Psychological changes during pregnancy

How the psychology of a pregnant woman changes in each trimester

From the first days , a pregnant woman, in addition to joy, is able to experience a real storm of new emotions. This could be anxiety, a feeling that something new is approaching, fear of the unknown.

In the first trimester, the body must quickly adapt to the new state, which, of course, affects the psyche. Irritability, increased emotionality, and some fears appear. Thus, during the restructuring of all systems and the “hormonal storm,” the body gets rid of accumulated stress and inevitable negativity. At this time, the expectant mother greatly needs the support of her family, especially her husband.

Psychological changes during pregnancy: second trimester.

This period is characterized by a transition from rapid adaptation to a more even course of pregnancy. Toxicosis recedes, a small tummy appears, the adapted body gradually corrects its condition, and the organs do not yet experience excessive stress. Fear and irritability go away, and in their place comes peace and confidence, which helps a woman cope with possible negativity. The world begins to play with new colors, and the expectant mother seeks to express her attitude towards this through creativity and caring for the family. At this time, complete acceptance of her new state comes and the “nesting syndrome” manifests itself to the maximum, when the expectant mother tries to do general cleaning and radically changes the situation in her home.

The third, most difficult trimester, is characterized by the so-called “protective inhibition,” when the cortex is inhibited and the subcortical structures are disinhibited. At the same time, hypersensitivity, irritability, and fear of upcoming pain and childbirth reappear. The expectant mother is completely immersed in her state and waits for the end of the pregnancy. At the same time, the reaction speed decreases, and incoming information is absorbed more slowly. The body adjusts to childbirth, with all organs working under increased load. In this case, some inhibition plays the role of a buffer, restraining the influence of the outside world and allowing the pregnancy to be completed in the most prosperous way.

Why does a pregnant woman need a psychologist?

Psychoanalytic point of view.

Pregnancy is a very complex, although hardly noticeable from the outside, interaction between mother and intrauterine child at the physical and psycho-emotional levels. The child, while in the womb, experiences all the emotions that the mother experiences. Physically, the child is part of the mother's body; emotions are experienced mentally, and then the body reacts to them, thus a chain of psychosomatics occurs. Therefore, anxiety, fear, apathy, sadness, anger, joy, grief experienced by the mother also affect the child.

A woman’s emotional problems can lead not only to disruption of the pregnancy, but also to complications during childbirth. Therefore, if a woman experiences excessive agitation or anxiety, it is worth thinking in advance about her emotional state and the impact of this state on the course of pregnancy and childbirth.

Psychoanalysts identify three main tasks of pregnancy:

1. Emotional fusion with the fetus during the earliest stage of its development.
2. The gradual differentiation of the intrauterine child from the mother, starting from the moment when its movement is first felt.
3. Growing mental separation of mother and child, preceding physical separation during childbirth.

In all three phases, various psychosomatic symptoms may appear. Toxicosis, for example, can be enhanced by a woman’s unconscious reluctance to have a child. Or the child was conceived, in the mother’s opinion, “at the wrong time” or by accident, or during an act of violence - all this is reflected in the emotional state of the mother, and on the development of the child, and on the physical level.

Severe emotional rejection of pregnancy can lead to miscarriage or infertility. This period is also a time of regression and aggravation of relationships with parents, both father and mother. There is also a positive aspect - during pregnancy, the emotional background is most amenable to adjustment precisely because of the state of regression, when a woman is more subtle and more sensitive to shades of emotions.

During pregnancy there is also a good chance to strengthen one’s sexual and gender-role identity, as a woman undergoes a transformation, a transition through pregnancy to the role of a mother.

In the second phase of pregnancy, a woman will have to gradually accept the fact that inside her there is a separate person with her own rhythm, and she cannot control it.

At the third stage of pregnancy, from about 6 months, a woman’s task is to achieve emotional comfort, ideally to establish a relationship with her mother (not necessarily in real life, you can try to do this intrapsychically), but not to go to the other extreme - idealization of your mother, so how it is impossible to achieve ideals and at the same time the woman herself will consider herself unworthy.

