Pregnancy and psycho-emotional state. My emotional state during pregnancy

The reproductive system of women is one of the most sensitive indicators of the state of their health, since at the first manifestations of any pathological process, a violation of the specific functions of the female body is often found. The complex effects of various external traumatic factors can significantly affect the reproductive function of a woman and, as a consequence, the health of the offspring. Currently, more and more attention is paid to the influence of the psychoemotional state of women on reproductive function, pregnancy and perinatal outcomes. A lot of facts have been accumulated that indicate that the mother's inappropriate behavior during pregnancy, her emotional reactions to the stresses that our life is saturated with, cause a huge number of various pathological conditions in the child, both behavioral, psychological and somatic. ... Also, it turned out that during pregnancy, the influence of adverse factors on the offspring is not limited to one generation. The question arose about the presence of transgenerational effects of antenatal stress, recorded not only in the first (F1), but also in subsequent generations (F2-F4).

The beginning of pregnancy is the most difficult period for a woman, both physiologically and emotionally. It is during this period that women suffer from early toxicosis, hormonal changes in the whole body begin, which also affects the emotional background. ... Vasilyeva O.S. emphasizes the psychological role of pregnancy for the mother, child and society as a whole. Pregnancy is viewed primarily as an existential situation that causes profound changes in self-awareness, attitudes towards other people, and the world.

• · During pregnancy, not only the fetus ripens in the womb, but also the mother herself, that part of the woman's personality that will subsequently perform maternal functions.
• · It is during pregnancy that those attitudes, behavioral and socio-cultural stereotypes that will determine this or that type of motherhood are actualized.
• · The emotional state of the mother during pregnancy has a significant impact on the course of pregnancy and childbirth, the subsequent attitude towards the child and herself, as well as the formation of his self-awareness, the formation of purely human qualities.
• · The fetus in the womb is not only a biological object, but also the subject of purposeful formative and educational influences, i.e. the pregnant woman is already performing maternal educational functions.
• · The phenomenon of pregnancy as a special socio-cultural phenomenon, integral to human existence, is reflected in various works of culture, traditions, and religious beliefs.

Almost all pregnant women are subject to sharp emotional changes, therefore, the mood of a pregnant woman changes almost every hour. A significant influence on the formation of a woman's emotional state during pregnancy is exerted by the desirability of pregnancy (Table 1), the attitude towards a pregnant woman in the family, the formation of personal qualities , psychological readiness for motherhood, these variables form a certain style of attitude towards pregnancy, the upcoming birth and relationship with the unborn child.

Table 1. Unwanted pregnancy - problems of mother and child.

Psychological characteristics of women with unwanted pregnancies. Psychological problems of unwanted children. 1. Emotional dissatisfaction with the current situation, infringing on self-esteem. 2. Uncertainty in oneself, in the possibility of success, low self-esteem. 3. High feelings of guilt, passivity bordering on masochism. 4. The need to overcome limitations, the desire to get rid of fear, anxiety that lies behind the emphasized confidence and independence. 5. High level of self-control with a tendency to lie. 6. Problems of social adaptation. 7. Problems of interpersonal relations. 8. Traits of emotional immaturity, pronounced emotional instability, high anxiety and anxiety. 9. Increased impulsivity, irritability, sensitivity to external influences. 10. Experiencing disappointment and resentment. 11. Distress, hypochondria. 12. Depressive reactions. 1. Decreased cheerfulness, increased excitability and resentment. 2. Decreased self-esteem, lack of self-confidence, in their strengths, abilities. 3. High dependence. 4. Failure in training. 5. Deceit and lack of diligence. 6. Lack of communication or excessive sociability. 7. An extraordinary need for recognition, often the use of criminal ways to implement it, the presence of asocial tendencies. 8. Lack of understanding with desired children. 9. Envy, hostility towards the success and happiness of others. 10. Indifference, emotional deafness. 11. In parenting - indifference to caring for their children. 12. Sardonic, caustic, ironic. 13. Insufficient stress resistance, masked depression; nervousness, neuroses. Psychotic symptoms.

The attitude of the mother to the fetus during pregnancy leaves persistent traces on the development of his psyche. Emotional stress correlates with preterm birth, major childhood psychopathology, more frequent occurrence of schizophrenia, often with school failures, high rates of delinquency, drug addiction and suicide attempts.

Physical changes entail changes in her psychological state. This is due to a change in appearance and a new response to the attitude of others. During pregnancy, a woman's feelings, feelings and moods change.

The psyche of a pregnant woman has specific features in each trimester of pregnancy:

• 1. The first trimester is characterized by an unstable mood: on the one hand, a conscious desire to have a child, on the other hand, uncertainty in their maternal capabilities, fear of childbirth. The physiological changes characteristic of many pregnant women during this period are important: nausea, reactions to smells, sounds, colors, changes in taste. Extraordinary sensitivity and tearfulness, increased resentment and moodiness, accompanied by an enormous need for a kind-hearted attitude and attention, appear.
• 2. The second trimester is a period of relative calm. The expectant mother gradually adapts to an unusual image, begins to feel the movement of the child, accepts a new life in herself.

The third trimester is distinguished by such a basic feature as "immersion" in anticipation of the unborn child, which becomes a concentration of interests and activities. A woman can significantly increase her creative potential, and therefore, there is a need for vigorous activity or hypersensitivity in relation to the unborn baby: dreams, premonitions, extraordinary experiences, a feeling of mental contact with the child.

At the psychophysiological level, Hurst distinguishes changes in the following sensory areas:

§Acoustic: Pregnant women often dislike loud, harsh music, preferring classical or meditative music.

§Visual: Many women report changes in visual perception, in particular, emotional responses to visual stimuli; at the same time, pregnant women begin to feel more deeply beauty and harmony.

§Kinesthetic: Most pregnant women become more sensitive to how they are touched, to other tactile signals.

§Smell: Many pregnant women have a more differentiated sense of smell. Since strong smells can be harmful to the unborn child, and some smells have a healing and calming effect on the mother.

§Taste: Many pregnant women do not like certain foods and drinks, as well as substances that are harmful to the normal development of the fetus, such as nicotine, alcohol, caffeine, etc. However, pregnant women often begin to unconsciously eat foods that have the necessary nutrients.

Psychological changes during pregnancy are manifested in the so-called pregnancy syndrome. The syndrome of pregnancy is experienced by a woman on an unconscious level, has certain time boundaries and is characterized by the following symptoms:

• · At the first stage, the affect of being pregnant is most often experienced. Within the framework of this symptom, as a rule, the following difference is manifested: the higher the social and intellectual level of a pregnant woman, the more independent and professionally successful she is, the more questions about the meaning of childbirth she will put before herself, the more difficult it will be for her to decide to become a mother.
• · The next stage in the development of pregnancy syndrome is the reflexive acceptance of a new self-image: "I am in position." This stage is characterized by the recognition of physiological changes in your body. The real biological and neuroendocrine changes that accompany pregnancy can have a profound psychological impact on expectant mothers.
• · Special attention should be paid to the symptom of emotional lability, which, to one degree or another, is inherent in the entire period of pregnancy. This symptom refers to emotional maladjustment, which manifests itself in fluctuations in the background mood. In some women, passivity increases and a feeling of higher satisfaction and pleasure appears. Others experience mild depression and physical activity at this time, possibly because the pregnant woman is trying to deny a new sense of her own passivity. Mood swings can be expressed in varying degrees of internal tension: in a feeling of boredom, in slowness, in growing dissatisfaction with oneself, in a verbalized feeling of depression.
• · From the moment of realizing and internal acceptance of herself as a pregnant woman, a symptom of a contradictory attitude towards pregnancy is revealed. Researchers note that at this time there are characteristic rapid mood swings and the resurrection of previous anxieties, an affect in which there is simultaneously joy, optimism, hope and - alert expectation, fear, sadness. Here are both fears and fears associated with the upcoming birth, reaching the point of panic; and lack of confidence in their ability to give birth and become a full-fledged mother; and fear for the health of the unborn child, concern about the deterioration of the financial situation of his family, about the possible infringement of personal freedom; and finally, the experience of their bodily metamorphosis and the associated sexual unattractiveness.
• · Further, a mental restructuring of a woman's self-awareness, characteristic of pregnancy, arises with the gradual inclusion of the image of a child in it. At this moment, the expectant mother experiences a symptom of a new life in herself. This stage most often occurs when a woman begins to feel the first movements of the fetus. As the fetus grows, the sensory component of these sensations becomes brighter, acquires a shade of objectivity. During this period, a woman usually begins to interpret the behavior of an unborn baby: "woke up", "having fun", "worried", etc. A meaningful pregnancy inspires the expectant mother, creates an appropriate affective background with which she spiritualizes her future baby, his presence evokes a feeling of tenderness, is painted in warm emotional tones. Some women are so immersed in these experiences that childhood traits also begin to appear in their behavior. They become more sensitive and suggestible, helpless and softened. According to the researchers, during this period of pregnancy, an internal dialogue between the mother and the child usually occurs. A special emotional state contributes to the formation of a child's image, which is included in the woman's self-awareness. The symptom of accepting a new life in oneself is the pinnacle of the pregnancy syndrome, being a kind of indicator of the perception, processing and assessment of a woman's experience of this psychophysiological state. It is characterized by impending responsibility for the fate of the child, dreams, dreams and fantasies about him.
• · During this period of pregnancy, a change in the construct "I am the surrounding world" is clearly traced. Women, in accordance with the changed perception of reality, tend to endow their usual social environment with new qualitative characteristics against the background of increased exactingness. This tendency can be defined as a symptom of exaggerated claims towards others.
• · Beginning with a period of 20-25 weeks, there is another problem that deserves special attention. Physiological changes that occur with a pregnant woman often make a full sexual life impossible for her, which creates or increases the distance in communication with a man. These factors can contribute to the onset of symptoms of sexual inadequacy during pregnancy.
• · The next, and one of the most striking moments, is the symptom of fear of childbirth. Probably, every woman, to some extent, experiences an internal conflict, which, on the one hand, is expressed in the desire to "finally give birth", and on the other hand, to avoid childbirth. On the one hand, she expects the successful completion of the pregnancy, on the other hand, childbirth causes fear and anxiety. The degree of mental vulnerability of women before childbirth is indicated by the ease with which most of them agree to the use of any pain relievers, without thinking about the possible consequences for the child.
• · One of the last symptoms a woman experiences during pregnancy is the symptom of impatience. This stage of pregnancy is characterized by bodily discomfort and fatigue as labor approaches.

