Healthy Ways to Cope with Anxiety in Pregnancy

It’s quite possible that the greatest joy a person can have in life is to bring another human being into the world. The joy and beauty that attend the birth of a child are hard to compare to any other experience. However, the process that comes with it can be fraught with challenges, and these can include and even result in anxiety in pregnancy. Thankfully, there are effective and healthy ways to address and cope with anxiety in pregnancy.

Making Sense of Anxiety in Pregnancy

The thought of being pregnant can bring many expectations, hopes, joys, fears, and other feelings. It can, at times, be hard to communicate the array of things that can accompany being pregnant. When these feelings or experiences contradict what people expect, that can also be an additional struggle to work through. Being misunderstood can make things feel even harder.

Being pregnant is often depicted as a magical, joyful, and fulfilling time. It is these things, but it carries other complexities and difficulties. It can, for instance, be an uncomfortable time physically, mentally, emotionally, spiritually, and relationally. These discomforts affect one’s well-being. For expectant parents, pregnancy can be a time of heightened anxiety as they not only work through various discomforts but also experience changes in their lives.

Why would someone feel anxious during pregnancy?

As joyful as it is to bring a new life into the world, it’s not always a straightforward process. There are many possible causes of anxiety in pregnancy. Being able to identify these causes, understanding how such anxiety affects both mom and baby, and knowing how to cope effectively with such anxieties can make a huge difference in one’s experience.

Possible Causes of Anxiety in Pregnancy

Just as in other everyday circumstances, there are several different possible causes of anxiety in pregnancy. Some individuals are generally anxious, but others may be anxious due to specific experiences or fears. During pregnancy, anxiety can stem from several different sources, and they include the following:

Health Concerns An expectant mother may worry about her baby’s health, particularly if there have been unsettling test results or health checkups during the pregnancy. She may also be anxious about her personal health. That could include whether she’s exercising enough, getting enough rest, or consuming the right nutrients.

Hormonal Changes It’s no secret that pregnancy triggers significant hormonal shifts in a woman, and that can significantly affect her mood and emotional stability. Managing these emotions can be challenging, resulting in anxious feelings about personal and relational well-being.

Life Changes Bringing a child into the world requires making significant adjustments. Impending adjustments into parenthood, possible changes in relationships, or new financial pressures that come with raising a child can all fuel and heighten feelings of anxiety. It’s possible to feel unprepared or overwhelmed at the thought of being a parent, and that can cause anxiety.

Previous Experiences Another possible source of anxiety in pregnancy is having a history of miscarriage, complicated pregnancies, or mental health issues. If a previous pregnancy was complex, that could heighten fears of things going wrong.

Fear of labor and Delivery The labor and delivery process can raise concerns about the pain, process, birth options, and potential complications of childbirth. These fears are common, and they can be dispelled by attending birth classes to learn more. Even with this, they can linger. If a woman has had a difficult childbirth experience before, unresolved trauma can also fuel anxiety.

Lack of Support Anxiety in pregnancy may also be the result of a lack of support. Going through pregnancy alone or with minimal support, and if there is likely to be little support provided in raising the child, that could also fuel concerns and anxiety.

An Anxious Disposition If a person is generally anxious, or they struggle with anxiety to the point where it’s challenging for them to function in daily life, they may be anxious when they become pregnant. Anxiety and anxiety disorders can be the result of genetic, environmental, social, and other factors. This anxiety can then rear its head in pregnancy.

These different possible causes of anxiety can have varying degrees of influence on a particular individual’s experience of anxiety. Knowing where your anxiety is rooted can help in addressing it effectively.

How Anxiety Impacts the Experience of Pregnancy

We all worry occasionally about all sorts of things in our lives. Such worry is normal, even when it isn’t altogether helpful to our well-being. When it comes to anxiety, especially anxiety of the persistent and pervasive kind, it can harm both mom and the baby, as well as their support network.

Anxiety is accompanied by several symptoms, such as elevated heart rate, nausea, sweating, going blank, or struggling to concentrate. One can also become irritable as a result of anxiety. Physical symptoms such as headaches, disturbed sleep, fatigue, and nausea are common, and they can make it hard to experience daily life with a good disposition.

Anxiety can also result in emotional strain. Managing anxiety can be hard, and anxiety can also result in other issues, like emotional strain on relationships. Feelings of anxiety can wind up overshadowing the feelings of excitement, peace, or anticipation that can come with pregnancy. The contrast between what you’re feeling and the expectations of what you or others think you ought to be feeling can lead to guilt and isolation from others.

Anxiety in pregnancy can also impact the well-being of the baby. If your anxiety is intense and prolonged, and if it goes untreated, that can increase the risks of your baby having a low birth weight, a preterm birth, and developmental issues. Such concerns can add to one’s stress and feelings of anxiety, in what can become a dangerous downward spiral. This makes it that much more important to address anxiety effectively.

Healthy Strategies and Ways to Cope

Anxiety doesn’t have to get the last word in your life. There are many Scriptures that point to the reality that the Lord wants our lives to be dominated by peace, and a quiet trust in Him and His care for us and our needs (Philippians 4:6; Matthew 6:25-34; 1 Peter 5:7). There are also practical strategies you can implement to cope with and reduce your anxiety levels during pregnancy.

Open communication with others is one way to cope with anxiety in pregnancy. Talking through your fears and concerns with your partner, family, or friend can be quite therapeutic. A problem shared may not be halved, but talking things through can help you with perspective, and it can help you feel less alone.

Getting educated about pregnancy and childbirth through trustworthy friends or relatives who are parents, credible resources, or classes can help alleviate the fear of the unknown, relieving stress and anxiety that comes from not knowing what to expect.

A healthy lifestyle which includes a balanced diet, appropriate regular exercise, adequate sleep each night, being mindful, and learning relaxation techniques, can all help in the reduction and management of stress and anxiety.

Professional support is another key component to managing anxiety effectively. A Christian counselor can use techniques such as Cognitive Behavioral Therapy to help you discern unhealthy patterns of thought and behavior that worsen anxiety. You can learn techniques to disrupt unproductive anxious thoughts and replace these with patterns and habits that promote peace and well-being.

Medication can be helpful for some people. In some instances, medication to manage anxiety may be recommended under medical supervision. This is to treat more severe cases of anxiety.

In addition to the above, if you have a pregnant partner who’s struggling with anxiety, there are ways you can support them effectively. These would include being willing to listen to them without judgment and offering reassurance that they aren’t alone. Active participation in appointments, learning about pregnancy, and sharing in the preparation for the baby’s arrival are all ways to provide meaningful support and reduce anxiety about preparedness.

You can also encourage your partner to engage in self-care routines that promote relaxation and better health. Go for walks with them, help them organize things, take on a bit extra to help reduce their task burden, and be present. If you see them feeling overwhelmed and struggling to cope, suggest and encourage them to seek professional support. The sooner anxiety is addressed, the better.

If you or someone you care about is pregnant and struggling with anxiety, there is help. Connect with this office or a counselor near you to learn how to find support for a healthy, happy pregnancy.