At the stage of preparation for childbirth, the most common problem is fear of childbirth, fear of physical damage to one’s body and fear for the health and life of the child. Normally, there should not be strong fear, but if thoughts about the upcoming birth bother you unnecessarily, then you should think about the reasons for increased anxiety and work with a psychologist so that anxiety does not affect childbirth.

In general, pregnancy is an excellent chance to correct emotional problems and think about relationships with your husband, partner, and parents.

How to behave during different periods of pregnancy

In the first trimester , it is very important for the expectant mother to follow a daily routine, spend more time in nature, and be sure to follow all the doctor’s instructions, especially if there is toxicosis. It is important at this time to learn how to properly relax and switch to another type of activity. This could be drawing and other types of creativity, meditation, walks. It is advisable to enroll in courses for pregnant women, which will allow you to better understand your unusual condition.

In the second trimester , quiet and peaceful walks in nature, various types of creativity, reading light literature, and even better, children's fairy tales are necessary. At this stage, visiting various exhibitions and theaters is very useful. We need special gymnastics to help prepare for childbirth.

In the third trimester, you need to spend more time with your family and also prepare for the arrival of your baby. It is important for a woman to master the breathing exercises necessary during childbirth, as well as to be able to relax correctly. Now the pregnant woman most of all needs support, and also a feeling of complete security of her “nest” where the baby will live.

Throughout pregnancy, the expectant mother most needs understanding and care from her husband and other family members. Pregnancy is a new stage in the life of a “unit of society”, where mutual support is important, as well as full understanding of each other.

Psychological assistance for pregnant women

Absolutely all women, in different life situations, experience negative mental states.

Very often, female psychological help is required:

• during pregnancy;
• .after termination of pregnancy (abortion);
• after a miscarriage or “fading” pregnancy.

Expecting a child is not only joy, but also anxiety, fears and even doubts. The expectant mother may not be sure whether to continue the pregnancy. This happens, for example, if:

• a woman lives with a man in a civil marriage;
• .the family is on the verge of divorce;
• the woman was abandoned by her husband (lover) during pregnancy;
• an unborn child is unwanted for a man.

In such difficult situations, psychological assistance to pregnant women should be competent, timely, and comprehensive. Psychologists use various effective methods of providing psychological assistance to pregnant women:

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• consultations, during which clients are introduced to the emotional and behavioral characteristics characteristic of an expectant mother and prepared for them;
• working with “phobias” of pregnant women;
• assistance in understanding one’s own emotions, feelings and internal conflicts;
• “playing out” situations related to the birth of a child, and much more.

Psychological support of pregnancy allows you to establish close contact between the expectant mother and her baby. Experience shows that pregnant women who turn to a psychologist endure both the process of childbirth and the postpartum period much easier.

If psychological help during pregnancy is, first of all, getting rid of typical fears and “working through” possible situations, then psychological help after an abortion (unauthorized or for medical reasons) or after a miscarriage is working with an already existing negative situation. The help of a psychologist in such cases should be provided as soon as possible.

Our center’s specialists will help you cope with the consequences of a difficult life event – ​​the so-called “post-abortion syndrome”, and prevent the occurrence or further development of such conditions as:

• depression;
• grief, pain of loss;
• guilt;
• panic;
• feeling of helplessness;
• obsessive thoughts about “what would happen if...”;
• psychological aversion to a partner;
• frequent mood changes;
• indifference or, on the contrary, aggression, irritation, anger;
• anger towards loved ones or strangers;

Termination of pregnancy is a strong shock for the female psyche. And psychological help after a miscarriage or abortion is an opportunity to overcome negative experiences and return to normal life.

Do not try to solve such problems yourself - contact specialists! Among the effective techniques and techniques that psychologists use in their work are: art therapy, cognitive psychotherapy and much more.

Call and make an appointment!

We will be happy to provide you with professional support!

Calm, just calm... Psychohygiene of pregnancy

As soon as people find out about your “interesting situation,” everyone considers it their duty to tell them: “The main thing is, don’t be nervous.” It’s a good recommendation, of course, but it’s just difficult to implement. Probably, in order not to be nervous at all, the expectant mother should, as in Ancient China, retire from the world to a special sanatorium-type institution, where, while waiting for a child, women indulged in the arts, looked at the beautiful, thought about the good, and no external circumstances had power over their mood. But we live in a modern world full of all kinds of stress factors. What to do? How to achieve the desired peace of mind?