Today, it has been proven that during stress, the mother's adrenal hormones release catecholamines (stress hormones) into the bloodstream, and during positive emotions, the hypothalamic structures produce endorphins (joy hormones), which, penetrating the placental barrier, directly affect the fetus. Consequently, mother and child are a single neurohumoral organism, and each of them equally suffers from the unfavorable influence of the external world, which is recorded in long-term memory, affecting the entire subsequent life of the child. Positive maternal emotions cause increased fetal growth, calmness, and increased fetal sensory experience. Its stress leads to low fetal weight, increased mortality, respiratory infections, asthma, and weakened cognitive development.

In the 1960s. renowned pediatrician Hieronimo de Mogaras conducted a study. He studied three groups of mothers. The first group consisted of those who, during pregnancy, felt fear about its outcome, since past pregnancies ended unsuccessfully. The second group included women who had a negative attitude towards the unborn baby, mainly because the pregnancy came against their wishes. Women of the third group - those who wanted a child, their pregnancy period passed without deviations, and their children grew up healthy. The babies of the other two groups of mothers were very restless, slept and ate poorly. Of course, it would be wrong to explain this only as a consequence of this or that attitude of the mother to the unborn child; there may be a complex of reasons. However, the factor of parental attitude cannot be discounted in any way (Brusilovsky, 1994).

An important contribution to the understanding of the intrauterine life of the fetus was made by the Swedish doctor A. Nilsson, who, using a microscopic camera, recorded the life of an infant in the womb, starting from the first weeks of development. According to these observations, the brain begins to form at the 3rd week of embryonic existence, and its activity is recorded on the encephalogram by the 6th week after conception. 5 weeks after conception, the embryo begins to show reactions to stimuli, for example, touch, and at the age of 7.5 weeks, in response to stroking the crown of the head with a thin hair, a turn of the head was observed in the opposite direction. By the 12th week, the vestibular system is formed, for spatial orientation and maintaining a sense of balance.

Being in the dark space of the uterus, the fetus is able to perceive and remember visual images associated with the emotional experiences of the mother. This ability is acquired from about the 7th week of intrauterine life, when the retina is able to perceive external signals, transmit visual images to the brain, and reproduce images that appear in the brain. The nervous system at the end of the third trimester is well developed, the fetus makes sucking movements, shows a grasping reaction to touch, the eyeballs move.

By the 16th week, fetal movements become coordinated and can already be felt by the mother. In a healthy fetus, physical activity usually increases in the evening hours, especially between nine in the evening and one in the morning. He retains this rhythm of sleep and wakefulness for some time after birth. From 14 to 18 weeks, the fetus distinguishes the first sounds: heartbeat, breathing and the mother's voice, the noise of the intestines, stomach. At 6-7 months of intrauterine life, the fetus not only hears, but also well differentiates internal sounds. If the mother is worried and her heart beats anxiously, knocking down the rhythm of breathing, then the fetus freezes, as if in anticipation of danger. After a while, the danger becomes quite real, since hormones corresponding to the negative emotions of the mother reach the fetus. These hormones cause a deterioration in the well-being of the fetus. The connection between the nature of the sound and the corresponding emotional state and physiological state is fixed and remains in the memory. From the 20th week, it becomes possible to record the reaction of the fetus to an external sound effect: in response to sharp sounds, the fetus shrinks fearfully or begins to behave restlessly.

Histological studies revealed taste buds in the tongue by week 8, which are surrounded by taste pores and sensory hair cells by week 14, and they begin to function by week 15. From the 14th to the 15th week, the olfactory receptors function. The only smell the fetus can smell is the smell of amniotic fluid, colored by the mother's individual smell and identical to that of breast milk.

Thus, unborn children have all types of sensitivity that are detected at different stages of pregnancy and develop simultaneously with the development of other systems and organs. The stressful conditions that women experience during pregnancy have a particular effect on the fetus.

During pregnancy, a woman can experience many fears, such as anxiety for the unborn baby and for her own health, fear of childbirth, labor and imminent pain. Modern women are forced to worry about careers, about financial problems, about the many additional costs associated with the appearance and upbringing of a new family member. ... And this raises the question of whether to continue working during pregnancy or not? It is not always possible to answer unequivocally, since the question is also very difficult. Work should be stopped if it is accompanied by occupational hazards that threaten the health of the fetus. Also important are not only theoretical hazards, but also the real level of safety at each specific workplace. Ideally, it is better for a pregnant woman not to work in production, and it makes sense to continue the service if it is not accompanied by critical stress and physical stress, and also brings moral satisfaction. But where to find such a job? In addition, the financial aspect plays a significant role. Therefore, more often than not, a pregnant woman has to find a compromise. The question of continuing or stopping work during pregnancy is taken by the family after carefully weighing all the pros and cons and it is necessary to consult a doctor.

All of these fears can lead to many negative emotions such as worry, depression, irritation, anxiety, stress, anger, loneliness, confusion. Most often, changes in the psycho-emotional background during pregnancy lead to the development of depressive and anxiety disorders. It was found that psychoemotional instability contributes to autonomic disorders and exacerbates the risk of termination of pregnancy. Kholmov K.D. notes that stress and anxiety during pregnancy increases the risk of having an early baby, and weight can often be below normal. Also, foreign authors have found that anxiety during pregnancy can affect the weight of the newborn, and the duration of pregnancy. Pregnant women with severe or chronic anxiety are especially at risk.

Specialists distinguish intrauterine hypoxia, disturbances in placental circulation, abnormalities of labor forces and the course of labor, as a consequence of emotional stress during pregnancy. (A.O. Syrina, G. Dick-Reed and others). You can also add to the list: the threat of miscarriage, prolonged (prolonged) or premature birth, the absence of a cry at birth in a child. From the above, we summarize once again that a negative emotional state has an adverse effect on the course of pregnancy and, as a result, on the course of childbirth. By the way, there is an opinion that this adverse effect is differentiated depending on the sex of the child, i.e. there will be different effects of emotional stress on boys and girls.

And the most comprehensive evidence of the connection between the emotional state and the course of pregnancy, childbirth and the subsequent development of the child is the physiological approach to this problem. In 1925, the American psychologist and biologist W. Cannon proved that during all acute and chronic experiences, "worry hormones" - catecholamines - are released into the mother's blood (or maintained at a constant level), reaching the fetus without any obstacles through the circulatory system shared with the mother. system. Since the fetus has practically no system for neutralizing "anxiety hormones" and the return venous network is not developed, they accumulate in critical doses not only in the fetus itself, but also in the amniotic fluid, which the fetus constantly swallows and secretes from itself. Accordingly, an increase in the amount of amniotic fluid in the second half of pregnancy increases the amount of catecholamines or their biological followers in it. With continued stress, the amniotic fluid by the end of pregnancy is saturated with the corresponding hormones. At the same time, the child experiences an increasing lack of oxygen, due to the constriction under the influence of "disturbance hormones" of the vessels, the blood of which delivers oxygen to the tissues of the fetus, including the nerve cells of the brain. Prolonged lack of oxygen (hypoxia) is not indifferent to the fetal nervous system, causing a characteristic postnatal hypersensitivity to stuffiness, odors, noises, bright light and sun, the ease of dizziness and fainting. The catecholamines themselves lead to excessive mobility, instability of nervous processes, anxiety, mood disorders, emotional excitability, disturbances in the rhythm of sleep and wakefulness.

