How To Control Mood Swings During Pregnancy?

Feelings of anxiety and overthinking leads to sudden crying spell. The expecting mother feels overwhelmed by the various changes that pregnancy brings in. Moreover, if the mother has already experienced a previous loss, or has been through failed fertility treatments, shifts in mood are probable. At times, changes in body shape happening during the second trimester can also lead to mood variations.

The symptoms of mood swings seem to be like the following ones:

• Shifts in mood that are sudden and rapid
• Sensitive to emotional changes occurring due to stress, change in routine, physical discomforts
• Worries and anxiety related to childbirth procedure, parenting issues, etc
• Feelings of annoyance
• Anger outbursts
• Overthinking and feeling depressed
• Poor ability to focus on daily tasks
• Feelings of emotional exhaustion
• Difficulty falling asleep

What Causes Mood Swings During Pregnancy?

During pregnancy, there are a lot of hormonal changes in the body, including the change in the level of hormones (2) lead to mood swings and decreased quality of life. Along with it, fatigue and stress can also add up to emotional woes of the mother.

Sometimes you may feel happy and highly energetic. Other times you may feel icky and hate seeing anyone. Mood swings are most common during the first few months; however, it can again reappear in the third trimester when the body is at its final stage and getting ready for labor and childbirth. Some of the other causes of mood swings during pregnancy are:

• Hormonal changes
• Tired body, physical pain, morning sickness
• Quality of sleep is poor due to increasing body weight
• Stomach issues such as bloating or constipation
• Overthinking about new responsibilities coming up
• Lack of support system at home
• Concerns about career and family finances
• Shifts in relationship with spouse

When Do Mood Swings During Pregnancy Start?

Mood swings are so normal during pregnancy that it can be all over the nine months. However, it is intense and overwhelming during the first trimester. This is primarily due to the multitude of bodily changes you experience, including increased weight, breast tenderness, morning sickness, and fatigue. These physical discomforts can accumulate stress and make your emotions difficult to manage.

Additionally, individual experiences also matter. There are some women who may experience mood swings more often than others. However, for most instances, mood swings start in the first trimester, reduces towards the middle of the pregnancy journey; and may get worse towards the end. Research studies (3) have revealed that mood swings during pregnancy increases the chances of developing antenatal anxiety and depression.

How To Control Mood Swings During Pregnancy?

Hormonal changes, sleep deprivation, and worry is just a few of the causes of pregnant mood swings. Mood swings are a typical side effect of developing a mini-human within your body. But if they’re interrupting your daily life at home, at work, and everywhere in between, there are ways to control them.

1. You’re Not Alone

It is important to understand that you are not alone. And you are not the only one. It is just another aspect of pregnancy and almost all expecting moms go through this phase

2. Bonding Is The Key

Yes, that’s correct. This is the time to bond with your partner. Spend as much time together as possible, if possible plan a vacation. If you are a single mom-to-be, then spend time with your friends and family. Create a support system for yourself. This will be of great help once the tiny one arrives!

3. Manage Stress Level

Stress adds to mood swings so it is important that you manage your stress level. Get plenty of sleep, eat well, check with your gynecologist and get regular exercise.

4. Relax, Relax And Relax

As much as you can… go for a movie or a dinner date with your partner. The more you relax the less will be stress level.

5. Go Easy

Don’t run around doing chores before you go on your official maternity leave. Instead, sit back and enjoy the most precious time of your life

6. Shake It Off

If you are going through a mood swing, just try to ignore it. Instead, indulge yourself in something you love to do. A hobby, reading, gardening or spending some time in your favorite spa will be helpful.

7. Keep Your Sense Of Humor On Board

Learn to laugh at all the ups and downs during this period along with your partner. Indulge in something that is fun and will make you happy.

8. Do Gentle Exercise

It is rightly said that exercise is a mood lifter. So next time you feel your moods fluctuating, just pick yourself up and indulge in some sort of light exercise to get those feel-good chemicals flowing in your body. Go for a swim, get some fresh air by going for a walk outside or do some light yoga.

