How do you fight anxiety when you are pregnant?

November 3, 2006 11:56 AM

What are some ways to fight anxiety when you are pregnant?

I have terrible anxiety that mostly occurs at night. I am also in the last trimester of pregnancy and a single mother. Does anyone know any good ways to defuse?

posted by lifeisstatic to health (13 comments total)

What are you anxious about? First, it's natural to have anxiety in pregnancy. I always found that just simply having someone to talk to helped. Sometimes just voicing your anxiety alleviates them. Find someone you can unload on.
posted by Sassyfras at 12:11 PM on November 3, 2006

It doesn't help that it's often tough to find a comfortable sleeping position in the last trimester either. That along with the hormone stew turned me into a raging insomniac for those last few months, so I can totally sympathize with your plight.

I found talking to the baby helped, anything from talking out what was in my head to reading books (not necessarily children's books) aloud to my little captive audience.
posted by jamaro at 12:27 PM on November 3, 2006

Have you tried prenatal yoga? If you can't find a class near you, there are tons of videos out there. I also found the meditations from hypnobirthing CDs to be helpful in training my mind to relax. I listened to them before bed, and I usually fell asleep with the headphones on. In fact, I think they were more helpful for staying calm during pregnancy than for staying calm during labor.

And since having a newborn to take care of is also anxiety-inducing (and, i imagine, having a toddler...having a teenager, etc.), yoga and meditation could be useful practices to develop now anyway.
posted by jessicak at 1:01 PM on November 3, 2006

Along with the yoga suggestion, simply taking deep breaths and trying to slow your breathing down might help.

I find that when I'm anxious, while I'm paying attention to my breathing, I also try to narrate what other parts of my body are affected. "My heart is racing, my stomach is clenched. Now my heart seems to be slowing down, but also feels like it's jumping into my chest." It's a meditation technique, and I've found that identifying the physical symptoms tends to make them go away, and gets me out of my head, which also helps me calm down.
posted by occhiblu at 1:07 PM on November 3, 2006

Stop drinking coffee if you haven't already, And I wouldn't eat any chocolate after about noon. Try this to see if caffeine is giving you anxiety or keeping you from getting a good night's sleep.
posted by cda at 1:47 PM on November 3, 2006

Aromatherapy is the solution that worked best for me when preggers and breastfeeding...since Xanax (my solution of choice up to that point) wasn't an option.

If you'll send me an email with your address, I'd be happy to send you a couple of little vials of different stress reducing essential oil blends. (At no charge, I'm not shilling for business.) I totally remember how stressful dealing with an anxiety disorder was when pregnant.

I can't swear that they'll work, but if they do..then Yay, and if they don't, you'll at least have a couple of things that smell really great. ;)
posted by dejah420 at 2:12 PM on November 3, 2006

I have dealt with some major anxiety issues, and I think the following could possibly help you cope with your anxiety.

1. Deep breathing. If you are waking up or unable to fall asleep, just get out of bed and sit in a chair and do some calm, deep breathing, focusing only on the breathing for that time.

2. Put some calming music on. Maybe you can pick up a copy of some calm instrumentals or even nature noises to listen to before bed, or as you're falling asleep.

3. Journal. Write down everything that is making you anxious or worried, and try & explore them, and things you can do to alleviate your anxiety.

4. Watch tv. Watch some cheesy sitcoms or something light & funny. Distract yourself from getting too anxious with something kind of mindless and entertaining.

5. You also might want to pick up the Anxiety & Phobia workbook and work through some of the exercises in it. It will give you something specific to work on, and I know a lot of people find that book very helpful.
posted by tastybrains at 2:22 PM on November 3, 2006

Check with your doctor first, but you might look into taking a homeopathic supplement called ignatia amara. I get it in little tubes at whole foods and take it three times a day. My psychiatrist recommended it to me specifically because I'm trying to get pregnant and I can't take any benzos. It's really helped with my anxiety disorder.

Deep breathing helps, too.

I hope you feel better soon.
posted by sugarfish at 2:48 PM on November 3, 2006

I think the self-care recommended by the other posters is great.