Women who have experienced severe emotional stress during pregnancy are significantly more likely to have boys with manifestations of homosexual and bisexual behavior in adulthood. There are known cases of reversion of sexual orientation in women whose mothers took hormonal drugs for medical reasons during pregnancy. Many researchers highlight the adverse effects of a mother's emotional stress on pregnancy and childbirth. the pathological consequences of antenatal stress are presented in Table 2.

Table 2. Pathological consequences of antenatal stress.

During pregnancy Childbirth by gender Female Male Increased irritability; sleep disturbance; susceptibility to fears; emotional dissatisfaction and discontent; increased fatigue; the threat of termination of pregnancy. Rapid childbirth; premature birth; lack of cry at birth (in the absence of asphyxia); delayed childbirth (post-term pregnancy); protracted labor. Premature discharge of amniotic fluid; premature birth; entanglement of the umbilical cord around the neck.

Thus, the mother's emotional stress has a negative impact, first of all, on the course of pregnancy, and then childbirth, and differentiated depending on the sex of the child.

Recognizing that there is a relationship between the emotional state of a pregnant woman and a child (fetus), we irreversibly come to the conclusion that the chronic negative emotional state of the mother, bright strong stressful situations adversely affect the fetus (child).

You already know how a baby develops in the womb of an expectant mother, what an embryo looks like at each term. And what does a woman feel during pregnancy, how does her condition change, except for the cessation of menstruation, swelling of the mammary glands and an increase in the abdomen? A complete pregnancy calendar will help you find out - from the day of conception to the crucial moment of delivery.

How is a normal pregnancy in the early stages from the first days to 6 weeks

1-5th week

In 1-2 weeks, the oocyte matures. On the 3-4th week, it is fertilized and implanted into the uterus. At 4-5 weeks of the sex calendar of pregnancy, a change in appetite may occur. How is early pregnancy going and how does a woman feel? During this period, dizziness, headache, nausea and vomiting are possible. Engorgement of the mammary glands occurs. Menses are absent. You can reliably diagnose pregnancy by laboratory and test methods.

Women with thyroid diseases require special attention during this period. They urgently need to see an endocrinologist. Timely prescribed treatment will ensure the correct development of the thyroid gland of the unborn child. We must not forget about medical recommendations.

6th week

For some women, the discomfort this week of the pregnancy calendar may worsen. But what can you do, the reason is hormonal changes in the body, aimed at creating the best conditions for the development of the baby.

If you suffer from heartburn (the reason is the ingress of gastric contents into the esophagus), then eat more often, 6-7 times a day. Try to bend over as little as possible. After eating, walk around the room rather than go to bed right away.

Of course, the condition of some women in the first weeks of pregnancy is far from ideal. If you feel sick, try a simple but effective remedy. As soon as you wake up, without changing your body position (horizontal), immediately eat something - an apple, an orange, a bun, and you can also ask for a glass of milk or your favorite juice to be served in bed.

Regardless of how the pregnancy proceeds, from the first days try to get more rest, go to bed early, and get up later. It has a positive effect on the nervous system. If you are worried about constipation (the reason is the flaccidity of the intestinal muscles), drink more fluids, eat prunes and do special exercise.

If odors are annoying, just try to avoid contact with substances that are unpleasant to you.

If you are scared of how early pregnancy progresses, and you become very irritable, do auto-training (or relaxation) - it helps a lot. In no case do we resort to self-medication.

Do not forget that according to the pregnancy calendar, a woman's sensations such as nausea and intolerance to certain odors may increase.

In the process of how the first weeks of pregnancy proceed, a feeling of heaviness and periodic tingling in the mammary glands appears.

Your weight has not changed yet.

Since the cause of your worsening condition cannot be eliminated, you will have to adapt to it. Therefore, the recommendations of doctors remain valid. Sometimes the methods of oriental medicine (acupuncture, finger acupuncture) can cope with many ailments.

The emotional and physical state of a woman during pregnancy from 7 to 9 weeks

7th week

How does a woman feel in early pregnancy by the beginning of the seventh week? At this time, there is a gradual increase in the mammary glands, they acquire a rounded shape.

Dark brown discoloration of the nipples and areolae (areola) of the mammary glands is common during pregnancy.

8th week

Changes in the woman's physical condition during pregnancy at this stage, in the first place, can affect your skin. The body temperature rises, there is increased sweating and an increase in the formation of sebum, but it can be vice versa. In some pregnant women, the skin becomes firm and clean, while in others it becomes dry and itchy. Try to keep all the troubles to a minimum, limit the use of decorative cosmetics. It is categorically contraindicated to use cosmetics containing hormonal preparations.

For many, the first weeks of pregnancy pass like one breath - before you have time to look back, the third month of this quivering period has gone.

9th week

Pregnancy cannot go smoothly. Frequent mood swings bother you. Don't be alarmed. The release of pregnancy hormones not only changes your body, but also your emotions. Mood changes will occur in the first 3 months, when the level of hormones in the blood is changing especially strongly, as well as in the last weeks of waiting for childbirth. The emotional state of a woman during pregnancy at this time is somewhat depressed: you are constantly tired, you want to sleep all the time. This is fine. A new life is growing in you and this requires a huge expenditure of energy. Make sleep your top priority. Go to bed when you are tired, not after the end of your favorite TV shows. At work, during your lunch break, try putting your head on your desk, closing your eyes, and taking a 15-20 minute nap. After that, you will immediately feel better.

Take a closer look at your chest.

Pay attention to the photo of the pregnancy calendar - it is noticeable that the saphenous veins in the form of a blue mesh begin to shine through the skin, which means that the walls of the blood vessels are prone to varicose veins:

The same reason can lead to the appearance of hemorrhoids. Another reason for the formation of hemorrhoids is the enlarged uterus, which presses on the veins of the rectum. All previous recommendations remain valid.

To know in detail how a normal pregnancy proceeds in the early stages, it is not enough to get knowledge on the Internet - you definitely need to register with a antenatal clinic.

The condition of a woman in early pregnancy in the first trimester (from 10 to 12 weeks)

10th week

Nausea is still present - hold on, you just have to be patient a little, and your condition will improve.

In the area of ​​the areola of the mammary glands, small, lentil-sized nodules may appear. These are the so-called Montgomery nodules - enlarged sweat glands - which is also one of the signs of pregnancy.

According to the pregnancy calendar, by week at this time, the uterus has increased in width by about 10 cm, it rises into the abdominal cavity. With the help of an ultrasound examination of the size of the fetus, the doctor can more accurately determine the duration of pregnancy and the upcoming birth.

The gynecologist in the antenatal clinic, to which you should regularly go for check-ups, will explain in detail how an early pregnancy should proceed.

11th week

In the first trimester of pregnancy, the condition of some women leaves much to be desired. Many pregnant women suffer from heartburn in the morning. The best way to get rid of it is any position in which the entrance to the stomach is higher than the exit, as this helps to reduce the reflux of gastric juice into the esophagus. Try to stay upright after eating or lie on your right side. If you lie on your back, the likelihood of heartburn increases.

Given the condition of a woman in early pregnancy, the duration of a night's sleep should be at least 8 hours. Before him, you need to take a walk for 1-2 hours. The bed should be comfortable. Bed linen should be changed frequently. You should sleep on your back or on your right side.

12th week

The condition of a woman in the first trimester of pregnancy at the 12th week gradually improves, the nausea begins to pass. Take care of the prevention of varicose veins in the legs. If you have this disease or a predisposition to it, wear tight-fitting tights.

How early pregnancy should proceed and what a woman feels from 13 to 15 weeks

13th week

What happens in the 13th week of pregnancy when the first trimester ends? The problem that most often appears at this time is constipation, which causes very unpleasant sensations in a pregnant woman. Feelings of fullness can still be tolerated, but bloating with gas and associated pain, as well as some other difficulties, can be quite excruciating. It is good for the intestines to empty at a certain time and without haste. Eternal haste and lack of time, mainly in the morning after breakfast, when the bowels usually begin to work, stops the urge to empty (defecate), which after that do not appear for a long time. If the remnants of undigested food are not excreted daily with feces, some of the toxins formed from them are absorbed into the blood. These substances are very harmful to the body. They begin to be secreted by the kidneys, which already work with increased stress.

When the urge to defecate appears, the woman, due to lack of time, does not always respond to them and thus teaches the intestines to work irregularly and lazily. Only one thing can help here: the eradication of this habit. It is necessary to regularly visit the toilet and make the intestines work at the same time. Another cause of constipation is poor diet.

14th week

According to the detailed pregnancy calendar, changes in the skin continue during the 14th week. Pigmentation (brown coloration) appears in some of its areas.

Look at the photo of how the pregnancy proceeds at the 14th week - the "pregnant woman's mask" is clearly visible (staining of the skin of the forehead, temples, bridge of the nose, chin and upper lip in the form of a butterfly, which disappears immediately after childbirth):

In the calendar of this period of pregnancy, an increase in the volume of circulating blood is noted. You may be worried about urinating more often.