Every adult woman knows how to behave correctly during pregnancy. To behave correctly means following a daily routine, walking and breathing fresh air, not being overworked at work, never drinking alcohol or tobacco, eating healthy food, not using medications unless absolutely necessary, and taking care of your health. Think positively, unconditionally enjoy life, think about good things, experience a feeling of happiness, community with your husband, love for your unborn child. And a lot of “non-actions”: don’t worry, don’t be afraid, don’t worry, don’t be offended, don’t get angry, don’t fall into despair, don’t be discouraged. That is, it is common knowledge that a pregnant woman cannot allow herself to get stuck in all those emotions that are commonly called negative. But a pregnant woman has more than enough reasons for grief, worry, sadness and despair, irritation and fear.

Just knowing what emotions should not be allowed is not enough. Anger or resentment is not a cigarette that can be given up by force of will. In addition, a modern woman is exposed to stress almost every day: many work throughout pregnancy, and work brings its own production problems into their lives. Constant examinations for various exotic diseases, incomprehensible Latin terms in medical documents, as well as trips around the city, be it public transport or a personal car when driving in traffic jams - all this brings its own alarming notes and spoils the blissful state that naturally arises in a pregnant woman under favorable circumstances. Tests, instrumental examinations, toxicosis and other “delights” that usually accompany pregnancy can deprive anyone of peace of mind. And a pregnant woman has two sources of particular concern: this is what is happening around her, in the external environment, and changes in her hormonal levels, forcing her to react to any stimuli more emotionally, stronger, more painfully and often in an unexpected way.

Therefore, it is especially important for a pregnant woman to engage in what is called psychoprophylaxis and psychohygiene - actions aimed at maintaining psychological well-being, to accumulate resources of calm, confidence and relaxation, which will be useful when faced with stressors and will reduce both the strength of the emotional reaction to a traumatic situation and the likelihood emotional breakdown due to rampant hormones.

What will help you?

So, how can you create a pleasant mood for yourself every day, how to accumulate mental strength?

Walking contains a combination of several beneficial factors. Muscle work compensates for physical inactivity, which has firmly established its position among urban residents; endorphins, hormones of happiness, are produced; you breathe fresh air (if you walk in the park and not along the central highway); perhaps, if you're lucky, watch birds, trees, wild flowers, which is calming. Going out into nature is also beneficial.

Music also has a beneficial effect on the mental state of the expectant mother. Morning melodies are awakening, causing activity. The same active, fast, dynamic music should be chosen for physical and mental activity. The music of the evening is calming and relaxing.

Regardless of the musical preferences of young women, their unborn children (imagine, such experiments were carried out!) in the womb vigorously expressed their pleasure or displeasure from the scale perceived by the mothers carrying them. The children protested against rock, behaved restlessly, and tried to “hide” from the sounds overwhelming them. And vice versa, they “rejoiced” at classical music. Hence the conclusion: even if what you love most in the world is to listen to heavy music in the morning, refrain from attending rock concerts for the next year, and instead go to concerts at the Philharmonic and Opera House.

It is very important for a pregnant woman to read books that create a positive attitude. This includes fiction and stories of successful births. All this creates a favorable psychological background and a feeling of confidence in a favorable outcome of pregnancy. True, there are cases when women expecting a child, after reading special medical literature and learning about possible pathologies, began to greatly fear for the health of their baby and for the outcome of the birth. In this regard, we will give two pieces of advice.

First: literature needs to be filtered before you pick it up. Read what your friends recommend as positive and uplifting. Those who want to scare are not only among the authors of books: often both old and casual acquaintances will regale you with tales of all sorts of terrible incidents - just to feel like an important person who has undivided attention.

