6 Signs You Should Seek Anxiety Treatment During Pregnancy

Many moms-to-be experience symptoms of worry. They may be concerned about their unborn baby’s health, especially if they’ve had previous miscarriages. They may be concerned about how having a baby will impact their career or their relationship with their spouse. While there are plenty of possibilities that contribute to anxiety in pregnancy, if these worries become debilitating or obsessive, it’s time to seek help in the form of anxiety treatment in pregnancy.

Here are six signs you should pay attention to when you are pregnant. If these persist, you should look for a licensed counselor who can work with you to manage your anxiety treatment during pregnancy.

Restlessness

You can’t seem to find peace, you don’t want to sit still, and your nervous energy seems to be through the roof. This may occur most intensely in the first trimester.

Falling asleep is more difficult because of your worry

If your fears about the baby’s health or some other worry is keeping you up at night, it’s a sign the anxiety is interfering with your everyday life and well-being.

Your anxiety and fear cause you to regularly lose concentration

When our fears get the best of us, they become all-consuming. If your worry is troubling you to the point of forgetting common, everyday things such as where you put your keys or how to do a work-related task you’ve done a million times before, it may be a sign that your distractedness is anxiety.

You obsess over worries about your baby even after doctors reassure you the baby is okay

This one is tough because expectant mothers are contending with intense hormonal swings throughout pregnancy. Anxiety in pregnancy may be making your hormone swings worse if you cannot trust the wisdom of your doctors. Persistent and pervasive worry can be a sign of Generalized Anxiety Disorder.

You’ve had an overwhelming feeling of dread or doom that won’t go away

Feelings of intense doom are attributed to anxiety because they seem to be random and not specifically tied to anything in a person’s past. For example, if you feel a sense of heaviness or that something life-threatening is going to happen, you might be exhibiting doom emotions.

Intense headaches, nausea, dizziness, or heart palpitations cause you to feel like you are physically unwell

While we typically think of anxiety as a mental health issue, it can play out in our physical bodies so it’s important to pay attention to physical symptoms.

Why is anxiety in pregnancy common?

Mothers-to-be experience a range of emotions and physical changes to their bodies, many of which are attributed to hormones needed for the baby’s development. These shifts in hormonal balances can contribute to a heightened state of emotions around fears and worries that might otherwise not be as explosive.

An occasional worry or concern is not typically something to fear, but if your worry is pervasive or you have uncontrollable fear and dread, it could be related to an anxiety disorder or anxiety in pregnancy. This is especially true if you’ve struggled with anxiety or been diagnosed previously with an anxiety disorder.

All human beings struggle from time to time with anxiety, but anxiety in pregnancy can be magnified by the emotional swings and physical changes going on in your body. About fifteen percent of women are diagnosed with an anxiety disorder during pregnancy, but even if you are not diagnosed, it can be helpful to talk with someone about what you’re experiencing.

Treatment options for anxiety in pregnancy

You may have heard of postpartum depression and anxiety, but it’s less known that women can have anxiety in pregnancy and there are effective ways to manage it. Some of these are similar to how anxiety would be treated in a person who isn’t pregnant.

One of the first recommendations is to talk to your obstetrician if you are struggling with obsessive worry or fear that doesn’t go away. Your doctor can help you with assessments to determine if what you’re going through is normal or may need some more extensive treatment.

A first-line treatment for anxiety is seeing a therapist. Talking to a counselor can give you greater peace of mind because they can help you with perspective. Recognizing when your thoughts have become obsessive or controlling will help you function better. Counseling can help you learn coping tools for what triggers your anxiety. It may be helpful to avoid those triggers or have some stress management techniques ready for when they’re unavoidable.

Another option for treatment is medication. Some women with anxiety in pregnancy find that therapy is helpful but not enough. Working with your obstetrician, a psychologist can prescribe medication to augment your therapy in a way that is also safe for the baby.

Learning coping mechanisms is particularly helpful, even if you do take medication for your anxiety because they serve as lifelong tools for when fears overtake your ability to function. A counselor will also help you discern whether anxiety is disruptive to your day-to-day life, which can be especially beneficial to understand once you’ve had the baby.

Other treatments include self-care and group therapy if you’re open to it. Talking to other expectant moms can be encouraging and remind you of the happy aspects of pregnancy. Taking care of yourself with relaxation and breathing exercises, taking part in hobbies you enjoy, exercising, and getting outside are all ways to help with anxiety during pregnancy.

If you aren’t enjoying hobbies like you once did, are tempted to isolate yourself from loved ones and friends, and have obsessive or repetitive thoughts to the point of agitation, seek treatment with a licensed therapist.

When these are accompanied by physical sensations such as dizziness, feeling like your mind is blank or you’re checked out of reality, a fast-beating heart, and disorientation, you could be suffering from a panic attack. While less common than general anxiety in pregnancy, panic attacks are a symptom of some anxiety disorders. It’s important to talk to your doctor if you think you may have experienced one.

Don’t feel guilty about anxiety

Some mothers feel guilty that they’re having trouble with anxiety because of cultural expectations that pregnancy is a joyful time when a mom-to-be swoons over her soon-to-arrive baby. However, knowing the symptoms and expressing your needs is one of the best things you can do for yourself and your child.

Anxiety is nothing to be ashamed of or embarrassed about. It is quite common, and there are ways to cope.

You are not harming or damaging the relationship you’ll have with your baby just because you’re struggling with anxiety. Taking action and finding ways to manage anxiety is evidence that you care about your unborn child and yourself. Therefore, do not be inhibited from speaking up about your experience.

How to help a pregnant friend with anxiety

If your spouse or someone you love may benefit from anxiety treatment during pregnancy, there are some ways you can help.

Don’t minimize her feelings

No matter how small her worries appear to be, you need to affirm them. Let her know that you are for her and will support her with whatever she might need.

Ask questions

Without being dramatic or overly concerned, ask questions about the worries she expresses. Are the worries something that come and go, or are they interrupting her daily life? Do they consume her thought life? You may want to ask these questions gradually and casually, so you don’t cause alarm.

Encourage your spouse or friend to do something she enjoys

Whether it’s seeing a movie, reading a book, or taking a walk, try to enjoy the activity with her. Too often, women who are pregnant are treated as fragile and unable. However, this is not the case with most. Many women can continue the habits and hobbies they had before pregnancy, especially if they’re already active.

Know when to recommend professional help

If your friend or wife expresses dread or isn’t cheering up, let her know you are concerned and would feel better if she talked to a counselor. You can even ask her to go just for one or two visits for anxiety treatment during pregnancy to put your mind at ease. A counselor will help her distinguish between common anxieties and something more serious.

Reaching out

Struggling with anxiety in pregnancy does not have to be isolating. You are not alone. There is help in the form of professional therapists who are eager to help you find peace for yourself and your growing child. Contact our offices today and we can set you up with an initial visit for anxiety treatment in pregnancy.