9. Talk It Through

Talk and share how you feel during mood swings with your spouse, family, or close friends. Talking it out is the best antidote to feeling stressed and depressed. Once you share your feelings with your loved ones, you will be surprised to see how understanding and supportive they are. You can also share and discuss how you feel online through various communities of women in the same phase as you and can understand exactly how you are feeling.

10. Stop Feeling Guilty

Pregnancy is a beautiful phase, but a tough one too. So it is normal to feel overwhelmed, irritable and depressed at times. Stop feeling guilty about the myriad of feelings that you go through during this phase. Don’t be harsh on yourself and accept that you will have some negative feelings and some very nice feelings about your pregnancy.

When To Seek Professional Help?

Mood swings are not to get worried about much unless it’s interfering with your life and living. But if you notice that your mood swings are becoming too frequent and lasting for more than 2 weeks or hindering your day-to-day activities, talk to your doctor and seek help. Intense mood swings associated with depression and mania can be due to other psychiatric conditions which need medical interference.

Studies have shown untreated emotional conditions can affect the health of the newborn too. Psychotherapy along with medication can help you to overcome these problems and lead a healthy life with your child.

How Do I Deal With The Mood Swings Of My Pregnant Wife?

A pregnant woman may feel overwhelmed. A lady needs her partner’s support and good care during this critical period. Husbands should know about pregnant mood fluctuations and how to help their wives. Here is what you can do:

1. Hang In There

As a partner, you need to understand that mood swings are a part of pregnancy and happen to most pregnant women. Please be patient instead of getting frustrated and irritated. This is just a temporary phase and will go away as the pregnancy progresses.

2. Take Good Care Of Her

As her partner, you need to take good care of her health and eating habits. Do not indulge her in eating something which can be harmful to her or her baby in the womb. Mood swings can also occur from low blood sugar levels. Offer something healthy to eat if you notice your partner having mood swings the next time.

3. Pamper Her

This is the time, go for it! Pamper her and show her how much you care for her. Remind her how beautiful she is and how much she means to you. This will not only help to overcome her mood swings, but will also in the long run help to strengthen your relationship.

4. Don’t Take It Personally

Your partner may blast at you or stop talking to you or just rant throughout the day. Whatever it may be, don’t take it personally. It’s the hormone that’s speaking and not your partner, actually. Let her vent out, don’t argue or provoke her.

5. Educate Yourself About Pregnancy And Childbirth

You may not understand a lot of things that your wife is going through and how the baby is growing. Go ahead, read some books specially meant for fathers to be or browse through the internet. All this will help you better understand your pregnant wife. Seeing your active participation in parenthood will make her happy and positive about welcoming the new baby.

What Other Moms Are Saying About Mood Swings?

• “I often used to have episodes of meltdowns. I used to sob hysterically for 10 minutes as if the world was crashing down on me. Then it was over, and I’d happily go on with my day.”
• “Thoughts that would come to my mind were: can I be a good mom? Will I ever be able to do the late-night parties again?”
• “I used to wonder what would I feed my child and husband. So I used to spend hours in the kitchen making cakes and cookies!”
• “I used to apologize to my husband beforehand! After all, I love him and didn’t mean what I spoke”.

FAQ’s

1. Does Mood Swings Affect Baby During Pregnancy?

When you are happy and at peace, your unborn baby can grow in an environment that is also happy and peaceful. Worry and anxiety, on the other hand, can make your body produce more of certain hormones, which can affect your baby’s body and brain growth.

2. When Do Pregnancy Mood Swings Stop?

Many pregnant women report that their moodiness worsens between the sixth and tenth week of their pregnancy, improves throughout the second trimester, and then returns as their due date draws closer.

References-

1. Mood and quality of life changes in pregnancy and postpartum and the effect of a behavioral intervention targeting excess gestational weight gain in women with overweight and obesity: a parallel-arm randomized controlled pilot trial
   https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6352352/#
2. Mood and quality of life changes in pregnancy and postpartum and the effect of a behavioral intervention targeting excess gestational weight gain in women with overweight and obesity
   https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6352352/#
3. Identifying the women at risk of antenatal anxiety and depression: A systematic review
   https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4879174/#