In these cases, the second tip will come in handy: when reading books and during conversations related to the topic that is most important to you, imagine that you are in the market. And so you walk along the aisles, you have the intention of buying fruits, fresh vegetables, nuts. You walk, choose, try, and along the way you come across stalls that sell vodka and cigarettes. How do you react to them? They don’t cause outrage just by their appearance. You are not afraid that someone will grab you and force you to drink an alcoholic drink. You treat them indifferently - you just know that you don’t need these stalls. The market - as a whole - is good for you. And you simply don’t use those parts of it that are harmful, ignore them, pass by without paying any attention to them. It’s exactly the same with books and other people’s stories. You collect everything that is valuable to you in a mental “basket”. This is necessary, it will come in handy. And everything harmful is ignored. If you catch yourself that some information has hurt or frightened you, imagine it in the form of an image, and mentally put a stamp on top of this image: “vodka.” And mentally send it to the warehouse of unnecessary goods.

Another tool for regulating and maintaining a good state of mind is prayer. But it is effective only for believers. Non-believers can achieve an effect similar to the beneficial effect of prayers with the help of positive statements. You start your day with the affirmation that the world is good, life is wonderful, the day is going to be wonderful, and everything will work out for you. And the higher the confidence with which you affirm this, the more evidence of this will appear in your life. There are lists of affirmations created for psychological work on oneself during pregnancy: they relate to setting up for good health, a successful birth, as well as accepting difficult moments and acquiring additional psychological resources to deal with them, working through the problematic circumstances of one’s own birth and difficulties in relationships with own parents.

You can come up with your own positive affirmations aimed at overcoming specific difficulties that are manifesting themselves in your life right now. There are several forms of working with affirmations, the simplest of which is this: take one statement every day, write it 20 times in the morning and 20 times in the evening in a notebook, return to this thought throughout the day, pronounce or sing it to yourself, and at the end day, you can send yourself a postcard with this statement so that it comes back to you a little later.

The reason why affirmations are so effective is incredibly simple. We all know the saying from childhood: “Repetition is the mother of learning.” This works both on a conscious level, thanks to which we once learned the multiplication table and many other useful rules, and on the unconscious, which allows us, with the help of many repetitions, to form our beliefs and influence our mood in a consciously chosen way.

Examples of affirmations

My family is a source of pleasure for me.

I feel happiness and bliss simply because I am alive.

I have enough peace to maintain it when something goes wrong, and enough happiness to enjoy good events.

The light of my heart works wonders.

Every day of pregnancy is a special happiness for me.

I am always ready to support my child: before, during and after birth.

My birth was truly a happy event.

Everything happens as it should, and the best of all possible options comes true.

All of these methods have an impact on the psychological state and enhance the potential for protection against various stress factors. However, in our unpredictable lives, events can suddenly occur that are capable of pissing off even a modern Buddha. What to do in this case? You need immediate psychological self-help.

Not “Who is to blame?”, but “What to do?”

Let us accept as a fact that feelings arise uncontrollably by volitional efforts, spontaneously, as a response to some situation, in certain circumstances. But it is entirely within our power, having noticed that the mood has changed for the worse, to stop the influx of unpleasant feelings and not to get caught up in them. Here are proven “emergency self-help” remedies.

When a person experiences stress, his physiological indicators change: his blood pressure rises, his pulse quickens. We cannot consciously influence the rate at which adrenaline is released into the blood or the heart rate. However, we have a thin thread of connection between uncontrollable processes in the body and consciousness. This is breathing. And if we begin to breathe the way a person breathes in a state of relaxation - slowly, deeply - then soon the whole body calms down. This is done like this: draw more air into the chest, hold your breath for a split second and exhale completely. Take your time to breathe in again. Repeat the exercise several times until you calm down completely. To lengthen the exhalation phase in order to calm down, it is sometimes also recommended to fold your lips into a tube and let the air rise as far as possible. Another exercise that can be used in such situations is this: pay attention to how you breathe. As you inhale, say the word “inhale” to yourself. When exhaling - “exhale”. At the 5-7th minute of doing this exercise, breathing will begin to slow down on its own, and the pause between inhalation and exhalation will increase. It is very simple, you can do it even while talking with someone or doing some work at the same time, if you cannot stop everything for a few minutes and retire. You also need to perform it until you calm down completely.

“The release of muscle tension arising from conflict or other stress often leads to a decrease in internal tension. Having noticed tension in certain muscle groups, it is recommended to strengthen it, “bring it to the point of absurdity.” Following this, a moment comes when it becomes easier to relax and relieve tension.

