
This NHS to-do list contains lots of useful information. So having a to-do list can help you get these things organised in your mind.
Avoid contact sports or any strenuous exercise, particularly if you weren’t active before your pregnancy (NHS, 2020b).įinding out about benefit entitlements, midwife appointments, how you can eat healthily in pregnancy and what you might prepare for your baby can feel overwhelming.
Gentle to moderate exercise can help to improve mood and general fitness in pregnancy, helping you prepare for labour and avoid some complications of pregnancy (Prather et al, 2012 ACOG, 2020). Taking good physical care of yourself, especially getting plenty of rest and sleep, may help to keep troubling emotions in proportion (MIND, 2020). It can be hard to think clearly or feel positive when you are feeling worried and tired. Partners can also experience similar concerns during pregnancy (Finnbogadóttir et al, 2003).
Will my life go back to normal afterwards, for example can I return to work?. Should I stop having sex while pregnant?. What if I do something accidentally to harm the baby, like eating or drinking something I shouldn’t?. They might doubt their ability as a mother, how their relationship might change or how they will manage financially (Öhman et al, 2003). Many women have questions that they ask of themselves. Perhaps there will also be some difficult decisions to make. It is also common to feel anxious, vulnerable and overwhelmed by the big changes that pregnancy and a new baby will bring (Bjelica et al, 2018). This can be particularly true for parents who are pregnant after previous loss or following fertility treatment.Įven if you feel excited by the pregnancy, you may have some unsettling thoughts. Emotions in pregnancyĪside from emotional ups and downs caused by rising hormone levels in the first three months, the feeling of growing a new life can be exciting and awe-inspiring. However, some women will experience them throughout their pregnancy. Once the body has adapted to the higher levels of these hormones, the symptoms usually wear off. This is especially true in the first trimester.Īpart from sickness and tiredness, it's common to have mood swings and feel tearful or easily irritated (Society for Endocrinology, 2018). Higher levels of progesterone and oestrogen are important for a healthy pregnancy, but are often the cause of some common unwanted side effects. Read more about what these hormones do in your body in our article about pregnancy hormones. This increases levels of the hormones oestrogen and progesterone in their blood. Hormonal changes in pregnancyĪs soon as a woman becomes pregnant, their body begins to prepare for safeguarding and maintaining the pregnancy. Here we explain how the hormonal changes during pregnancy can affect your emotions and how you can enhance your wellbeing. While partners don’t experience hormonal changes they can have strong emotions to deal with during pregnancy too (Finnbogadóttir et al, 2003). Hormonal changes in pregnancy along with your own personal circumstances can lead to strong emotions and moods (Bjelica et al, 2018).