Stress during pregnancy if not improved soon can seriously affect the health, mental health of the mother as well as the development of the fetus. Families need to encourage pregnant women to get enough sleep, eat healthy foods, practice sports daily, and talk and share more to relieve discomfort, anxiety, and focus on positive and happy things. happier.
Manifestations of stress during pregnancy
Statistics show that most women experience stress during pregnancy, but with early support, it is not dangerous. There are many causes of stress during pregnancy, in which hormonal factors, changes in the body as well as external environmental influences are the main problems that make pregnant women always restless and anxious. quiet, easily angered.
People who are stressed during pregnancy can easily cry at any time, the mood also becomes more irritable
Specifically, the body needs to change hormones to create favorable conditions for childbirth, but these hormones affect mood, making pregnant women more irritable and angry. In addition, excessive weight gain, worsening skin, many acne are also causes of stress during the last 3 months of pregnancy. The lack of attention from the husband, conflicts with the husband’s family or worries about finances, how to take care of children are also related to this condition.
Some common symptoms of stress during pregnancy are as follows:
- Frequently feeling irritable, angry, annoyed with many things
- Always feel aches and pains, headaches, stomachaches, backaches for no apparent reason, so just lie down in one place.
- It’s easy to cry even though it’s not a problem to the extent that it should be
- Tendency to lose appetite or overeat, especially cravings for sweets. Especially, signs of stress in the first 3 months of pregnancy are usually sweet cravings such as milk tea, cakes, even some people can drink 2-3 cups of milk tea and soft drinks every day.
- Having trouble sleeping, often having trouble falling asleep or sleeping too much, feeling like you have no energy to wake up
- Always feel frustrated and uncomfortable but don’t want to share it with anyone. These emotions accumulate for a long time, making stressed women during pregnancy always feel melancholy, hopeless and easily lead to other more serious psychological problems.
- Absent-minded, distracted, difficult to complete something
- More agitated than usual, pregnant women may scream or even bang things if they feel angry or upset.
- Some people tend to use alcohol or tobacco to relieve emotions
- Tends to be less interested in talking, shutting down, not liking going to crowded places or meeting friends like before, but just wants to go home and lie down.
- Stress during pregnancy also makes pregnant women more susceptible to problems such as infections and flu
In fact, these symptoms are easy to see and many people often blame these emotions on hormone changes, few people understand that pregnant women are under stress. These emotions, if not quickly supported and relieved, can progress to many other bad consequences, directly affecting the quality of life, health and sperm of both mother and fetus, so absolutely not subjective.
Stress during pregnancy affects pregnant women
Pregnant women are inherently sensitive subjects, sometimes a word that is not delicate, such as criticizing the pregnant woman for getting fatter and fatter, is enough to make them think all day. Maternal stress during pregnancy causes consequences not only on mental health but also on health and quality of daily life. There are even people who have thoughts of wanting to die during pregnancy due to severe stress.
So what are the effects on the life of a stressed mother during pregnancy?
Increased risk of psychological problems
Severe stress pregnant women, if not supported early, will be the leading cause of pregnancy depression, anxiety disorders or a variety of other psychological problems. When under stress, pregnant women’s psychology is always extremely stressed, tired, melancholy, looking at everything feels negative. If you don’t say it, it will be like a volcano with full of lava inside, once it erupts, you don’t know what will happen.
The rate of pregnant women suffering from depression is very high, which is developed from severe stress but is not treated early
People with psychological problems often tend to hurt themselves, always feel guilty, hate themselves or have people who think that because of their children, they become like that. Many people begin to think about suicide and plan to commit these acts without anyone knowing. By the time it was discovered, it was too late. Many similar cases have happened because of the carelessness of family members.
Increased risk of physical problems
Eating disorders are also a common problem in people who are stressed during pregnancy. Some people eat too much or lose their appetite, no longer feel good, eating times are also extremely erratic such as eating too late, eating too full in the evening. Therefore, many people have had stomach problems such as acid reflux or gastritis.
Problems with blood pressure, heart disease are also a situation that many people are stressed during pregnancy. Because stress often leads to increased blood pressure, it also affects the health of the cardiovascular system. Some common specific symptoms such as heart palpitations, shortness of breath, chest pain, cold limbs, easy numbness ..
There are some other physical problems that people who carry psychological stress during pregnancy such as easy fever, susceptibility to infections, vision loss, bone and joint problems, headaches, abdominal pain, etc. With signs of stress during pregnancy such as abdominal pain, back pain, frequent headaches, if you go back to the doctor, you can’t find out exactly what is the cause.
Affects the nervous system
Research shows that people who show signs of stress during pregnancy may have an increased risk of nervous system problems later in life. For example, migraine, poor memory, the older you get, the easier it is to get confused. Frequent insomnia, difficulty sleeping at the present time also inherently affects the brain and nerves of pregnant women.
Impact on quality of life and relationships
When the mood is not happy, most of what you do, you will feel frustrated, frustrated, annoyed, and see only ugly negative things everywhere you look. Therefore, while angry, it is inevitable that sometimes pregnant women can say bad words that hurt the opposite people. The irritability and irritability of a stressed mother during pregnancy also greatly affects her feelings for her husband or the people around her.
Stressed pregnant women often have conflicts and conflicts with their husbands
Even when we are stressed, we find everything and everyone around us really uncomfortable. The more closed you are, the more you drown your melancholy anger inside, the more serious it will be when it breaks out. Especially if the husband or family members are not patient at this stage, it can cause a lot of conflicts.
