How to Control Mood Swings during Pregnancy the Right Way?

Have you recently felt like your mood is taking lots of turns, from being highly excited at one point to becoming depressed or crying over the next second? Well, you need to know that your body is showing the signs of pregnancy. Mood swings during pregnancy are more common than you think. Furthermore, you cannot avoid them altogether, but you can certainly manage them.

Pregnancy mood swings can vary from person to person. While one may experience a great variety of mood swings, the other may only have a small fraction. There can be many reasons for mood swings during this time, such as fatigue, stress, hormone changes, and whatnot. If this is your first time being pregnant, there are numerous things you can learn about controlling your pregnancy mood swings.

So, are you looking for how to control mood swings during pregnancy? Get all the essential information about mood swings during pregnancy in this post!

Understanding Pregnancy Mood Swings

So first thing first, what are pregnancy mood swings? In simple words, pregnancy mood swings refer to the changes in your nature or how you react to certain things because of your constant changes in mood. One more thing you should be aware of is that such mood swings hold quite a bit of similarity to mood swings one faces before their period.

During this time, you may even experience emotions that you have never had before. For example, your mood will fluctuate from feeling happy at one point to feeling angry, sad, or anxious at the next. Furthermore, you may lose control over your emotions and experience bigger emotional feelings for things that never had such an impact on you. 

Because of all these constant mood swings, a person can develop frustration and may blame things that they don't mean to blame. However, since you will be a mother soon, you must understand that such mood swings during pregnancy are completely normal and expected. Therefore, you should not worry too much as it is a normal part of pregnancy.

What Are The Causes Of Mood Swings During Pregnancy?

Now, before we learn how to cope with pregnancy mood swings, it's vital to understand the cause of mood swings during pregnancy. 

There is not one but many reasons why one may experience mood swings being pregnant. Some of the common reasons include hormone changes, anxiety, lack of sleep, etc. We'll soon discuss all these causes of mood changes as we go further.

You, as a pregnant person, must understand that all these causes and reasons for pregnancy mood swings are real, and in no way are you being dramatic over it. If you look into this, there are valid mental, physical, and physiological explanations that explain this seemingly inconsistent behavior.

Hormone Levels Changes

One of the biggest factors responsible for mood swings during pregnancy is the changes in pregnancy hormones. When you are in your early gestation period, you can experience a surge in estrogen and progesterone. The changes in these hormones can affect your mental health status, and the common side effect is increased anxiety.

Estrogen runs throughout your body and associates itself with the brain region responsible for regulating mood. Therefore, changes in these hormones can lead to increased irritability, anxiety, and depression.

Talking about progesterone helps prevent early contractions and loosens the joints and muscles. Hence, changes in these hormones can lead to increased sluggishness, fatigue, and sometimes sadness.

Therefore, a pregnant person can experience mood swings and weakness because of the sudden surge in pregnancy hormones such as estrogen and progesterone. However, you can easily manage your hormones by adopting healthy habits or getting help from professionals like Apprize Medical.

Lack of Sleep and Fatigue

Sleep deprivation during late pregnancy or first-trimester fatigue is another cause of mood swings during pregnancy. The first 12 weeks of pregnancy are extremely tiring and can cause fatigue, even if you sleep enough. This becomes more prominent if you are doing a job, performing daily life activities, or taking care of other individuals.

If we talk about late pregnancy, it becomes difficult for a mother to get a good night's sleep soon. You'll find it hard to find a suitable sleeping position as you must care for your growing belly. Furthermore, during this time, you will also experience pains and aches, which are pretty common during late pregnancy.

Stress and Anxiety

As previously mentioned, a pregnant person can suffer from anxiety and stress because of the changes in their body. However, sometimes the cause of anxiety and stress is not only the changes happening inside your body.

During pregnancy, you can face general anxiety, which can be because you're becoming a parent for the first or second time and welcoming a new child into the family. In addition, as you will have new responsibilities and changes in your finances, it's normal to build up stress because of it.

Other than that, you can experience anxiety over labor and things which go on during the process. If this is your first pregnancy, you must look for such concerns by talking to your doctor. For individuals who have experienced miscarriage or pregnancy complications in the past, it's pretty normal that you will have constant anxiety and stress during this period. Instead of suffering alone, you should consult your doctor, as they can help you end your pregnancy-related worries.

