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Pregnancy is a wonderful phase for every mother. Its also a joyful phase as the baby’s and mother’s bonding develops. But the continuous thoughts about baby’s well being, fear of delivery, doubts about nurturing the baby and many other suspicion makes it stressful. The fluctuating hormones level, physical discomfort which worsen during later stage of pregnancy also adds to the stress and anxiety level. Sometimes it increases to the level of depression. It is very important to know that the repeated occurrence of annoying thoughts not only affect mother but also hinders baby’s development and well being. Therefore, management of stress and anxiety during pregnancy is very important.
If you are pregnant and feeling stressed then you don’t need to worry any more as there are many ways to manage the stress and discomfort affecting your baby’s well being. So being a wise mother, you need to be very attentive about yourself and follow some tips to calm down.
Management of Stress and Anxiety
1) Take Proper Rest
Pregnant mother is already suffering from pain and physical discomfort. If rest is not in your routine then the level of discomfort increases. This again aggravate your anxiety and stress, so taking proper rest to ease your body’s discomfort, to relax your mind and to combat with negative emotions is essential. During rest period visualize joyful thoughts of your baby, feel the presence of the baby in your womb. Try cold packs at the pain area. A tight massage will also relax your body and mind.
2) Take proper sleep
When you think excessively your mind get exhausted, it causes anxiety and stress. Repeated negative thought may interfere with your sleep pattern. If you are missing your power naps or your sleep is affected then it again worsen your situation. So always take proper sleep during night and one power nap in the afternoon is essential. So if your sleep is altered take shower before going to bed, darken your room, listen to meditation music, use pregnancy pillows for better support and positioning for sleeping.
3) Reading Books
If you are always doubtful about baby’s well being then try reading books related to prenatal & post natal phases; how to care for your baby after delivery. This will help you in developing parenting skills and your unnecessary doubts will go away. You can also join pre and post natal classes.
4) Practice Prenatal Yoga
Try deep breathing exercises, prenatal yoga and music to get rid of unwanted thoughts.
5) A Healthy Discussion
Discussion regarding your discomfort with your mother, friends or elderly people who have gone through this phase will help. If you are first time pregnant then you can learn tips & tricks and they help you to clear your doubts. Taking to your elderly or loved one will be great source of strength and support for you. Join would be Mom’s group & share your thoughts to make your journey wonderful; as they are probably experiencing same worries as you and they can be a great support.
6) Do not overload information
Spending a lot of time with mobile/laptop for gathering information regarding pregnancy and baby care can block your mind. Enjoy this time with family, partner, friends to make all of them a part of your memory.
7) Take advice from therapist
If these tips & tricks are not working for you and your anxiety is worsening then you must talk to your doctor and ask her to suggest a good therapist.
8) Healthy Diet
Last but not the least, enrich your diet with variety of cereals, vegetables, fruits, soups and juice to maintain your energy level. Take proper and balanced diet so that you can have a healthy baby.
You can also read my article “Tips to be fit during last trimester of pregnancy” to know how to keep yourself healthy during last months of pregnancy.