- Introduction
- What causes pregnancy mood swings?
- When do pregnancy mood swings start and what triggers them?
- Mood swings during pregnancy
- Conclusion
Pregnancy is one of the beautiful phases of a woman’s life; however, some emotional and physical come along as extra baggage. The physical elements are concrete and get easily noticed by the people around you. Mood swings and emotions are the mental problems, which cannot be perceived by the others.
Almost every woman takes the decision of being pregnant and embracing motherhood at some point of time. The moment you get pregnant, the feelings within you changes and would be completely different from what you had expected. Women who anticipate feeling fearful might end up feeling normal and at ease throughout their pregnancy.
However, some who might have been steady with the decisions might suddenly feel unsure and puzzled when they are pregnant. A woman’s feeling change with every passing trimester. They have to deal with new emotional issues in every phase. Pregnancy and mood swings can affect the dynamic of your relationship with your partner, family and friends.
The hormone levels changes during pregnancy. The content of oestrogen and progesterone increases in your blood and they affect your emotional health. They increase the emotional instability within you and you might become tearful, moody and irritable. Mood swings are normal and can be dealt easily if you address it and handle it with care.
What causes pregnancy mood swings?
There are actual reasons that lead to mood swings during the time of pregnancy. Sleep deprivation, anxiety and hormone changes are few of them. Dealing with mood swings is not an easy task as people thing that you are being dramatic when you are actually getting those physiological changes without your minds.
The hormonal changes are the biggest offender for the mood swings. During the early days of pregnancy, women experience a surge in the levels of oestrogen and progesterone. Oestrogen is available throughout the body but is active primarily in the brain.
Therefore, it regulates the mood and are directly associated with depression, irritability and anxiety. Progesterone is a hormone that helps to loosen your joints and muscles. They prevent you from the early contractions and can even cause sadness, sluggishness and fatigue. Sleep deprivation is another reason of mood swing. When you are not able to sleep for at least 8 hours a day, you tend to remain tired.
Mood swings can result from tiredness and exhaustion. Morning sickness triggers mood swings very often. It is quite unpleasing when you have to throw up every now and then. It takes a toll on your body and mind and causes mood swings.
When do pregnancy mood swings start and what triggers them?
Mood swings can start at an early stage in pregnancy and they happen because of stress, mood disorder and lack of sleep. Some of the reasons that trigger the pregnancy mood swings are as follows:
Changes – During the time of pregnancy, women suddenly becomes more sensitive to the changes that happens around them. They tend to react suddenly even at situations where their reaction is not required or expected. This majorly happens because of the revamped levels of hormones.
Pregnancy symptoms – Pregnancy is tough because of the side effects like fatigue, morning sickness and forgetfulness. It feels bad when you feel irritated and upset continuously. Constant throw up makes you super tired and hence you get those mood swings.
Delivery tensions – Expectant moms often worry about the delivery process and motherhood. They worry about the health of the baby and whether they would be able to cope up with the birth. These kinds of stress and anxiety will definitely affect your mood throughout the phase of pregnancy.
Mood swings during pregnancy
Your mood will totally be different at each stage of the baby’s development. Here is what you can expect in each trimester.
Fear
During the first 12 weeks of pregnancy, it is common to get worried about the miscarriage. You might panic about your eating habits and your activities. You fear about getting cramps and seeing blood.
When you get through the first trimester, you may find some relief. However, there are many moms who still carry the fear of late miscarriages or any other kind of health problems.
In the third trimester, there will be several other fears related to the birth process. You often think about the pain that you have to go through. These fears can lead to problems during childbirth; hence, you should seek support.
Crying without any reason
You will find yourself crying for a little puppy at the park or over spilled milk. There would actually be no reason to cry but you would feel like crying. This feeling is normal during pregnancy and it happens in all the trimesters. Crying is cause of the hormonal imbalances and there it occurs throughout the phase of pregnancy.
Anxiety
Anxiety stays throughout all the trimesters of pregnancy. As per experts, around 10% women experience anxiety right from when they become pregnant and even after they give birth. In the first trimester, you can get anxiety thinking about the miscarriage and any other bodily sensations that might happen due to the growth in the uterus. Anxiety about whether you are eating the right food or drinking sufficient water or exercising is common.
In the second trimester, you can anxious about how your body is changing the shape while the baby inside you is growing. During the later stage of second trimester, you will experience the first kicks of your baby and it can affect you with the anxiety of anterior or posterior placenta.
In the third trimester at around 28 weeks, pregnant women are asked to closely monitor the movement of their babies. While doing his, they become obsessive and often panic if their baby is feeling good inside. Some of the other worries that emerge at the end of the pregnancy centres on the birth process.
Anger
Anger happens throughout all the trimesters. Pregnant women tend to get angry for no specific reason and they find it difficult to handle this kind of emotion. You can find yourself angry especially during the first trimester because during this time, the hormone just starts to rise. You can be frustrated or angry because there are multiple unpleasant side effects of pregnancy. When the morning sickness and body changes become terrible, it causes lot of anger and irritability over petty things that are not a big deal for the non-pregnant people.
Many women experience body image struggles and low self-esteem during pregnancy. When you experience bloat and are not able to fit into your pair of jeans, you might feel low and starting feeling self-conscious. These are the times when negative thoughts creep up your mind and make the journey of your pregnancy tough.
To manage the mood swings, you can do several things. You should eat healthy diet whenever hunger strikes. Nutritious foods will make you feel good from inside. Join some of the online groups that support the pregnant mommies. Above all, you should take out some time for yourself so that you can avoid over thinking that causes mood swings.
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