Prevention of stress, How to cope with stress Irina Vasilyeva From the very moment when a woman becomes a mother, she is actually born again. After all, one of the most memorable events in a woman’s life is the birth of her baby. All nine months of pregnancy are filled with enthusiastic and slightly anxious feelings: will everything be fine, is the baby healthy, how will the birth process go. Fear of childbirth can significantly overshadow the entire nine months of waiting. How can you help yourself accept your feminine destiny without fear or expectation of pain?
Good afternoon, dear reader! The health of a pregnant woman has always been the object of close attention from her loved ones, friends and relatives, and medical personnel. Today, medical science has come to the conclusion that the period of pregnancy and the course of childbirth is greatly influenced by the psychological mood of a woman.
Features of a woman’s psychological state throughout pregnancy
A woman’s psychological readiness for the birth process practically does not depend on whether it is the first, second or third birth in her life. A much more important factor is pregnancy planning. An unplanned pregnancy often causes panic and horror of childbirth. If a woman prepared for the birth of the baby in advance, and especially if the pregnancy and child are desired and long-awaited, then the woman has much less fear of childbirth.
Of course, knowledge of the characteristics of a woman’s emotional state during pregnancy allows us to provide adequate psychological assistance in preparation for childbirth. Therefore, I will tell you today about how a woman’s psychological state differs in different trimesters of pregnancy and how to help yourself or a loved one overcome the fear of the birth process itself.
First trimester
Numerous studies have proven that from the moment the expectant mother learned about a new condition for herself, the level of her negative experiences increases sharply. Of course, the influence of the social situation also has an impact.
Early or late pregnancy, high workload, criticism and “unsolicited advice” from friends or relatives, rudeness of medical workers, lack of basic care can create a minor mood background for the pregnant woman. But even with all the favorable social conditions during this period, a sharp change in hormonal levels will still make itself felt.
- In the first trimester, constant fatigue, drowsiness, and emotional lability are most often observed. A pregnant woman may demonstrate hypersensitive reactions to the most ordinary life situations, show high anxiety where it is inappropriate, and express dissatisfaction with herself and the world around her.
A few simple tips to help overcome low mood levels in the first trimester
More healthy egocentrism - how's that?
Pregnancy is a time when becoming a little “mean” is very good for your health. Of course, it’s still not worth harassing others and especially your spouse with constant nagging. But allowing yourself to rest more, get enough sleep, and eat outside of your work schedule is simply necessary.
A calm, measured mode sends the necessary signals to the brain, and therefore will allow you to be more resistant to emotional mood swings.
Don't try to be a good housewife at the expense of your own health.
Of course, the spouse will be pleased if, upon returning home, he finds dinner cooked and the house clean. But, if the sight of food makes you feel unwell, and washing the toilet is accompanied by vomiting, then it is necessary to shift the performance of these functions to other people (spouse, parents, older children).
In our culture, it is common to place all housework on fragile women’s shoulders. However, now you need to think more about yourself and not feel guilty about it.
Explain to your loved ones that as soon as you feel rested and full of strength, you will return to your previous responsibilities.
Notify your manager of your position
According to the law, a pregnant woman has the right to easier working conditions. Exercise this right even when you are the “sole, valuable and irreplaceable” employee. A child's health is much more important than a career.
Second trimester
By the beginning of the second trimester, the self-esteem and well-being of a pregnant woman improves. She and those around her had already become accustomed to her new position. The second trimester is the time to enjoy pregnancy. Toxicosis, as a rule, has already disappeared, but the possibility of active pastime still remains. Of course, not as active as before pregnancy, but still.
During this period, feasible physical activity is especially recommended (leisurely walks in the fresh air, yoga, fitness and swimming for pregnant women).
It has been proven that women who lead an active lifestyle during pregnancy have lower levels of anxiety and a more stable emotional background.
In addition, visiting special groups for pregnant women at recreational centers and medical centers has a beneficial effect on the mood of a pregnant woman. There she finds communication based on her interests, has the opportunity to exchange experiences and gain new positive impressions.
Third trimester
The level of well-being decreases again. This is due to physical limitations. The belly becomes so large that it sometimes interferes with some hygiene procedures, fastening shoes, and performing simple housework.
A pregnant woman may suddenly feel unnecessary, useless, and ugly. During this period, there is a separation from the work team, which is felt especially acutely by female careerists.
Due to social and physiological changes, a woman may feel lonely and experience a strong need for communication and active action.
The closer the day of the expected birth, the more anxiety increases. Often, having tried to discuss this issue with loved ones, a woman receives pseudo-support, expressed in the form of “everyone gives birth,” “it’s a woman’s share,” etc. Which further aggravates the emotional state.
Fear of childbirth greatly affects the quality of sleep of a pregnant woman. Sleep becomes restless, the woman may be tormented by unpleasant dreams. You can learn to analyze your own dreams and understand their true essence with the help of my online training. In it we will look at dreams together not from the point of view of physiology or esotericism, but from a completely new side. My rich psychotherapeutic experience and research into the dreams of my clients allowed me to create completely new knowledge about this most interesting area of reality. The training is unique and you simply won’t find its analogues on the Internet.