What to do if your fists are clenched with anger? You can do this: as you inhale, clench your fists tighter and as you exhale, release them sharply and unclench your fingers. If necessary, you can repeat this several times. The tension goes away. And if it’s too big, it’s not forbidden to take out all your emotions on a pillow or piece of upholstered furniture - push it until your arms get tired. But all the tension will pour out, and will not remain in you. And, besides, it’s still better to beat a pillow than the person who brought you to this state.

If you find yourself in some unfavorable situation for you, after which you feel bad, you need to work on three things: gait, posture and smile. A person “crushed” by the situation is exactly what he looks like: he drags along, clinging to one leg, as if he has a multi-ton load on his shoulders, he looks either at the asphalt or with an unfocused gaze in front of him, not noticing anything. The task is to create a picture of a successful woman, a winner, instead of this pitiful spectacle. The gait is a confident, clear, “flying” step. Posture - straight spine, no hint of stooping, chest straightened, shoulder blades “fastened”. And finally, a smile. The fact is that there is a connection between the manifestation of emotion and the state. If you force yourself to straighten your shoulders and smile, little by little the melancholy and despair will subside. Here, too, the “anchor” is triggered - we are accustomed to the fact that a certain tension in the facial muscles always accompanies a good mood and joy. And you can grab the other end of this link: from a smile, specially “put on” on your face, to a state of contentment with life. Of course, you cannot create a holiday in your soul this way, but it is quite possible to return to a normal working and creative state.

If some unpleasant situation for you is happening right now, and you physically cannot avoid it, for example, your blood is being taken for a test, or you are at a dentist’s appointment, or your boss is shouting at you, or maybe, on the contrary, a client who is too nervous, you can use dissociation. Like this? Very simple. The associated state is “you in yourself”: you see, hear, pay attention to what is happening to you and around you. And dissociation is like observing what is happening from the outside. Let's say, imagine that you are looking through the viewfinder of a video camera located in the far upper corner of the room: you are making a film about how your tooth is drilled. If you're still scared or feeling stressed, take this photo in black and white. And without sound! In another situation, where someone is aggressive towards you, and you are forced to silently listen to the complaints addressed to you, imagine a protective bell around you that is taller than your own height. And let it slowly rotate around, and its walls, transparent to you, will be impenetrable to everything that an unfriendly interlocutor sends you.

If, as a result of such communication, you are feeling somewhat disheveled, eat something sweet. Sweets generally activate the production of endorphins. For the same reason, bananas are called “fruits of happiness” - they contain a lot of starch, potential sugar, and some mysterious microelements that increase tone and mood. True, you cannot use this method too often: the risk of gaining extra pounds is high.

Also, buy yourself some flowers. Since childhood, we have associated flowers with celebration and anticipation of pleasure. For most of the year - from spring to late autumn - they are quite affordable. In addition, flowers in a vase at home harmonize the atmosphere, create a special comfort and mood, which is facilitated by both their appearance and aroma.

If you have certain circumstances that cannot be changed (for example, it is unknown whether the project will be approved at work, or the result of some analysis is disturbing), and you cannot help but worry, then this is the advice for getting rid of anxiety. Make a bracelet from a wide elastic band. Place on your wrist. And every time an uninvited guest comes into your head - an unpleasant, disturbing thought: “What if everything will be bad?!”, you say to yourself: “It won’t happen!”, and pulling back the rubber band, let it go so that it gives you a painful spank along the delicate inner part of the wrist. Soon such thoughts will stop entering your head. But don’t rush to take off the bracelet, let you still have an incentive - in ancient India, an incentive was a sharp stick that was thrust into the sides of elephants to drive them.

There are a lot of ways of self-help and self-support, psychoprophylaxis and mental hygiene. And the small part of them outlined in this article is probably too much for you to start using all of them at once. Everyone chooses what is easier - or what they like best. Something that seems full of meaning - or is simply interesting. Try it. I will be very glad if you, my reader, found something for yourself in this article that will subsequently help you or your loved ones take care of their mental health and maintain a good, joyful mood not only during pregnancy, but day after day our difficult, but so interesting and dynamic life!