The whole body must be washed daily. This is necessary for both pleasant well-being and health. After washing completely in warm water, you will feel refreshed and healthy. During pregnancy, your baby receives 20% of oxygen through the skin, so it is important to keep it clean. Bathing water should be warm, never hot or cold. Both of these extremes can cause seizures and premature termination of pregnancy. Swimming in the bathroom is strictly prohibited. Place a rubber mat on the bottom of the tub when you shower. Without it, you can easily slip and fall. Injury should be avoided during pregnancy.

15th week

As the pregnancy progresses, this week the discomfort is over. You feel great. Your family fully appreciated your condition and is trying to help you in everything.

A healthy woman can do her usual work up to the seventh month of pregnancy. The ability to continue at a later date will depend on the type of activity. From the very beginning, it is imperative to avoid heavy physical labor (do not lift or carry weights), do not perform work related to bending the body (washing, cleaning the floors), give up sudden movements, jumping, quickly climbing or descending stairs. In the normal course of pregnancy, a woman can do normal work, since everyday moderate physical and mental stress has a beneficial effect on the body, and also prevents obesity, weakening of the muscular system, and does not lead to weakness of labor forces. When compiling a complete pregnancy calendar, it is especially noted that any overload can have an adverse effect on a woman's body.

Pregnancy calendar: what happens from 16 to 19 weeks

16th week

Metabolism during pregnancy changes significantly, this is due to the restructuring of the nervous system and endocrine glands. During pregnancy, the number and activity of enzymes increase. At the same time, the amount of metabolic products that need to be removed from the body increases. Basal metabolism and oxygen consumption increase.

17th week

At this time, the fundus of the uterus is 6 cm above the pubic articulation. Your pregnancy can no longer be hidden from others.

How should pregnancy proceed during this period? In the body of a pregnant woman, the volume of circulating blood increases. This is essential for a growing fetus. The work of your heart has increased, its pumping function increases by 20%. For a woman's body, this does not pass without a trace - the heart rate increases, sweating increases, discharge from the genital tract appears.

What does a woman feel during pregnancy in the 17th week? Discharge from the genital tract is unpleasant. Only a doctor will prescribe the correct treatment.

Leucorrhoea, in addition to other troubles, causes itching, which can be very excruciating, and sometimes painful. Sometimes, even without them, during pregnancy, the itching sensation is felt in the external genitals simply because they are overflowing with blood. In both cases, a sitz bath or just a wash will help. As a medicine for it, you can use a decoction of chamomile flowers or oak bark. But if the itching is especially painful, only your doctor will give you all the recommendations. Do not rub or scratch itchy areas, as irritated mucous membranes can come out, swell and become a dangerous source of infection for a pregnant woman.

18th week

This week, you may feel the fetus move for the first time. You will receive incomparable sensations, be surprised and delighted. But keep in mind that during this stage of pregnancy, wiggling may be inconsistent, so do not worry. It should be so. They will soon become regular and familiar.

The day of the first fetal movement can be used to calculate the date of the expected birth.

The assimilation of phosphorus is enhanced, which is necessary for the development of the nervous system and the skeleton of the fetus, as well as for the formation of protein in one's own body. Iron, which is a constituent part of hemoglobin, passes from the mother to the fetus. During intrauterine development, the fetus accumulates iron in the liver and spleen. With insufficient introduction of this element with food, anemia occurs in pregnant women, and development of the fetus is impaired. There is a delay in the body of a pregnant woman of other inorganic substances (potassium, sodium, trace elements). This has biological significance for the mother's body, in particular, for preparing for childbirth and.

19th week

The uterus continues to grow and takes up more and more space in the abdominal cavity. It becomes difficult to find a comfortable position for sleeping and resting. At this time, it is better to start attending classes at the School of Motherhood. Pregnant women who have undergone psychoprophylactic training have much fewer complications during childbirth.

The accumulation of inorganic substances affects water metabolism, which contributes to water retention in the body. The juiciness of tissues inherent in pregnancy determines their easy extensibility, which is of great importance for the passage of the fetus through the birth canal. During the normal course of pregnancy, there is no significant retention of water and chlorides, the liquid is quickly excreted from the body. With the pathological course of pregnancy (late gestosis), fluid secretion slows down, the accumulation of water and chlorides in the body increases, and edema occurs.

Weekly pregnancy calendar in the middle of the second trimester from 20 to 23 weeks

20th week

The uterus has risen even more, its bottom is 12 cm above the pubic articulation. Congratulations, half of your pregnancy is over, you are in the middle of the second trimester. However, the condition of a woman in a given week of pregnancy may cause concern, since at this time, uterine contractions can sometimes be observed. These are the so-called Braxton-Hicks false contractions, that is, the uterus begins to prepare for the upcoming birth. While this is completely normal, care should be taken not to overload the body.

Vitamins are essential in pregnancy metabolism. The need for them increases in connection with the growth and development of the fetus, as well as the need to maintain their own metabolism. Increased need for vitamins A, B, D, E, K, PP and C. Vitamin C affects the development of the fetus and placenta, its daily requirement increases by 2-3 times. With an irrational diet of a pregnant woman, there is a lack of vitamins, which can lead to disruption of physiological processes in the female body. With hypovitaminosis, the development of the placenta is disrupted.

21-22nd week

The changes occurring in the woman's body at this time also apply to the genitals. The ovaries are enlarged, blood circulation in them increases. The uterus grows and grows in size. In the myometrium (the muscle layer of the uterus), there is an increase in the size and number of muscle fibers and connective tissue. Each muscle fiber lengthens 10-12 times and thickens 4-5 times, the thickness of the walls of the uterus reaches 3-4 cm, its connective tissue grows and loosens. The number of elastic fibers increases. The size, capacity, tone, excitability and contractility of the uterus increase. Irregular contractions of this organ may appear - rare and painless. They are not felt by the woman herself, but are registered only with a special study. This signals that the body is starting to prepare for childbirth. The position of the uterus has changed, the angle between her neck and body has disappeared, as she has deviated anteriorly. The consistency of the uterus becomes soft, especially in the lower segment. The fallopian tubes
take an upright position, thicken and more intensively blood supply. The cellulose of the pelvis becomes loose, extensible. At the same time, the blood supply to the vagina increases, its walls are loosened, become extensible, folds are more pronounced. The vaginal opening takes on a blue-purple (cyanotic) hue.

23rd week

In accordance with the exact calendar of pregnancy, this week the uterus has risen by another 4 cm. The enlargement of the mammary glands continues. If you massage and squeeze your breasts, colostrum will be released.

It is safe to say that every woman strives to breastfeed her baby and, thanks to this, create all the prerequisites for his further healthy development. In order to avoid any unpleasant surprises in the future, you need to take care of the mammary glands and nipples already during pregnancy, first of all, observe hygiene. It is very possible that many of you would find it a personal insult to mention the need to keep your nipples clean, but in reality, a small number of women practice their hygiene. In most cases, colostrum mixed with sweat and dust dries up on them in the form of crusts. This is due to the fact that many women have too sensitive nipples. For future painless breastfeeding, it is simply necessary to reduce their sensitivity.

How a normal pregnancy should proceed at 24-26 weeks

24th week

At this stage of pregnancy, the bottom of the uterus is 20 cm above the bosom (at the level of the navel).

If you pay attention to the photo of the pregnancy calendar by week, you will see that the belly has grown noticeably at this time, the woman has grown stout:

The state of health is good. You feel when he changes his body position, stretches his arms or legs. You notice that the fetus has periods of rest and periods of activity. Mom and Dad can calm him down with gentle, rhythmic strokes. Sometimes painful cramps appear in the calf muscles, most often they occur when stretching the legs while stretching in bed. The reasons for this may be hormonal disorders in combination with a lack of vitamin B1.

How is pregnancy in women going at this time? An increase in intra-abdominal pressure makes it difficult for venous blood to flow from the lower extremities to the heart; it accumulates in the veins that cannot withstand pressure and expand.

If your leg cramp while you are standing, immediately sit down, or at least lean your elbows on something and bend your knee. If you are at home, lie down. Quickly massage the muscle of the bent leg to the very depth, as if you were kneading dough. The pain will quickly pass, but the muscle will still have increased sensitivity for a day or two. Try this while lying on your bed. You need to put something under your feet so that they are slightly raised.

If you want your legs to be healthy both after childbirth and throughout your entire life, take care of them during pregnancy, when they are heavily loaded. Avoid wearing round, tight garters that obstruct blood circulation. From time to time, let your legs rest - lie on your back for a few minutes across the bed, vertically against the wall and rest your raised legs on it. The blood will drain better from the veins, you will feel relief. In summer, it is recommended to walk barefoot on water or grass.

25th week

Your belly, in which the fetus is developing, has grown even more. For a while, you will have to forget about the wasp waist. The well-being is maintained. It's time to think about a dowry for your baby.

You get tired more often and sleep more. Some pregnant women start to feel pain in their back as more and more stretching of her muscles. These pains are most often observed in those women who previously had a severely curved lumbar spine and had pain during menstruation. During pregnancy, the curvature of the spine in this section increases even more, in connection with which painful sensations arise.

