Changes during pregnancy

Now that you are pregnant, you are experiencing one of the most intense and exciting adventures in a woman’s life: creating another being inside your own body! Pregnancy and childbirth cause a series of significant physical and emotional changes that you should prepare yourself for and accept as a natural process.

  Physical changes

In order for your baby to thrive, your uterus has to be in optimum condition for the baby’s growth.  Your body is able to create this ideal environment by liberating hormones that are conducive to physiological changes. But the level of these hormones, especially in the first few months, is rather high, and that can cause a series of physical sensations and changes that are sometimes uncomfortable, such as morning sickness. In our “changes during pregnancy” section you will find a list of the most common symptoms during these months and tips for alleviating them.  

For unknown reasons, some women do not suffer through these changes as much (although their pregnancies usually have the same happy ending as those of women who do suffer from the more severe side-effects of pregnancy).

  Emotional changes

The hormones you now release are affecting your emotions, although the degree to which this happens is not the same in all women. Some women may only feel irritable or sensitive, similar to when experiencing PMS. However, this surge of hormone levels may cause emotions to run haywire in other cases: one minute you are happy to be pregnant, and the next you may be in

All this is within the range of normalcy. But if you are in fact emotionally out of control, or if you feel constantly depressed and don’t feel like you can overcome that, you should see your doctor. Sometimes, these changes can alter the brain chemistry to the point of causing depression.  

The blues are sometimes difficult to talk about. Our culture highly values motherhood and many people don’t understand how a woman who is about to fulfill her dream of being a mother can have those feelings of sadness and desperation. Tell your doctor. There are treatments that can help you overcome this. And above all, keep in mind that you are not at fault for feeling this way.

  A new stage in life

Besides the changes caused by pregnancy hormones, there are other issues that may cause doubt and distress: the fact that you are about to be a mom could cause you to question your parenting abilities. You may be asking yourself if you will be capable of caring for your newborn and if it is your second child, if you will be able to deal with rearing two children.

These thoughts probably also plague the other parent. It is common for the father-to-be to ask himself if he will be capable of supporting the new family, and whether he’ll be a good dad.

In short, you are facing winds of change. Many of them, such as physical changes, are inevitable. In order to deal with the discomforts of pregnancy, you should do your best to understand that it is the normal course of things and that in the end you will receive the best reward: your baby.  

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