No matter anxiety during pregnancy If you are a first-time mommy to be or you are adding another little angel to your family, you have struggled to get pregnant in the past or simply got lucky without having to try too much. The nine months of pregnancy tend to lead to a lot of concerns. Somedays you might wonder—what is the baby kicking so little—or so much? Will I be able to bear the painful labor that everyone talks so much about? Will I be a good mother? How would I be able to know what’s best for my child when I have no clue about how to care for an infant? These are all some of the usual questions and worries that spike up the brain of a first-time mama. And there is only one answer to all of these questions: experience.
Every woman goes through pregnancy differently. While this may be accompanied by the so-called and famous ‘pregnancy glow,’ there is always an underlying feeling of anxiety and concern ruling over your heart considering certain aspects of pregnancy, parenting, and childbirth. Although most of these anxiety-driven feelings are normal, when should someone start getting concerned? Can pregnancy anxiety even be a cause for concern, or is it just normal to have such thoughts?
It is okay to feel a little anxious and restless sometimes during your pregnancy, but when this feeling lingers most of the time, it is bound to become a problem. You might face some difficulty relaxing, and this would only hinder your pregnancy. So here is everything you need to know about the concerning feelings that occur during pregnancy. What do anxiety, panic attacks, anxiety attacks, and pregnancy depression refer to, and when should you start getting concerned? If you are a mommy-to-be who is always stuck with such feelings, we have the best answers for you!
First, let’s start with understanding what anxiety is. Anxiety is usually a feeling of uneasiness, fear, or worry that can be felt to different degrees by different individuals. Anxiety can be mild or severe and varies from person to person. It is okay to feel worried, and not all feelings of worry lead to anxiety. Everyone feels terrified, scared, worried, or anxious sometimes in their life, but some people find it challenging to get control over their worries or negative thoughts. Some people experiencing anxiety might also go through panic attacks, which can be frightening.
However, these feelings of anxiety, fear, and worry might increase fourfold during your pregnancy. Some pregnant women feel guilty about feeling anxious or worrisome when everyone around them is expecting them to be happy and joyful. But anxiety is something that is termed and clinically proven to be a mental health condition. It is not a sign of weakness or something that simply vanishes on its own. Anxiety is not something that someone can simply ‘snap out of’ or ‘stop thinking about.’ It is a mental condition that forces people to look into the worrisome aspects of life, and this can really get triggered if and when you are pregnant.
What does anxiety look like?
Here are some of the symptoms that anxiety may include:
- Feeling excessively worried and scared all the time
- Feeling restlessness and anxiety all the time without being able to control it
- Feeling a sense of dread, being unable to concentrate, ‘zoning out’ again and again, or feeling like your mind goes blank
For example, when you are trying to concentrate on eating food or doing something as simple as making the bed, but your mind keeps zoning off and wandering around thinking about all the bad stuff,
- Difficulty falling asleep or staying asleep
Pregnancy can often give you worrisome, sleepless nights or nights where you just cannot sleep enough.
- Feeling irritated all the time or constantly feeling on the edge
This is a common feeling and might occur during your pregnancy, but it depends on the magnitude of the issue. If you are constantly feeling irritated and those bouts of irritability last longer periods of time, it is an issue.
Panic attacks can also hinder your life during pregnancy. They come and go very quickly and are there for no apparent reason. Following are the most common symptoms of panic attacks:
- A fast and racing heartbeat
- Stark chest pain
- Fear of dying or a feeling of dread
- Excessive sweating
- Feeling faint or dizzy
- Shaky limbs
- A churning stomachache
- Having a tingling sensation
Most of the panic attacks last between 5 and 20 minutes. Panic attacks are really frightening; however, they are not dangerous or life-threatening.