I don't want to make you more anxious, but you should talk to your ob/gyn about this to get support and some ideas about good treatments. A lot of women with postpartum depression actually have a lot of symptoms of anxiety; having a mood disorder like depression or anxiety during pregnancy, and being a single mom, puts you at a higher risk for postpartum depression, which affects about 10 - 15% of moms. It would be good to treat this now before the postpartum hormone drop/life adjustment kicks in.

Hang in there. I hope you feel better soon.
posted by tuff at 3:02 PM on November 3, 2006

I also had anxiety and depression during both my pregnancies. The first time around, it led to postpartum depression. The second time, it did not. I think one difference was that I discovered prenatal yoga during my second pregnancy. It helped me enormously both mentally and physically. The day I was able to go to an actual class was the day I looked forward to all week. It was the one day I felt truly physically good and happy and optimistic and capable. (I also worked at home with a DVD but it wasn't quite the same.) I had never had the slightest interest in yoga before. But now I can't recommend it enough.

Watching a lot of full-on-entertainment-mode TV, reading reading reading, and writing writing writing also helped me - or, should I say, got me through it. And eating. I fantasized about food all the time, and enjoyed it more as time went on. I indulged myself in every way possible. I took soothing long baths with aromatic bath oils and a good book. And at night, if I really couldn't calm down and sleep, I drank teeny tiny bit of port.

I also met with a therapist, but she wasn't a good fit for me so that didn't help too much. I wish I had gone ahead and found another during my first pregnancy. That might have saved me a lot of grief. I was lucky to be seeing a midwife with whom I met and would talk with for about 1 1/2 hour each appointment session, with no subject off limits. You might consider having a labor doula if you're planning a hospital birth. You probably know that fewer interventions are reported, and greater satisfaction, for women who hire doulas. I bet you could find one willing to meet with you more than usual before the birth, and this might help assuage your anxiety and fill the confidante role. Even if you have close friends/family to talk to now, it might help to have someone focused on the process you're going through and will go through. If your anxiety is also a function of the 'labors' ahead of you, it could really help to have somebody else. Good luck to you.
posted by melixxa600 at 3:43 PM on November 3, 2006 [1 favorite]

There is a specific thread on Anxiety and Depression in Pregnancy on Salon's Table Talk. It is only visible to members (it's in the Member Lounge, which only appears when you login.) The thread is called Melancholy Mama. The women who participate are intelligent, reasonable and supportive. It is a wonderful resource for those late nights when you need to reach out.

I was feeling anxiety during the first and last trimesters. I also experienced perinatal depression (depression DURING the pregnancy) which is really never talked about. I found out that anxiety and/or depression during pregnancy is very common and is rarely acknowledged.

I really enjoyed prenatal yoga and found that talking to other women who experienced anxiety during pregnancy was very comforting. I didn't hire a doula but I wished I had. From listening to friends who had doulas, I think it is worth every penny to have someone who is taking care of you so that you can take care of the baby.

Best of luck and congratulations on your pregnancy!
posted by jeanmari at 7:23 PM on November 3, 2006 [2 favorites]

I was taught Diaphragmatic Breathing to deal with my anxiety at night. I'm not sure if it will work during pregnancy, but its worth a try.
posted by xsquared-1 at 5:38 AM on November 4, 2006

Birth Hypnosis! When I was pregnant with my first, I took a birth hypnosis class. I would say that its effects during labor and delivery were mixed--helpful, but the baby didn't float out on a gossamer cloud, sorry to say. But DURING the pregnancy, it rocked! I learned deep relaxation techniques and how to drop deeply into a relaxed state almost instantly. They sent me home with a CD of a guided visualization about birth that I liked listening to-- and how the relaxation made me feel--that I would listen to it two or three times running.

The amazing thing was, that from listening to my CD every day, I became unable to be anxious anymore. First, for awhile, I could remember what I had been anxious about re: pregnancy and childbirth, but I couldn't feel the anxiety anymore. And then after awhile, I couldn't even remember what I used to worry about.

On preview, enthusiastically seconding what jessicak said.
posted by not that girl at 10:40 AM on November 4, 2006