To overcome strong fear during this period, I recommend using the simple and effective technique of Dutch colleagues.
Analytical work with fear, adopted in Holland
The technique involves detailing your own anxiety for small fears and debunking each of them separately. After all, anxiety is always pointless and unclear. But as soon as it takes on the contours of awareness, as soon as you understand what exactly you are afraid of, consider that the first step towards victory has already been taken.
All that remains is to translate the fears into small concerns, and then work with each of them.
And as a result of such work, you will suddenly discover that the probability of the situation that you are so afraid of is either negligible, or it is within your power. And you can deal with it. Just repeat the phrase “I can handle it!” You will definitely succeed!
Epidural anesthesia
Epidural anesthesia is one of the most commonly used methods of pain relief today. An anesthetic is injected into the space of the spinal canal, as a result of which the transmission of impulses along the spinal nerves is blocked. In 92-95% of cases the method works great. And it does not have any toxic effects on the child. Serious complications are rare, but in 10.6% there may be a headache, in 7.6% - nausea, in 2.7% - itchy skin, in 7.2% - difficulty breathing. These phenomena usually pass quickly.
What is fear of childbirth?
It can occur at any time during pregnancy. But it is more typical for the first two and last two months.
It includes:
- fear of severe pain (flavored with stories from friends or previous birth experiences),
- fear of the pathological course of childbirth (both for the health of the baby and for the health of the mother),
- fears for your life and the life of your child.
The core of a woman’s emotional peace is her confidence in her own health, that she can cope with emerging problems.
One little prick
The most common method of pain relief is intramuscular or intravenous injections of antispasmodics (no-spa, baralgin) and strong (narcotic) analgesics (for example, promedol). The latter not only eliminate discomfort, but also contribute to the dilation of the cervix. Painkiller “cocktails” are more often used - the joint administration of analgesics, hypnotics and sedatives. Such anesthesia often causes a state of stupor, nausea, vomiting, decreased blood pressure, and excessively relaxes the uterus. Narcotic analgesics can have a negative effect on the fetus. You shouldn’t get carried away with them, if only because, according to research by Swedish doctors, those adolescents whose mothers received morphine-like drugs during childbirth have a fivefold increased risk of developing drug addiction. The effect of these drugs is “memorized” in the child’s nervous system. And once a person tries them once, a quick and strong addiction is established.
How to cope with the wild fear of childbirth?
It will not be possible to completely get rid of increased anxiety before the birth process. For a healthy woman, this important event always causes excitement and awe of the unknown. But it is still possible to remove wild fear.
To do this, you should delve into the physiological and psychological components of childbirth as much as possible. Look at this process objectively, from an outside perspective. After all, it is known that women involved in medicine (doctors, nurses, hospital staff and clinics) are much less likely to experience panic fear of childbirth.
This is due to the fact that they have a very clear idea of what awaits them, and every detail of childbirth is filled not with fear, but with meaning.
That is why a thorough understanding of the entire process, including the stages of weak contractions, strong contractions and labor attempts will allow the woman in labor to feel complete control over the situation, and therefore be absolutely calm, confident that everything is going as it should.
Elena Pozdeeva’s book “Childbirth in Joy” is very good in the sense of psychological assistance to a future mother in labor. Pregnancy. Childbirth. A training book for expectant mothers.” Unlike many books about childbirth, this literary source is replete with positive examples, inspires expectant mothers and reassures them.
In times of severe pain, switching the focus of attention from yourself to the child helps a lot. Many “experienced” mothers say: “Remember about the child, it is much more difficult (hurt) for him than for you.” And although this phrase should not be taken literally, it still has a certain meaning.
Taking care of the unborn baby, the mother is not so worried about what is happening to her.
Laughing gas for mom
Nitrous oxide mixed with oxygen at a concentration of 50-70% causes euphoria, laughter, and confusion. The woman in labor independently, as the pain increases, takes the mask of the device and inhales the mixture of this “laughing gas”. This method is called autoanalgesia, that is, self-anesthesia. After this type of anesthesia, mother and baby usually need to breathe 100% oxygen for 5-7 minutes, which is not enough after inhaling nitrogen. In addition, the oxide of this gas can significantly relax the muscles of the uterus.
Expert opinion
Sergey Abdusalamov, anesthesiologist-resuscitator of the Russian Cancer Research Center named after. N. N. Blokhina: Natural childbirth is a natural process, accompanied by minor pain. As a rule, nature itself wisely prepares the expectant mother’s body for this test. Firstly, during the period of childbirth, the “internal anesthesia system” is automatically activated in the mother’s body: special painkillers – endorphins and enkephalins – are released into the blood. Secondly, the pain sensitivity threshold increases. Unpleasant sensations do not disappear completely, but seem to recede into the background.