Things You Can Do To Control Mood Swings during Pregnancy

Just because mood swings are a normal part of the pregnancy process, it doesn't mean you have to leave it as it is. If your pregnancy mood swings are becoming a hindrance in your daily activities, job, or anywhere else, here are some ways you can get them under control:

Eat a Proper Healthy Diet

While you might feel irritated during pregnancy, you must ensure you don't let your irritation pile up. A person is not the same when they have an empty stomach. Therefore, it's vital that you eat a proper diet containing different nutrients, which is good for you as well as your growing baby. 

Also, don't forget to add snacks to control those short, hungry sessions. With your brain and body energized with healthy food, keeping your composure and not getting easily irritated and angry will be easier.

Also Read:-  What Are Hormonal Mood Swings: Their Causes And Treatment

Get Good Sleep

Even if it makes you tired, it's essential that you get proper quality sleep during pregnancy. We understand that during the first trimester of pregnancy, you will never feel like you are not tired. However, even if that is the case, you should maximize your rest and nap accordingly.

As you get closer to labor, you must do everything possible to promote relaxation. For example, you can try breathing exercises before bed or use pillows to get into a comfortable position on the bed. 

If you feel like you want to sleep, you have to sleep, and there are no excuses for that whatsoever. So take as many naps as you want and sleep, too, so your baby can grow up healthy and strong like you.

Perform Exercise

If you are looking to control your mood swings effectively during pregnancy, one of the best options would be doing exercise. By performing the activity, you can get relief from stress, and it also helps enhance your mood. If you feel sluggish, doing light exercises such as walking and swimming is best. 

Furthermore, if possible, try to perform these activities outside so you can experience fresh air. Such an enjoyable experience can help release endorphins, which promote feelings of happiness and positivity.

Have Regular Talks with Your Loved Ones

Well, during this time, when you are constantly experiencing mood swings and stress over your pregnancy, it's a good idea to have someone to whom you can talk with an open heart. Let your loved ones know how you are feeling and try to make them understand what you are going through currently.

If your family and friends know that you can react in surprising ways and may even sometimes snap, they will be extra ready to handle your actions and words. So, even if you sometimes say things you didn't mean and your mood swings cause it, your loved ones will know the reason for it, which will help promote smoother communication between you and them. 

You can even join community groups of expecting mothers to find partners who relate more to your situation. Of course, completing these nine months is difficult, but you can certainly improve your experience by taking the proper steps.

Don't Be Too Hard On Yourself

Undoubtedly, pregnancy can be tough. During this period, you will go through many changes, which are emotional, physical, and mental. Therefore, if you experience various scenarios where you sometimes overreact, indulge in a tantrum, or have a dramatic moment, ensure you don't be too hard on yourself during such times.

Show yourself kindness and grace as you deserve it thoroughly, and don't take that right from yourself. If you feel like releasing your emotions, there is no need to hold them; just let them out.

Talk to Your Doctor

A pregnant person must want to know when is the right time to talk to a doctor about pregnancy mood swings. Well, there isn't any certain time you need to look to meet your doctor regarding your pregnancy. However, if you need to see a doctor, you should if that's what your doctor suggests.

On the other hand, if your emotions are getting out of control or if you're feeling extremely depressed and experiencing high anxiety, you should definitely seek professional help.

Meet a psychologist or your obstetrician during such experiences. Understand that prenatal depression is quite common, and you don't need to hide it. Don't let your pregnancy experience become bad due to such problems. Instead, reach out to a professional to gain the same happiness again.

Conclusion

Pregnancy can be a rollercoaster of emotions. From holding the baby in your tummy for nine months to them in your hands after this long period, all of this adds to ultimate happiness and satisfaction. The joy of pregnancy is built up on the stairs of anger, sadness, outbursts, etc. Still, all this is a small price to pay when you actually see the baby for the first time, which is overwhelming for most.

While pregnancy mood swings are not a pleasant experience, you still have to deal with them as they are part of the natural process. So learn from the above tips to control your mood swings effectively during pregnancy. If you want professional help, you can call Apprize Medical at +1-305-851-2132. We can help you manage your hormone imbalance to experience a better and wholesome pregnancy.