnant woman as follows:
- Increased blood pressure, palpitations, breathing problems, tachycardia, dizziness. Some women complain of pain in the chest and abdomen, incessant migraines.
- In the first trimester, many women are haunted by toxicosis, and constant stress enhances its manifestations.
- A pregnant woman is unable to cope with emotions, she can often cry, she is haunted by apathy and fatigue. does not allow the woman to relax, she is tense and in a state of anxiety.
- Decreased overall tone and strength. A woman constantly wants to sleep during the day, and at night she cannot sleep. This behavior will subsequently be in the baby.
Exposure to prolonged stress during gestation leads to depression, irritability, and dissatisfaction with one's position.
Mental stress and pregnancy
Regular ones also affect the bearing of the fetus. What is the danger of a stress factor?
- Traumatic circumstances can provoke such an undesirable phenomenon as a miscarriage. It has been proven that constant worrying increases the risk of miscarriage in the first trimester.
- Due to prolonged emotional experiences, the outflow of amniotic fluid may begin ahead of time, and this is an unfavorable development of events for the baby.
- In the first trimester, the most dangerous periods include the eighth week of gestation. At this time, the fetus is sensitive to stressful circumstances and a strong traumatic factor can lead to a miscarriage. In this case, the embryo stops developing. Additional causes of missed pregnancy include alcohol abuse, infectious diseases, hormonal imbalance, weight lifting, previous abortions. But in some cases, doctors do not see any other reason for the appearance of a missed pregnancy, except nervous stress. Signs of a missed pregnancy may also appear in the second trimester, especially at 16 and 18 weeks.
Any deviation from the normal course of pregnancy exacerbates the emotional state of the woman. And some pathologies, for example, the occurrence of a missed pregnancy or miscarriage, greatly affect the overall well-being.
Effects of stress on the baby
The mother's fetus is most susceptible. Stress during pregnancy negatively affects the baby for the following reasons:
- Medical experts say that during a period of strong excitement, the nervous system of the baby suffers greatly. If the expectant mother experienced stress during pregnancy, then after birth the child may suffer from hyperactivity. Such children are prone to various phobias, their adaptive threshold is lowered.
- Stress during pregnancy has a negative impact on the health of the baby. The fetus suffers from intrauterine hypoxia, and after birth, the child is prone to allergic and asthmatic reactions.
- According to some reports, in the early stages of pregnancy, namely in the first trimester, it can provoke the development of schizophrenia in a child. Researchers talk about a seventy percent chance.
- The child needs calm emotions of the mother. If a woman is subject to negative thoughts, then the consequences of negative experiences affect the psyche of the child. A balanced mother can give her child health, both mental and physical. Some scientists believe that the manifestation of a missed pregnancy should be sought in the nervous excitability of the mother.
- The cause of enuresis, diabetes, autism also lies in the stressful state of the expectant mother. Severe trauma is a factor in many adversities in the baby, for example, prematurity, or the unviability of the baby.
Stress during pregnancy affects not only the woman, but also her unborn child. The baby suffers from the anxieties and worries of the mother. The cause of many problems lies behind the stress of pregnancy. You should be wary of strong unrest, not only in the first trimester, but throughout the entire period of bearing a child. In this case, many negative aspects can be avoided, for example, the occurrence of a missed pregnancy or the outflow of amniotic fluid.
Video: Ayvazyan Tatyana Albertovna, professor, doctor medical sciences, with the topic "Why does depression occur during pregnancy?"