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Pregnancy Can Be Stressful
Managing Stress during Pregnancy
By Kelly Burgess
t's very much a personality issue."
Sarah Gilbert of Portland, Ore., credits her naturally easygoing personality for getting her through her third pregnancy, which turned out to be the "pregnancy from hell," stress-wise. Gilbert's second pregnancy had ended in a miscarriage at eight weeks, so she was already dealing with some trepidation. Then, at 20 weeks, just a few hours after her husband left for his last two weeks of basic training, her mother-in-law died and she had to make a long, difficult trip to Las Vegas. While she was there, she began to experience extreme pain and was diagnosed with partial placental abruption and put on bed rest. All this while dealing with a colorful host of in-laws and an ill father.
Gilbert went on to safely deliver a beautiful, healthy son, but there were several times when she thought the stress might overwhelm her. She was able to deal with it, she says, mostly because she is naturally easygoing but also through simple, but effective, strategies that helped her take a step back and almost put the problems outside herself, as if they were happening to someone else.
"I took lots of baths," says Gilbert. "Whenever things got bad I would go up and turn the water on and just soak." She also wrote, which is what she credits with being able to take the stress outside herself. Her blog became an important outlet for her feelings and helped her look at her stresses with great objectivity.
Sometimes relieving stress can be as simple as a warm bath or keeping a journal. For some people, the stress becomes so overwhelming that Dr. Shiffan recommends counseling.
Jennifer Louden, author of The Pregnant Woman's Comfort Book: A Self-Nurturing Guide to Your Emotional Well-Being During Pregnancy and Early Motherhood
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