Dr. Rajalaxmi Walavalkar – Medical Director, Senior Gynaecologist and IVF Specialist at Cocoon Fertility
Pregnancy is a beautiful phase wherein the level of hormones in your body are raging, so don’t be surprised if you are a blaze of emotions. It’s no wonder if you are blissful one minute and get totally freaked out the very next moment. Over the upcoming nine months, you are likely to undergo tons of fluctuations both somatic and emotional. You will also be dealing with some grave psychological alterations, right from the killer mood swings, bouts of anxiety about what life will turn out to be after you deliver your bundle of joy, to those unending pregnancy nags. Fret not, it is totally normal to feel out of whack and keep nagging every now and then while you are expecting. If you know what to expect, and the most effective way to handle things, you can definitely have a smooth ride. Below mentioned are a couple of pregnant nags and functional ways to cope up with the ups and downs throughout your gestational phase:
Nagging due to weight gain: While you are pregnant, along with your ever-expanding belly, even your butt and breasts starts to grow. Weight gain is an essential requisite for you to have a safe and healthy pregnancy. But it can be definitely challenging for most women to accept their fuller figure. Hence the ‘I look so fat and totally unattractive’ nag is the most common you will get to hear from an expecting mother. To-be moms must bear in mind that most of your additional weight does not just come from fat. Those added pounds encompass the heaviness of the placenta and amniotic fluid, your enflamed uterus and enlarged breasts, and the augmented amount of blood in your body, all of which is very necessary to brace a healthy pregnancy.
Blame those sudden mood swings and hormonal alterations: It is quite possible for the to-be moms to cry and nag just because they got a minor paper cut. In the first few months of pregnancy, the hormones like progesterone and estrogen are generated at a much higher level in order to send indications to your body that it requires to start working for two. All these hormones rolling through your system are bound to have a hostile effect of making you feel petulant and irritable, just as it happens with PMS. Most working mothers might nag about missing their pets while at work, although they see them almost every day. Also, you must not discount the fact that while pregnancy is a time of great delight, it’s also a chief life transition. Perturbing about how a new baby will impact your marriage and your savings can also do a lot to damp down your mood. Expecting mommies can help stabilize their mood swings by making smart lifestyle choices like eating healthy wholesome meals, working out, following an enhanced sleep pattern and avoiding excessive sugar and caffeine to avert triggering the unwanted emotional outbursts.
I fail to remember anything anymore: During the expecting months, some women make use of the term mommy brain” to describe the forgetful moments that can befall almost anytime throughout pregnancy, or even when you are breastfeeding. Mothers keep nagging about the difficulty they face in remembering important events or even minute things that they used to do effectively before getting pregnant. You can point fingers on the surged levels of progesterone, a hormone that has a numbing effect, which can lead to cerebral sluggishness.
I am going to be an awful mother: The moment you confirm your pregnancy, most women start nagging about them being bad at parenting. The moment you get the good news the anxiety may start settling in as you start realizing about the huge accountability that lies ahead for you. Nags like, “I am not sure if I will actually be able to do this?” and “Will I be able to become a good mother” tend to ponder moms-to-be. The only fix here is to avert getting overloaded by your varying opinions that can nothing but aggravate your anxiety levels. Ensure you develop a plan with your partner so that you will have support after you bring your little one home.
I hate these pregnancy stretchmarks: ‘I am rid of seeing these stretch marks’ is another nag that’s very common in pregnancy. Stretch marks during and post pregnancy are a reality that you have to deal with. When your body is growing rapidly and enlarges, your skin tends to be pulled tight over the new mass that is generated. Most often, stretch marks start appearing in the 6th or 7th month, when the baby’s development really spikes. They usually develop on the mother’s thighs, abdomen, buttocks, hips, and even chest. These tears become noticeable on your skin surface and can be unappealing and bothersome for to-be mothers. To-be moms can consider massaging their bodies with oil and need to be completely hydrated to minimize these stretch marks. With these modest treatments, you can focus more on your upcoming bundle of joy.
Mothers-to-be must bear in mind that there is absolutely no perfect way to be pregnant. If you are constantly nagging, are temperamental, get unpredictable and uncomfortable, it definitely does not mean that you will fail at being a wonderful mother.