In order to get rid of them, or at least reduce them, start doing physical exercises in time. If you lie on your back and bend your knees, then these pains usually go away. Remain in this position for 10-15 minutes. Lying on your side with bent knees also relieves pain.

If the pain is too severe and you have not experienced anything like this before, see your doctor right away.

26th week

New, not entirely pleasant sensations appeared in the form of a rapid heartbeat, shortness of breath. In this case, it is imperative to consult a doctor, eat a little and more often (since the heartbeat can be associated with a full stomach), walk more, learn correctly, breathe.

The heart of the pregnant woman gradually adapts to the load. Due to the high standing of the diaphragm in the last months of pregnancy, it is located more horizontal and closer to the ribs. The heart rate increases moderately in the second half of pregnancy.

Exact pregnancy calendar by week in the third trimester (from 27 to 40 weeks)

27th week

How should a normal third trimester pregnancy proceed? During this period, a woman may begin to gain a lot of weight. The mammary glands are enlarged and engorged, imbalance and decreased mobility are often observed. Weakness and dizziness may appear.

Extreme care must be taken. Take care of yourself and your baby. If there is a trouble and you fall, immediately consult a doctor who will find out if everything is in order, and if necessary, will conduct a deeper examination.

During pregnancy, lung function increases due to the increased demand for oxygen. Although the uterus shifts the diaphragm upward at the end of pregnancy, the respiratory surface and vital capacity of the lungs do not decrease due to the expansion of the chest. Breathing in the last months of pregnancy becomes somewhat more frequent and deeper, gas exchange in the lungs increases. Sometimes congestion in the larynx and bronchial mucosa is noted. This increases the susceptibility of pregnant women to influenza and other common infectious diseases.

28th week

The uterus is growing. According to the Monday pregnancy calendar, at this time, the fundus of the uterus rises 4 cm higher from the level of the navel. Body weight also increases. Some women who are at risk of developing Rh-conflict with the fetus are injected with special drugs at this time to reduce the consequences of incompatibility between organisms.

During pregnancy, hematopoiesis increases, the number of erythrocytes, hemoglobin, and blood plasma increases. An increase in the volume of circulating blood, the number of red blood cells and the level of hemoglobin in them begins in the first months and continues until 7-8 months of pregnancy. Before childbirth, the intensity of hematopoiesis decreases. The volume of circulating blood by the end of pregnancy increases by 3 5-40%. An increase in the volume, number of red blood cells and the level of hemoglobin in the blood is of great importance for the delivery of nutrients and oxygen to the fetus and tissues of the pregnant woman. Changes of an adaptive nature occur in the blood coagulation system, in particular, the coagulation potential increases, especially in the last months of pregnancy. This helps to prevent significant blood loss during childbirth (with placental abruption) and the early postpartum period.

29th week

You are in a quiet period. All the ailments, the unpleasant sensations of the beginning of pregnancy were left behind. The volume of the abdomen has increased, but not enough to greatly interfere with you.

The uterus becomes larger and you may experience some discomfort. This is normal as there is less and less free space for neighboring organs. The amount of cholesterol in your body increases, it is necessary for the production of progesterone, which is necessary for the normal course of pregnancy. Try to get more rest to reduce discomfort in your body. For a while, give up your homework, it is better to lie in bed, read an interesting book, listen to classical music. Get positive emotions, they will benefit not only you, but also your baby.

Blood glucose levels may rise, especially if you consume too much carbohydrate. When glucose appears in the urine, the pregnant woman must be carefully examined.

With the growth of the uterus, the bladder stretches, shifts upward, the urethra stretches and straightens. The tone of the ureters decreases, their lumen becomes wider. At the end of pregnancy, the fetal head is pressed against the entrance to the small pelvis, in connection with which pressure on the bladder may increase and the urge to urinate may become more frequent.

30th week

The center of gravity of the body shifts, it becomes more and more difficult to carry the child. Therefore, to reduce discomfort, you need to continue to monitor your posture and do not forget about the bandage and exercise. They will help you maintain your posture, feel well and properly prepare for childbirth. But don't overdo it, especially if you haven't exercised before pregnancy. Walk more outdoors.

A set of gymnastic exercises corresponding to the exact calendar of pregnancy by week will be selected by specialists in the antenatal clinic.

While taking care of the unborn child during pregnancy, a woman, however, should not overstep boundaries. You should not think that it will be good for him if you take different pills, powders, or all kinds of tonics. During pregnancy, women like to use calcium supplements and various vitamins, which are often bought by their loving spouse, friends, and parents. This is completely unnecessary unless prescribed by a doctor. Ordinary (mixed) food contains a large amount of calcium, phosphorus, iron and vitamins necessary for a healthy woman, so it is completely in vain to introduce them into the body additionally. If you still have a need for vitamins and minerals, your doctor will help you choose them. Sometimes a woman is afraid of harming the fetus by taking medication. Some caution in this regard is appropriate, especially with regard to hypnotics and antibacterial agents. But if your doctor prescribes medication for you, he will certainly take your condition into account. Always, and especially during we take
neness, it is better to do with natural means, to improve the diet and not to take medications in vain. However, all medications prescribed by the doctor must be taken.

31st week

The uterus has risen above the pubic symphysis by about 31-32 cm. The weight gain ranges from 9.5 to 12.2 kg. Disturbed by discomfort in the chest and pelvic area. Maintaining good posture and exercising can help relieve pain. Lightly stroking your back should be a pleasant responsibility of your spouse.

As a result of the resulting hormonal changes, the pubic bones diverge to the sides by 0.5-0.6 cm.A more significant discrepancy (1-2 cm and more) is considered pathological (for example, if you have a narrow pelvis and a large fetus) , especially when pain occurs. Physiological changes in the joints of the pelvis contribute to the normal course of labor. During pregnancy, the chest expands, the costal arches are raised, the lower end of the sternum moves away from the spinal column.

In the photo, how the pregnancy proceeds by week, it is clearly visible that the woman's posture changes at this time:

As the uterus grows and the abdomen grows, the spine straightens, the shoulders and the back of the head are reclined backward, the bending of the back in the spine increases, and a specific gait of the pregnant woman arises.

32nd week

At 32 weeks, the fundus of the uterus is 28-30 cm above the bosom. Your weight is gaining quite fast. It is more and more difficult for you to find a comfortable position during sleep, more and more thoughts about the upcoming birth arise.

Be sure to check with your doctor about any doubts you have. It is very important that the woman is in a good mood during pregnancy. A contented and cheerful person is better able to handle all sorts of little troubles. A sense of fulfillment is given by the consciousness of a fulfilled duty, and small entertainment is also useful, which will distract you from the monotony of life. A woman's good mood has a positive effect on her metabolism and the activity of the whole body, which has a positive effect on the unborn child. Thus, keeping the mother happy and cheerful will benefit her baby as well.

Do not be disingenuous or judgmental that your best entertainment is homework. Trust that broadening your horizons will make you a better housewife and will benefit not only you, but your family as well. Theatrical performance, film, concert, lecture, book - all these are pleasant and affordable entertainment. Avoid large crowds, especially in poorly ventilated areas where breathing is difficult, as this increases the likelihood of respiratory illness. If you are in a smoking area, convince those present that cigarette smoke is bad for you and ask them to stop smoking.

33rd week

At 33 weeks, the fundus of the uterus is 30-32 cm above the bosom. The child occupies the entire uterine cavity. You put on a little more weight. By the end of pregnancy, a woman's weight gain reaches 10-15% of the initial weight. Small deviations from this rule in both directions do not really matter.

Every woman with poor eyesight should see an eye doctor twice during pregnancy. The fact is that pregnancy can sometimes cause visual impairment. It is advisable that in such cases, qualified specialists provide assistance on time. A woman with poor eyesight should avoid frequent bending. If necessary, it is best to squat down. A pregnant woman should not lift weights, do such work and exercises in which there is a rush of blood to the head. The fact is that with all these movements, intra-abdominal, intracranial, intraocular pressure increases, which has an adverse effect on the retina. Monitor your vision during pregnancy. Go to the doctor for a check-up, and you do not have to fear that your vision will deteriorate.

34th week

Your body continues to prepare for childbirth. You notice that the uterine contractions start to differ from what you have felt before. Regardless of the fact that you are calm and happily expecting the birth of a child, you will still have a feeling of anxiety, and sometimes just anxiety and fear, and for no reason. You feel cheerful and happy, and suddenly such a strange feeling. In the old days, you would have been frightened and believed that your feeling of fear was a premonition of a bad ending. There have been many such cases reported in the literature in the past. Throughout pregnancy, the woman was deprived of joy, she drew in her thoughts a bad course of childbirth. She paralyzed her strength and will, and she, of course, was less likely to cope with the difficulties that could arise during childbirth. But you will be reasonable, and you will try to overcome your unreasonable fear with your reason. The feeling of such fear is far from every woman. However, we draw your attention to such a phenomenon, so that if it occurs, you are not afraid.

Share your concerns with your doctor, who will try to find the reasons for your fear by researching your health status. This is not always easy, because the feeling of fear can be caused by hormonal processes in your body that affect the nervous system.

