5 Foundations for Managing Stress in Pregnancy

Building a baby is tough. Working, dealing with family dynamics, and juggling daily tasks makes maintaining a stress free environment difficult. Since we don't live in a stress free environment, we can help ourselves and our babies by managing stress better. Our maternal mind states during pregnancy and postpartum directly impacts the physical structure of the baby’s brain. Babies in utero also feel a mother's stress and have a physiological response when the mom becomes stressed, causing this physical change to their brain.

This can also become more profound after pregnancy. Children of mothers who are stressed in pregnancy are more likely to develop behavioral and learning problems. They are also more vulnerable to anxiety and depression as they get older. Cortisol levels (stress hormones) are increased and serotonin and dopamine levels are decreased, impacting a child's impulse control, mood regulation, attention, motivation, and control of aggression. These children are also less likely to calm themselves down and less responsive to social stimulation.

#1 NOURISHING FOODS Nourishing yourself in pregnancy nourishes your baby, but it also gives you the nutrients you need to take on stress and busy days. Increase real-whole foods, decrease refined-processed foods, increase animal protein intake, eat grass-fed and organic whenever possible, and always balance meals and snacks with protein, carbohydrates, and fat.

#2 QUALITY SLEEP Quality sleep has been shown to decrease feelings of anxiety and stress. Start with a good routine before bed: turn off your phone, take time to decompress, and think happy thoughts. At night, decrease outside light, noise, and other disturbances, keep your phone on do not disturb or airplane mode, give yourself time to fall asleep and shoot for 8-9 hours.

#3 DAILY MOVEMENT Moving your body is a natural stress reliever and way to balance yourself. Walking, yoga, strength training, or whatever it is that you choose, boosts endorphins. Getting and staying strong in pregnancy will boost your mood and energy, help through common pregnancy pains, and prepare you better for labor and carrying a baby around.

#4 UNDERSTAND YOUR STRESS TRIGGERS Understanding what triggers your stress will help you manage it when the time comes. Preparing for stressful events (in an un-anxious way) prepares your body and mind to take on the stress with less negative side effects. Spend a few minutes a day thinking about when you encountered stress, why it was stressful, and and breathe it out. Being mindful about past events will help you prepare for future events.

#5 OUTLETS TO RELIEVE TENSION When we bottle up stress and emotions it takes a negative toll on our physical body, mood, and overall health. Bottling up emotions also impacts how we react to stress moving forward. Finding outlets to relieve tension before you are overloaded with stress will help you navigate stressful events better and allow you to be more mindful when a stressful event occurs.