emotions
‘Splash out on a few treats for yourself. Take a break fom buying ‘things for baby’ and buy something for yourself ’
(If you feel consistently or frequently
‘moody’, however, speak to your GP, as you may be one of the ten to 16 per cent of pregnant women, who battle mild to moderate depression during pregnancy.) Some of the most frequent factors that
make women not feel overly happy about being pregnant are:
• A personal or family history of mood disorder
• Financial or marital stress. If there are aspects of your life that are not going so well, then you are more vulnerable to depression at these times. Relationship difficulties, for example, can oſten lead to feelings of discontent and low mood
• Hospitalisation or bed rest because of pregnancy complications
• Anxiety about health, particularly if there is a chronic medical condition, or if you have previously experienced complications during a pregnancy
• Anxiety about your baby’s health, especially if there is a personal or family history of birth defects.
When you look at the list of reasons why you may not be delighted to be pregnant and factor in that, as your pregnancy develops, you may experience fatigue, heartburn and frequent urination - all of which can take a hold on you and wear you down - is it any wonder you’re feeling a little jaded as opposed to ecstatic? Te answer to all of it is to simply try and
stay level headed. Remind yourself of how much this baby was planned or, if it wasn’t, remind yourself that you’re lucky to be able to give birth when so many others aren’t. If you need a physical manifestation of
‘reasons to be happy’, then make a bucket list of all the things that you have to look
forward to during your pregnancy. Tis list should include all of the things that you would like to do for yourself, or give to yourself. Here are ten to get you started:
• Get a good balance of rest and exercise and try talking about your feelings with friends and family.
• Do something that makes you feel good, uch as taking a nap or going for a walk. Any form of exercise releases endorphins – the ‘happy hormones’ – which will automatically make you feel a little better.
• Splash out on a few treats for yourself. Take a break from buying ‘things for baby’ and buy something for yourself. Tat in itself can be a great antidote to all of the more practical purchases!
• Book yourself in for a massage – this is the perfect time for a little TLC!
• Take it easy and give yourself a break. Resist the urge to pack in as many chores as you can before the baby comes.
• Talk to friends, who have babies and young children to see how they put their day in.
• Keep track of what your baby is up to. Read Modern Mum’s pregnancy planner on a weekly basis, for example. It will remind you that something special is happening and will show you what’s happening to your baby at any time.
• If you don’t like the shape of your growing body, then go and splash out on expandable outfits and get the ‘feelgood’ factor.
• Take the opportunity to ‘do lunch’ with friends while you’re off on maternity leave.
• Write a birth plan and prepare for the big day: this will keep you focussed on the happy event to come. „
Autumn 2016 MODERNMUM 27
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