Increased risk of preterm birth
The influence of hormones and stress in pregnant women can cause many people to have premature birth a long time ahead of schedule, especially if stressed during the first 3 months of pregnancy. Premature birth may require a cesarean section, which can affect both the health and the fetus, especially related to future pregnancies and births, so it must not be subjective.
Stress during pregnancy and its effects on the fetus
Stress during pregnancy not only affects the mother’s health but also seriously affects the development of the baby. Especially if the symptoms of stress during pregnancy progress and lead to depression or an anxiety disorder, the higher levels of danger are not easy to treat.
Maternal stress during pregnancy can directly affect the development and health of the fetus
So what are the effects on the fetus when the mother is stressed during pregnancy?
- Increased risk of miscarriage: mothers who are stressed during pregnancy often have a high risk of preterm birth or miscarriage due to the aftershocks that this condition causes or also related to poor diet, lifestyle and rest. strength of pregnant women due to excessive stress.
- Children with low birth weight: This condition is also related to unhealthy self-care habits from the mother that prevent the baby from being provided with enough nutrients for development. There are babies born with only about 2 pounds due to constant stress from their mothers
- Effects on young brain: Some studies show that stress can cause the body to accumulate many toxins and affect the brain structure of the fetus. Especially at the 32nd week of pregnancy, if the mother is still often stressed, the baby may be mentally retarded, less intelligent and slower.
- Increased risk of psycho-neurological problems: Children born to mothers who are stressed during pregnancy are also at increased risk of problems such as depression, anxiety disorders, behavioral disorders, increased activities…
- Besides, education and interaction from stressed mothers also increase these factors.
- Sleep disorders: mother and fetus are always closely related, even after the child has been born. If the mother has trouble sleeping during pregnancy, the baby is also likely to have sleep problems. Therefore, children will tend to cry more, more difficult to take care of
- Increased risk of birth defects: if you just stop at the level of stress, the rate of birth defects is usually not too high. However, if the mother has progressed to depression or other problems, this risk is quite high, especially if the mother self-medicated but not properly treated.
In general, stress during pregnancy will cause a lot of effects on the health of the baby if not changed soon. Babies born often have a tendency to be irritable, easily fussy, have trouble sleeping or slow to grow, which can all be related to the stress and excessive stress of the pregnant mother from before.
Ways to prevent the risk of depression for pregnant women
In fact, almost any pregnant woman has at least one episode when she feels stressed, easily angered for no reason. However, there are people who are cared for and loved by their family and husband or can share their worries with others, this situation can disappear quickly, not to the extent that it affects their health. pregnancy.
The care, care and understanding of the husband during pregnancy will help minimize this risk
However, for many people, especially pregnant women who are inherently sensitive, overly worried, introverted, or whose husbands are not sensitive enough, the manifestations of stress during pregnancy are not only disappeared but became more and more serious. Only when pregnant women begin to tend to isolate themselves and engage in harmful behaviors, treatment becomes more difficult.
So how to avoid stress during pregnancy most effectively? This does not only need the pregnant woman to change, but also needs the support and understanding of many husbands and other family members. Specifically
- Spend a lot of time listening and sharing with pregnant women every day, especially the husband. Even if they spend all their time complaining, being annoyed, always be there to listen, encourage, avoid dismissing or saying they are annoying people. Sometimes just needing her husband to listen and agree is also the greatest consolation for a pregnant woman to be happier and eliminate all discomforts every day.
- If the pregnant woman is stressed due to pressure from her husband’s family or affected by the gossip of the people around, the husband should consider intervening or simply taking his wife to his grandmother’s house to live for a while.
- Do small actions, but enough to show care to the pregnant woman such as squeezing limbs, squeezing her back, giving flowers and gifts even though it’s not a special occasion. Husbands should also try to avoid conflicts during pregnancy and childbirth
- Create positive habits to take care of your health and spirit such as bathing, soaking with warm water; read parenting books; listening to music.. If you feel too stressed, you can also take a gentle walk around the house combined with deep breathing, and you will also feel a lot calmer.
- Studying meditation, learning yoga is also one of the extremely good measures for pregnant women, both good for the spirit, mood, and stimulating blood circulation to sleep better, reduce pain or numbness in the limbs. People who practice meditation or yoga every day are much more likely to give birth
- Pregnant women should actively seek help, such as sharing with their husbands, parents or close friends about the things that upset them, not keeping too much will only make themselves tired.
- Build a healthy scientific diet, enhance food groups such as lean meat, seafood, green vegetables, fresh fruits, nuts and dairy. Stay away from alcoholic beverages, hot spicy food, fast food, industrial food, stimulants, tobacco or coffee
- Take time for yourself, even if you are pregnant, don’t forget to take care of your beauty, shop or participate in activities you love, but remember that it needs to be suitable for your health status.
- Take prenatal classes to better understand how to raise and care for children, so that you can prepare mentally in time to avoid surprises.
- Be fully prepared financially for the process of giving birth, taking care of and raising children right after the time of giving birth
- See a psychologist if you feel mentally overwhelmed, melancholy, uncomfortable, unable to control it.
Stress during pregnancy, if it only lasts for a short time, is usually not too serious and can be handled easily, especially if you have a delicate and understanding husband who loves and protects his wife. Right from the time of pregnancy, each person needs to build a healthy lifestyle, always love themselves, and relax mentally every day to be able to minimize the risk of this disease.