35th week

This period on the calendar of pregnancy is characterized by frequent urination, which makes you forget about restful sleep. You have to go to the toilet every 45-60 minutes. To cope with this, a pregnant woman needs to drink less fluids, make rotational movements of the pelvis before going to bed, and engage in some not very hard work during the day. If you adhere to these recommendations, you are guaranteed a night's rest.

36th week

The fundus of the uterus rises higher from the middle of the distance between the navel and the xiphoid process of the sternum, which makes it difficult to breathe, and there may be a feeling of discomfort after a hearty dinner. What does a woman feel during pregnancy at this time? Rapid fatigue appears. In the evening, cramps in the ankles may be felt. Your body continues to prepare for childbirth. You have noticed that you have increased sweating. Take a shower every day, try to wear only cotton underwear, do not eat too fatty and spicy foods.

37th week

If, for some reason, you are about to start labor, the doctors are unlikely to stop them, since you have a full-term pregnancy. You should go to the antenatal clinic every week until your birth. Now the child should normally be in the uterus with the head down (this is the so-called cephalic presentation), but in 3% of pregnant women, it is possible that the fetus is in a different position in the uterus - legs or buttocks down (breech presentation). In this case, there may be some problems in childbirth. In order to avoid possible difficulties, obstetricians warn the expectant mother that the possibility of delivery by performing a caesarean section is not excluded.

38th week

You are completely in anticipation of the greatest event of your life and no longer pay attention to the pigmentation of the navel, external genital organs, the line of pregnancy (the brown line in the middle of the abdomen - from the navel to the pubis). At the end of pregnancy, many pregnant women develop stretch marks on the skin of their abdomen, breasts and thighs - stretch marks, or stretch marks. These are red streaks that appear where the skin is overstretched. The reasons are the growth of the abdomen and the enlargement of the glands. After childbirth, striae gradually turn pale, become silvery, barely noticeable, but do not completely disappear. The main thing for you now is a positive attitude. Not only you are worried, but all your family members, and each of them is trying to give you their advice and recommendations.

It often happens that a pregnant woman, especially one who is expecting her first child, is given advice by everyone she meets. This is done, of course, with the best intentions, but the results are often negative. Only the advice given by the doctor in consultation is of decisive importance. Only he can take responsibility for both your health and the health of your child.

39th week

How is a healthy pregnancy going in the penultimate week? The fundus of the uterus dropped to the level of the 32nd week in primiparous 2 weeks before childbirth, and in multiparous this happens immediately before childbirth. It becomes easier for a pregnant woman to breathe. This is due to the omission of the presenting part of the fetus (head or pelvis) and pressing it against the entrance to the pelvis. The cervix begins to soften.

40th week

There is very little time left until the moment of meeting with the long-awaited baby. Your body has been preparing for this moment for a long time. Now you are tormented by only one thought: how will everything go? Everything will be fine. Set yourself up for this, because you have done everything possible for this.

Article read 25,999 times (a).

Pregnancy- this is a time of changes, not only physical, but also emotional. During this period, women begin to feel themselves in a completely different way, find a new meaning in life, see the world in different colors. It's all the fault of the little life that grows in the tummy.

Many women cannot understand where during pregnancy, for no reason at all, they have is changing mood, tears roll in your eyes during the hundredth viewing of a film that has not caused such emotions before? Or why does rage abruptly seize, and the previously unsettling jealousy suddenly begins to manifest itself? One minute you feel happy, the next you don't want anything from life? And is such an incomprehensible state normal? In this article, we want to introduce you to specific periods of mood swings.

1-2 month

Regardless of whether the first is the second or third pregnancy for a woman, at first she will feel almost the same. There are several explanations for this. First, an understanding of her current situation comes to the pregnant woman. From now on, her life will change dramatically: a small person will appear in the family, requiring attention, care and responsibility, less time will be left for herself and her career, and she will acquire a new profession, the best, but also the most difficult - mother. Also, thoughts immediately arise about how to communicate this good news to loved ones and how they will react to it. All these reflections arise against the background of constant fluctuations in hormones caused by pregnancy, as a result - sudden outbursts of rage, irritability, or vice versa, joy and euphoria.

3-4 month

3-4 months emotional state of a pregnant woman women are especially calm. This is due to the fact that she finally accepts her position and dissolves into euphoria from the understanding that she will soon be able to hold her baby in her arms. During this period, the pregnant woman may become a little forgetful. Such a reaction is caused not only by the fact that she flies in the clouds with joy, the reason is also the fact that while carrying a child, the number of cells in the woman's brain decreases, but, fortunately, this is temporary, soon everything will return to normal. Sudden mood swings are possible, as well as irrationality in behavior, nothing strange, because the hormonal background is still in an unstable state.

5-6 month

Most often, during this period, women do not feel any special changes in their emotional state, perhaps because they are more or less accustomed to everything that happened to them, for the last six months, and have learned to suppress sudden outbursts of irritability in themselves. But we must not forget that pregnancy puts additional stress on many vital organs. The load on the muscles increases, the need for blood, oxygen and nutrition increases; the kidneys, heart and lungs work with additional stress. In the period of 5-6 months, this begins to be especially felt, so all the same mood changes, although not so powerful, remain relevant.

7-8 month

The third trimester takes place under particular excitement in women. No wonder, because during this period she is "the most pregnant" - with a large round tummy, sparkling eyes and full of love and maternal care in her heart. A woman constantly thinks about the child, worries so that he feels good and was born healthy and strong. And, if in the early stages of pregnancy, it was possible to get a little distracted by thoughts from the crumbs, now he constantly reminds of himself, kicking his mother with his legs. In addition, the pregnant woman is disturbed by the thoughts about how she will transfer the childbirth, and how after she will get in shape. All this, of course, affects her emotional state. In addition, the forgetfulness inherent in pregnant women continues, as does the irrationality in behavior. Often women have a desire to surround themselves with everything bright and shiny.

9 month

This is the most exciting and hectic month of the entire pregnancy. After all, a woman understands that every day brings her closer to the most important meeting with her beloved baby. Pregnant women during this period are characterized by increased anxiety.

To stabilize the emotional state of a pregnant woman, attention and understanding on the part of relatives and friends is necessary, as well as acceptance that such a state is normal and, if you do not fall into depression and violent outbursts of emotions, then it will not bring any harm to the baby. Nature has thought of everything and instability in the mood of a pregnant woman is a positive experience for a child, thus, even in the womb, he begins to prepare for real life with all its problems and anxieties, without this, children would simply be born unprepared. Therefore, relax and enjoy your position, and nature will take care of everything by itself.

A pregnant woman and her husband should know the peculiarities of different periods of pregnancy and, if possible, take them into account in the life of the family.

For anyone who at least once came across a pregnant woman, it is no secret that her character is changing, and quite strongly.

But if this pregnancy is for you and your whole family for the first time, then you may be surprised and even shocked at how much the psyche of the expectant mother is changing.

Many traditional cultures (for example, Chinese, Indian, Roman) had a very special attitude towards pregnant women.

Special conditions were created for them, as they would say now - perinatal clinics, in which the expectant mother was surrounded only by beautiful things, sounds, even smells. It was believed that a calm, aesthetically sound environment can harmonize the internal state of a pregnant woman - both physical and mental, mental.

The setting and psychological climate of a big city is often far from the ideal conditions that our ancestors aspired to, and which many literate future parents are striving for even now. But the pace of the big city - ragged, nervous, oversaturated - still makes itself felt. There are too many things around us - impressions, very different information, people, with their conflicting internal states.

Often all this does not contribute to a calm, harmonious mood of a pregnant woman.
Let's try to imagine the dynamics of the emotional state of a pregnant woman, linking the changes taking place in her psyche with such a tangible thing as the gestational age.

First trimester

Big changes

It so happens that a woman does not yet know about her pregnancy, but already feels that something is happening to her. Moreover, for most women, the changes in the first trimester of pregnancy are by no means easy.

Many pregnancy experts consider her first trimester to be revolutionary.
Too much changes in metabolism., and in hormonal status, and in physiological, and of course, in psychological sensations.

There is still a lot to get used to: for example, taste preferences change, you may start to like a completely different color scheme and music of those genres that have not previously evoked a response.

In my opinion, one of the essential factors that determine the psychological state of a pregnant woman is early toxicosis.

It is very difficult to enjoy life and be pleasant in communication, when you feel sick almost all the time, and even all the usual products stink intolerably. (I apologize for the harshness).

More than a third of women who perceive the world through a veil of nausea in the first three months.

As a rule, overt toxicosis is associated with depression, mood swings, and even depression.

The first trimester cannot be called calm in any way. An experienced midwife I know said that the situation in the first three months of pregnancy was revolutionary. This is when "the upper classes cannot, but the lower classes do not want to."

And to realize the fact that soon enough it is not easy for everyone to become a mother. Moreover, the child may be planned, and even long-awaited - but the human, and especially the female, psyche is designed in such a way that it takes time to realize and accept pregnancy.

