Managing Mood Swings

8 Ways to Combat the Ups and Downs of Pregnancy

By Jacqueline Bodnar

Pregnancy can be a time of joy, a time of celebration and a time of anticipation and excitement. Unfortunately, pregnancy can also be a time of emotional roller-coasters and random mood swings.

Some women, for example, find that their moods stay relatively stable throughout their pregnancy. Others find themselves weeping for seemingly no reason at all. The good news is that there's no need to worry about what you feel regardless of what your emotional state is during your pregnancy. Chances are that it's normal.

"Mood swings during pregnancy are quite common," says Dr. Dave E. David, an OB/GYN and creator of the videotape Making Womb for Baby. "It's nothing to be alarmed about, although it can be a bit unsettling."

Mood swings can be defined as a sudden change in feeling or emotion that occurs for seemingly no reason at all. Although most people associate a mood swing with the sudden onset of sad or irritable feelings, a mood swing can also occur in the opposite direction (sad to happy). Since they're so unpredictable, mood swings are one of the biggest complaints that pregnant women have.

Women who experience mood swings should know that they're not alone. Mood swings are common during pregnancy. This is especially true of the first and last trimesters.

"One of the reasons that mood swings are so common during pregnancy is because pregnancy is an extremely stressful period of time,"Dr. David says. "Pregnancy brings about situations that aren't normal to everyday life."

There's the added physical stress, for example, of rapid weight gain and altered body functioning. There's also fatigue, a change in metabolism and sleep disturbances.

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