How to beat Fatigue and Emotional Mood Swings

It's an experience familiar to most pregnant women. It's that hairpin curve that takes you from pure bliss to the depths of depression in no time flat. One moment you're dreamily imagining those tiny fingers wrapping around your own, and the next minute there are tears streaming down your face. For the life of you, you just can't figure out why! The mood swings that often accompany pregnancy can be mystifying and unsettling, not only for you but for those around you as well. Understanding what causes them can help you deal with the ups and downs of pregnancy, and we can even take some steps to avoid the roller coaster.

 

There are many causes of mood swings and mood changes during pregnancy. The most commonly accepted explanation for most mood changes in pregnancy is hormones. When you're pregnant, your body body produces estrogen and progesterone in differing quantities. Those hormones are helping to prepare your body for birth, softening tissues and triggering the physical changes that will let you nurse your baby. Those hormones also affect your brain, triggering it to release more or less endorphins and other chemicals that affect your mood.

You may feel elated at times and at other times depressed or anxious. Moodiness and frequent mood swings are very common during pregnancy.   Typically, this moodiness flares up in the first trimester, eases up in the second trimester, and then reappears in the later stages of the third trimester.

 

Mood swings are often related to hormonal changes that are taking place in your body and to the common, but uncomfortable, physical changes that accompany pregnancy.  Indigestion and heartburn, fatigue, frequent urination, sleeplessness, constipation, and worries about weight gain or looking "fat", worry about what can happen during the pregnancy, concerns about labor and delivery, how adding a child to your life will affect your future, how it will affect your relationship with your partner, and general anxiety about the future all contribute to moodiness and rapidly changing mood swings.

 

Some of the following suggestions may help you:

• Try to keep in mind that emotional turmoil during pregnancy can be normal.
• Educate yourself about the common concerns of pregnancy and recognize that many of the changes taking place in your body are temporary.
• Eat regular meals and healthy food
• Get plenty of sleep and exercise.
• Ask your family and friends for support.
• Resist the desire to complete as many chores as you can before the baby arrives.
• Make sure to try to include something that daily makes you feel good.
• If your moods and mood swings seem severe or last for more than 2-3 weeks and do not seem to be getting any better, talk to your health care provider or a professional counselor. You may be suffering from depression or from some sort of anxiety disorder.
• Watch your health. Nourish your body with healthy foods and plenty of water. Don't forget that your body and your brain both need lots of rest and sleep. Regular physical exercise can help your body regulate hormonal swings. If you work out, keep up your routine during pregnancy with advice from your doctor, midwife or trainer.
• Pamper yourself now and then. Take yoga classes or treat yourself to a regular manicure or some other appointment that will make you feel good about yourself. Take advantage of support services, especially if you're a single mom or have little family support. Consider joining a pregnancy support group.