And you should not blame yourself and execute yourself for minutes of confusion and anxiety in those first hours and days when you just found out that you are pregnant.

A good, in my opinion, way to talk with friends, acquaintances, women who have already given birth. And from many women who have gone the path of pregnancy and have become good mothers, you will surely hear about the difficult attitude towards pregnancy in the beginning.

The fact that you were not immediately delighted does not at all mean that you will not love the child, and that you will not become a mother at all, but an echidna.
Just give yourself (and of course the baby's father time). You get used to big things gradually. And this tiny child within you is a very big event.
The main task of a pregnant woman is to accept the fact of pregnancy at least by the end of the first trimester and begin to actively enjoy her.

Everything is disgusting:
Speaking in a more loyal medical language, which does not reflect the essence of the process, a woman's taste preferences change and quirks appear. In one of the eastern languages ​​there is even a special word for the quirks of a pregnant woman.

It would seem that there is a connection with the psyche - solid physiology.

But if in the morning you cannot enjoy drinking your favorite coffee simply because you feel sick, it may just be a blow to the foundations of life.

You feel that some side of life eludes you and you cannot habitually enjoy the taste of your favorite food. What used to give a pleasant taste sensation is at times sheer flour, and you don't want to eat anything.

It will take a few weeks for you to get comfortable with these changes.
True, I have never met people who would have liked the state of toxicosis.
Strengthening sensitivity to odors and its effect on the psychological state:
A pregnant woman can smell strong and unpleasant odors all over the place. The fridge smells especially disgusting, and sometimes cooking food.
Favorite perfumes and smells of close friends can become disgusting.

Toxicosis can sometimes spread to the husband.

I want to sleep uncontrollably:
The dream rolls over in a huge wave and covers you. You sleep very deeply, sometimes so deeply that it is difficult to wake up. Sleep can be dreamless, but surprisingly vivid dreams can also be dreamed.

In general, if you are sleeping, sleep well. "The soldier is sleeping, but the service is going on." Many unpleasant sensations and experiences of the first trimester of pregnancy are easily treated with sleep.

Mood swings:
The emotional state of a pregnant woman in the first trimester is rather uneven.
Happy, euphoric states are replaced by periods of depression and depression. These mood swings usually have no good cause. External events are often only a pretext for the release of strong emotions.

Do not be alarmed or surprised by these mood swings - they are caused by drastic changes in your hormonal state.

Sometimes there is confusion, uncertainty about the future, a feeling that you will not be able to cope:

It can be difficult to get used to the idea that very soon your life will change, that you will not be able to plan the next summer as usual. The thought of those new things and events that lie ahead of you can cause uncertainty.

Uncertainty on many everyday issues does not add confidence either. Indeed, often the relationship between future dad and mom is determined and formalized precisely with the onset of pregnancy.

Second trimester

Calm mid-pregnancy:

Getting used to the "new format" of your body.

For many who are accustomed to taking care of themselves, expectant mothers change the size of the waist and hips causes mental shock of varying severity. Of course, you guessed that your figure would change, and even waited for it. But when suddenly your favorite skirt or trousers become small, it’s a surprise.
Accept and love the changes in your body, feel yourself beautiful and loved in a new way - this is what you should strive for in the second trimester of pregnancy.
Changes in attitudes towards the physical side of love:
A child grows inside you - a whole person - and few of the sensations remain the same. This is especially true of gender relations.
When you are alone with your husband, you will again and again feel that someone else is with you. And for some couples, these sensations can interfere.

Self-esteem leaps:

Often the expectant mother can feel almost like a queen, and in the next moment - an uninteresting Cinderella.
Euphoria is replaced by doubts.
The pendulum of the hormonal background of pregnancy is swinging.
Often, waves of strong emotions roll in for unimportant reasons.
You need to accept these changes in yourself, as you accept the movements inside you, a child.

Amazing calmness and harmony:

If all the changes mentioned above have taken place, the pregnant woman has every opportunity to simply enjoy life, herself, the child, listen to new sensations and enjoy her new states.
In many cultures, a woman with a rounded belly is a symbol of beauty, harmony, fullness of life.

In the middle of pregnancy, you can experience states of blissful peace, integrity, harmony.
Take care of these moments.

Third trimester

Immersion in yourself

Those psychological characteristics and conditions that arise at the end of pregnancy have a "main thematic line" - immersion in oneself.

If all is well in the family, if a woman is sure that pregnancy is not a disease, and childbirth is not a surgical operation, if the support of close and attentive doctors is obvious, then there will be changes in the emotional world of a pregnant woman, and they are very important for subsequent harmonious motherhood.

In the last two months of pregnancy, you can regularly observe how a pregnant woman seems to be sensitively listening to something inside herself.
And there is something to listen to - after all, at this time, the movements of the baby in the stomach are very, very noticeable.

The concept of "binary psyche of a pregnant woman" perfectly explains many conditions of the end of pregnancy. Mom gradually gets used to the fact that she is not alone. And this someone inside her, now obviously has his own desires. Sometimes he does not let him fall asleep, pushes and twirls, and sometimes he wants to sleep uncontrollably, because the baby in the stomach fell asleep. The rhythms of sleep and wakefulness in mom and baby are linked. But the baby sleeps much more, and this can cause increased drowsiness in the mother.

Immersion in inner sensations:
Suddenly, you are distracted and focus on the baby's movements within your womb. And it is these, sometimes not at all strong movements that become more important to you than anything else in the world. It is as if the focus of the setting changes (like a camera or camcorder), and what is inside you becomes clear, and the rest of the world seems to lose its sharpness. It becomes unimportant.

Often a pregnant mother can think and wonder - what will he be like, this little man whom no one has ever seen or held in his arms.
These thoughts can interfere with sleep or express themselves in vivid, colorful dreams.

Decreased sociability:
You may stop wanting to visit noisy companies, museums and exhibitions. This is normal, and is associated with more and more focus on the home and the unborn child.
Do not be afraid of a decrease in sociability, and overpower yourself. It's just that everything has its time
And vice versa, there may be a desire to have time for everything, complete and transform:

Many pregnant women in the very last stages suddenly manifest colossal activity - as if a jet engine was turned on.

I want to finish everything, do everything, surpass myself.
The approaching birth is like a mountain range, and what is beyond it is unknown, despite all the active preparation.
Therefore, I want to be in time for everything here and now, while you are still on this side.
This is a good rush, but it is important not to drive yourself and those around you, trying to finish repairs, complete your diploma or quarterly report.

Therefore, balance the load with the amount of time and effort.

Instinctive avoidance of everything unpleasant, ugly:

A woman at the end of her pregnancy instinctively avoids difficult situations. Intricate relationships, spectacles laden with powerful effects.
The expectant mother has a clear sense of "right" and "wrong". And the wrong cat is almost nauseous - as during toxicosis.

Increased psychological fatigue, avoiding unnecessary impressions is only one of the reasons why a woman moves away from everything inharmonious.
It's just that your natural sense of proportion has returned to you.

Learn to trust your intuition, sense of proportion and taste. This will help you tremendously in the first months of your baby's life.

The nesting instinct:
All or almost all of the interests of a pregnant woman in the last weeks before childbirth are concentrated around the house - around the burrow, where the cub will soon appear.
Moreover, such a period can be experienced even by the most uneventful and mismanaged persons, for whom the household has always been only a burden.

Pronounced changes in intellectual activity:
99% of women experience serious difficulty in thinking strictly, consistently and relatively quickly in the last 2 months of pregnancy.

A few words to actively working expectant mothers

Qualities of the psyche of a pregnant woman that can make life difficult:

Sentimentality:
Tears can appear from the most insignificant experiences and impressions, in those places in books and movies in which you have never cried before.
Do not be ashamed of your tears - this has already increased the overall emotional sensitivity, which will help you to understand your baby in the future.

Anxiety:
Anxiety, which comes up periodically, is most often associated with the thought "Something may be wrong" - with the baby, with the course of childbirth, with family relationships. Anxiety must be managed, and every pregnant woman does it differently. It is worth remembering that the presence of anxiety is absolutely normal. So, don't be alarmed by anxiety!

Suggestibility:
Often the words of another person, spoken with authority and inner strength, make an indelible impression on a pregnant woman. If you know for yourself this feature - try to take your husband with you to all sorts of "difficult" places, feel free to use his protection, be a husband.

Sensitivity, tendency to unmotivated tears:
These tears of "nothing" can scare and confuse your loved ones. It is worth the most as calm as possible to relate to these "precipitation".
The best way is to remember your, as a rule, far from calm state before your period. Treat these "precipitation" as short-term.
Try to be distracted, switch attention, not get stuck in a tearful, offended state.
Do not give your husband a reason to think that your character is irreparably deteriorating.
Men tolerate brief "offenses" of pregnant wives easily. Protracted - much worse.
Do not attach great importance to such grievances. They arise from scratch and are only a projection of your inner state.

