Chronic Stress During Pregnancy Tied To Early Labor

This is a guest post.

Pregnancy can be a time where you experience more changes at once, more than any other time in your life. Whether it’s emotional changes or physical, everything changes and it can be extremely overwhelming, especially if you don’t know what to expect.

From dealing with morning sickness to dealing with a whole world of responsibilities, there are all kinds of different factors that are now being introduced into your life that can turn your world upside down.

You may think that you’re ready for these changes, but one change particularly that you might not be expecting: is stress. Stress is something that seems to hit you right when you least expect it. It can disrupt your life and literally put you down constantly if you don’t know how to see it coming and put a stop to it.

So many people have this idea that being pregnant is butterflies and roses, so many individuals constantly think that when you’re pregnant, you’re just a mother, you don’t have to worry about anything else. But this is completely false.

Not only do you need to care for your baby and prepare to be a mother, but you also need to take a step and realize that there is so much more to being pregnant. You need to be able to manage your stress levels, your mental and physical health, and also your day to day life.

Many people think day to day responsibilities are put on hold when you become pregnant, but that’s anything but the case, which is why managing your stress is key to having a happy and healthy pregnancy.

In this article, we’ll be walking you through everything you should know when it comes to stress and pregnancy. We’ll be going over the warning signs, what kinds of stress there is, how stress can cause issues later on, and how to avoid this stress altogether, or at least manage it much better.

What Causes Stress?

Of course, everyone deals with their stress differently, but there are some specific reasons that may increase stress in a woman who is pregnant:

-There are health-related side effects of becoming pregnant; this can cause physical stress which can reflect in your emotional stress as well. Your body is changing, and you’ll often feel sore and tired.

-When you’re pregnant your body is changing, your hormones all over the place and this can lead to very drastic mood swings, which can make it quite hard to even handle stress.

-There are some common cases where the fact that being a mother scares you and causes stress. Whether you feel like you aren’t ready, or that you don’t know what to expect when it comes to giving birth, these all play a role in the stress.

-Sometimes if you work full time, it can be very stressful trying to find an understanding with your employer to be able to take time off. -Realizing that life doesn’t stop going and moving forward just because of your pregnancy can be hard to understand and often seem unfair.

How Does This Cause Problems?

There are many different things that can happen during your pregnancy because of an abundance of stress. While it’s different for everyone and each study often gives different results, it’s common knowledge that stress can cause complications during labor.

Stress can cause you to have early labor or most commonly an infection in the uterus. This infection is the common cause of premature birth. Stress can also lead to substance abuse which will seriously harm the child in the womb and should never be a way to cope with problems in your life.

How Do I Reduce Stress?

There is an abundance of different ways you can figure out how to lower stress, we’ve listed them below so you can look them over, hopefully give you a better idea of what you need to do to make the correct steps forward for a happy and healthy pregnancy:

-Take the time to evaluate what exactly is causing your discomfort. Talk to someone you trust about your worries, such as a family member or your spouse. You can even reach out to your doctor or therapist if you’re having trouble.

-Be aware that the pain and mood swings you’re going through right now are temporary. They won’t last. This is just a step you need to take to be able to bring life into this world. Take comfort in knowing you won’t feel like this forever.

-Reach out to your community and sign up for child birthing classes, this will allow you to learn what to expect when the time comes that you need to give birth. You’ll have everything you need to know to be prepared for the big day. This can relieve a ton of anxiety!

-Try yoga or meditation to help relax and calm you.

-Plan ahead, stay organized and make sure you’ve talked to your boss about the time you’ll need off! Don’t wait for until the last minute.

Conclusion

No matter what kind of life you lead, stress is an important factor to consider at any time., whether you are Pregnant or not! But because of how serious stress can affect the child and your own body during the process of carrying a child, it’s up to you to take the necessary steps to avoid this kind of unnecessary strain on your body.

Take a moment to take time for yourself. We understand that pregnant mothers don’t get to just take a vacation the whole time you’re carrying your child, but you need to put yourself first when going through such a life- changing event.

Being aware of all the facts and the steps you can take to make a difference in your life is the first step towards having a happy and healthy pregnancy for you and your baby. And pregnancy week by week can be rough, trust us, so take some time to reevaluate what your priorities should be and what you should be able to let go to get rid of that excess stress.

Author Bio: Kathy Mitchell is a Travel & Beauty Blogger. She likes to Go Out with her Friends, Travel, Swim and Practice Yoga. In her free time, you can find Kathy curled up Reading her Favorite Novel, or Writing in her Journal. To know more about her follow her on Google+, Facebook, and Twitter.

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