Strengths of the emotional world of a pregnant woman:

Sensitivity and Intuitiveness:
A pregnant woman is like a sensitive sensor that captures emotions from the state of other people.
Pregnant women are far better able to empathize and empathize than anyone else.

Expression of creativity:
A mother who is expecting a child, unexpectedly for herself and those around her, can start drawing, sewing original clothes, composing poetry and even music.
A wide variety of creativity can come into play during pregnancy.
And science does not yet know that this is due to the first manifestations of the talents of an intrauterine child, or the reliable fact that, starting from the middle of pregnancy, the activity of the right hemisphere of the brain in a woman increases. And the right hemisphere is traditionally associated with creativity and fantasy.

Special attitude towards husband and home, manifestation of design skills:
The expectant mother suddenly becomes interested and important in many things that earlier, moving at the rapid pace of a big city, might not have enough attention, time and energy.
You become extremely concerned about the decor of your home. A lot of thoughts are caused by the task of the setting and the color scheme of the entire living space that you plan for the child.
Design skills are thriving in the last trimester of pregnancy.

And the psychological state of a pregnant woman depends on the feeling of comfort or uncomfortableness around.

An attentive attitude towards the husband and a desire to take care of him, almost maternal, may appear.
It's good if you manage to strengthen and enhance your relationship during pregnancy. After all, the first months of your baby's life may require both of you to immerse yourself in completely different affairs and concerns.
Let the period of pregnancy (at the end of toxicosis) become a real "honey half year" for you. This reserve of tenderness for each other will be very, very useful to you.

What you shouldn't forget:

• Remember that the mother and the baby are connected by a single hormonal current through the placenta, which means that the baby knows all the basic states and emotions of the mother, as they say, from the inside.
• Remember that an unborn child is “made” with a large margin of safety, and a single stressful situation cannot harm him. Only systematic, day after day, repetitive stress can cause any disruption in the development or physical well-being of the baby. This means that systematic stress at home and at work should be avoided as much as possible.
• If you find it difficult to give up this or that bad habit, or an activity that may not be useful for an unborn child, think that 9 months of pregnancy is such a short period of time (although it often seems huge). And it is in these 9 months that the prerequisites are laid

• Watching aggressive TV programs, and just too scary or strong stories, is not the best activity for a pregnant woman.
• Overwork of all types and chronic stress of a pregnant woman are contraindicated.

What should be done:

• You should ensure that you are supported by reliable and calm pregnancy and childbirth specialists as early as possible. This will help you feel in good hands and in control.
• Try to find time for good rest, etc. equally important, full-fledged walks.
• To understand that systematic overload in work (study) is not at all what is useful for the psyche of the expectant mother and the fetus.

Finally:

• Many women enjoy the state of pregnancy. It seems to them very comfortable psychologically and physically.
• Almost all pregnant women are beautiful in both external and internal beauty.
• Those expectant mothers who managed to accept and love the changes that pregnancy brings with it simply glow from the inside.
• And there are no women whose psychological state would not change pregnancy.
• We strongly advise you to acquaint your future dad with the materials of this article, and in general all the relatives with whom you closely communicate.
• Your husband will not be able to figure out many things on his own, simply because he is not a pregnant woman, and he does not even have those internal organs that would help him understand your conditions.

Psychologically, the dad-to-be needs much more intellectual and emotional stress to get closer to the pregnancy process, closer to the "non-idle" wife and unborn child.

I would like to say that one should not think that all these truly volcanic changes will go away by themselves after childbirth.
The psyche of a nursing mother and her emotional states is a very special topic, but many of the changes that have occurred to a woman during pregnancy persist during breastfeeding.
Moreover, almost all changes during pregnancy are internal preparation for motherhood, a unique “school for mothers”, the program of which was written by the Creator himself.
Carrying a baby and being a mom is very interesting.

Ekaterina Burmistrova,

child, family psychologist. (published in the Magazine "My Child", No. 11, 2008.)

Subscribe to project news

Reprinting or copying of this material is possible only with the consent of the author.

The mood during early pregnancy can change like a sinusoid, from strong to weak, from joyful to depressed, from confidence to fear of the future. Both changes in the body and the conditions of your life play an important role in this.

Read in this article

Changes in the body and their effect on mood

Internal physiological changes accompanying the onset of pregnancy play a primary and key role. Reorganization of the body and the emotional state during early pregnancy are inseparable from each other:

• ... Taste sensations change. As a result, mood can also change. Some foods (even previously loved ones) can be intolerable to the taste, even to the point of disgust. On the contrary, other foods will make you crave to eat them as much as possible. Also, you may want to either eat nothing at all, or the feeling of hunger will follow all day long. In both cases, you should eat as your supervising doctor recommends - changes in mood and appetite in early pregnancy should not greatly affect the diet necessary for your health and the health of your baby.
• Reconstruction in the central nervous system. The brain (or rather its small but very important structural part - the hypothalamus) qualitatively and quantitatively controls the regulation of hormones. And hormones - mood, and quite long. It is impossible to regulate the work of the hypothalamus on your own, so you need to adapt and be prepared for the fact that mood can change very strongly: from irritability and even anger to tears of happiness. An event and detail that hasn't touched you before can trigger a very strong emotional reaction, and something that previously worried, disturbed, or delighted you may no longer affect you. By the way, this may also concern the perception of sounds, perhaps you will want to listen to certain music more often, or maybe it will be comfortable mainly in silence.
• Metamorphoses of smell. Closely associated with changes in the central nervous system. Previously loved perfumes can, at best, cause rejection and misunderstanding of how they could previously be used and admired. The same goes for food and cooking.

Smell is a powerful stimulant of memories and mood. If there are changes in the perception of smells, you should surround yourself with those smells that cause, if not admiration, but at least a neutral attitude. Get new perfume, change something in the kitchen. Can't be ignored: mood swings due to smell can be stressful.

Pathology in the mood

Emotional swings and changes in mood can not always be explained solely by physiological reasons.

• Asthenia is a severe decay, weakness and general constant drowsiness. Those tasks and responsibilities that were previously easily given seem to be impracticable. Pallor and circles under the eyes are possible. It is better to overcome this state by rest and sleep, regular meals, and a walk in the fresh air. The main thing is not to bother yourself with activities that require strong emotional or physical involvement, so as not to expend the energy that should be spent on restoring a healthy state.
• Stress during early pregnancy is normal and common, as pregnancy, albeit natural, is very stressful. And you should organize your day so that pregnancy remains the only strong stress. The severity of stress for each person is individual and does not change much over the course of life. If you feel stressed, you should either sleep or switch to a pleasant activity, such as a hobby. This will distract you, and enjoyable and desirable activities are not stressful in and of themselves.
• Depression in early pregnancy is, in fact, rare. Most often, depressive syndrome occurs after childbirth (the so-called postpartum depression).

Depression

A serious psychiatric diagnosis that can be treated with medication: often requires the simultaneous intervention of both a psychiatrist and a psychologist.

Based on which we can assume depression:

• depressed mood after waking from sleep. Often, the mood improves significantly with the onset of the evening;
• simultaneous feeling of irritability and weakness;
• the feeling that the world has lost its colors, everything can seem gray;
• unwillingness and feeling of physical impossibility to do any business. Strongly weakened will.
• regular self-deprecating thoughts ("I am a bad woman and a mother", "I do not deserve life on earth", "My whole life is terrible and meaningless");
• suicidal thoughts and plans;
• self-harm attempts.

The above symptoms are also characteristic for asthenia and for ordinary. These are sufficient reasons to consult a specialist.

Depression is a disease that must be treated. If most of the signs described above have been observed in you for more than two weeks (or the last three only made themselves felt), you should immediately contact a specialist psychotherapist. If a woman has injured herself or tried to commit suicide, immediate help from a psychiatrist is needed.

Coping with depression

We recommend that you accept your mood changes as normal. Self-acceptance is often the best medicine. A change in mood during early pregnancy is a normal and correct signal indicating that the necessary restructuring of the body is taking place.

You should often turn to what brings joy and satisfaction, which can distract from everything bad (for every woman, of course, this is individual): walking in the fresh air, reading books, watching movies, going to a theater or museum, cooking, work ( working during pregnancy is not harmful, but you cannot overwork, and if possible, if there is a choice between work and caring for yourself and your health, you need to choose the latter), hobbies and hobbies (and during this period new hobbies may appear), (which , of course, cannot and should not replace everything). In some women, sexual desire fades away in the early stages, or even for the entire period of pregnancy; and for some, on the contrary, libido only intensifies. If you are concerned about this issue, then talk to your doctor, almost always sex during pregnancy is harmless and rather useful.

Professional help

Sometimes there may be a need for the help of specialists: an observing doctor or psychologist.

You are not alone in your experiences; mood changes during early pregnancy occur to one degree or another in every woman. Accept your changes as normal and natural. Do not diagnose yourself - if you have doubts about your health or emotional state, do not hesitate to see a doctor. Observe your diet and sleep patterns. Try to be in such conditions in which the mood will change, if only for the better.

Before using any drugs, be sure to consult your doctor if there are contraindications. Do not self-medicate!