Fan brother guide:
Pregnancy is a process that makes pregnant mothers both look forward to and delight, but due to hormonal changes in the body and insufficient knowledge about pregnancy, pregnant mothers often experience anxiety and depression during pregnancy and childbirth. The prevalence of depression and anxiety during pregnancy and childbirth in China is about 11-21%, which shows that many pregnant mothers are troubled by anxiety, which is not good for the health of pregnant mothers and fetuses. How does anxiety during pregnancy occur?How to avoid pregnancy anxiety?Let's take a look!
Anxiety is high during pregnancy.
In the WeChat background message of the milk powder think tank, Fan Ge can often see some users asking: "How to bring the baby after birth?".No clue at all. How do you feel like you've gained weight?Will you lose weight after giving birth?And so on. In addition, there are also many pregnant mothers on the Xiaohongshu platform who share their worries and fears in the comment area.
Pregnancy is a very special period for mothers, and during this time, happiness is often accompanied by anxiety. According to the "Survey Data on the Development Status and Consumer Behavior of China's Maternal and Child Market" released by iiMedia Consulting, the main conditions of pregnancy anxiety among Chinese women in 2023 are: pregnancy knowledge anxiety, body anxiety, information asymmetry anxiety, product selection and shopping anxiety, personal growth and work anxiety, health anxiety and others. Among them, 60 of them are pregnant with knowledge anxiety67%, body anxiety up to 5168%, ranking first and second among the causes of anxiety during pregnancy, respectively. It can be seen that there are more causes of anxiety during pregnancy, and the psychological and emotional care of pregnant mothers needs to be paid attention to.
At the same time, according to research, pregnancy and childbirth are a period of high incidence of mood disorders, especially during pregnancy and within one year postpartum, and the prevalence of depression and anxiety disorders is about 11-21% [1-2]. Mood disorders during pregnancy and childbirth not only affect the physical and mental health of pregnant mothers, but also increase the risk of preeclampsia, gestational diabetes, and preterm birth [3]. Therefore, caring for the physical and mental health of pregnant mothers is very important for every pregnant mother.
Manifestations of abnormal anxiety.
Pregnancy anxiety is a psychological change that is usually caused by hormonal changes after pregnancy and stress during childbirth. Anxiety, fear, restlessness, and emotional instability are the main manifestations, and may be accompanied by significant autonomic and somatic symptoms, including sweating, dyspnea, tremors, and insomnia [4]. If anxiety during pregnancy is not relieved for a long time, it will affect the health of the mother and the fetus.
But appropriate anxiety is also normal for pregnant mothers, especially when faced with difficulties or dangers, pregnant mothers will feel worried, nervous, uneasy, etc., which is a normal psychological state.
However, when pregnant mothers have the following symptoms for a long time and cannot be relieved by themselves, pregnant mothers need to be alert to whether there is abnormal anxiety:
Psychological symptoms: mainly manifested as nervousness, anxiety, fear, worry or lack of concentrationI think I'm bad, and I often blame myself and feel guiltyEmotions are more easily excited, and there is always a feeling that something bad is going to happen or that there are many things going to happen.
Somatic symptoms: mainly manifested as flushing or paleness, accompanied by chest tightness, shortness of breath or dry mouth, and some pregnant mothers may have digestive symptoms, such as nausea and vomiting [4].
Behavioural symptoms: mainly manifested by loss of appetite or overeating;Poor sleep, difficulty falling asleep or waking up earlier than usual, difficulty continuing to fall asleep after waking up, shallow sleep, dreaminess. If anxiety is too severe, it can cause other behavioral symptoms, such as restlessness or muscle tension, and even a feeling of suffocation.
If the pregnant mother has the above related symptoms and lasts for a long time, the pregnant mother can use the Edinburgh Postpartum Depression Scale self-test to assist in judging:
The Edinburgh Postpartum Depression Scale is a commonly used primary screening tool, mainly used to assess postpartum depression, and can also be used to assess prenatal depression and ** postpartum depression, but it cannot assess the severity of the condition.
If you have persistent depressed mood and a high self-assessment score, you need to go to the hospital as soon as possible, and consult a professional psychiatrist for a comprehensive assessment and necessary **. It should be reminded that no matter what the total score is, as long as the score of question 10 is scored, you should immediately go to the psychology department or psychiatric department of a professional hospital to consult the relevant doctor and seek help in time.
Ways to prevent anxiety during pregnancy.
Although pregnancy anxiety is harmful to the health of pregnant mothers and fetal treasures, as long as they are prevented in advance, pregnant mothers can also spend a beautiful and reassuring pregnancy period.
1.Supplement your knowledge of motherhood and childbirth.
When pregnant mothers know enough about motherhood, many factors that cause anxiety can be eliminated. Pregnant mothers can learn about pregnancy and parenting by reading books, consulting materials, participating in maternity courses, etc., so as to eliminate unnecessary worries and make pregnant mothers more confident to meet the challenges of pregnancy.
2.Exercise appropriately.
Except for high-risk pregnant mothers, most pregnant mothers can do appropriate exercise. For most pregnant mothers, exercise can not only effectively reduce physical discomfort, such as constipation, edema, etc., but also promote a happy mood. For pregnant mothers who have exercise habits before pregnancy, they can do some low-intensity aerobic exercises, such as swimmingFor pregnant mothers who do not have the habit of exercising before pregnancy, you can try low-load yoga and so on. Generally, you can increase the amount of exercise by walking in the first trimester, and you can do swimming, yoga and other exercises in the second trimester, and it is not recommended to do the above exercises at the age of seven months.
3.Maintain good lifestyle habits.
Pregnant mothers should maintain a regular work and rest time, ensure adequate sleep and a reasonable diet, eat more fresh vegetables, fruits, whole grains, etc., and avoid excessive intake of greasy, high-sugar, high-salt foods.
4.Maintain a good mindset.
Pregnant mothers should pay attention to adjusting their emotions at any time and face life with a positive and optimistic attitude. You can try to do some relaxing activities, such as yoga, meditation, listening**, etc., to help yourself maintain a peaceful mind.
5.Increase social interaction.
Increased social interaction can effectively reduce the number of cases of sensitivity and suspicion due to physical changes. Pregnant mothers can participate in more pregnant women's gatherings, parent-child activities, etc., to make more friends. When something unpleasant happens, you can confide in family or friends for support and help.
Finally, if the anxiety of pregnant mothers cannot be alleviated by itself, lasts for a long time and is severe, affecting daily life and the development of the fetus, it is recommended to seek professional medical help.
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References (scroll to see more):
1] mu, t.y., li, y.h., pan, h.f., zhang, l., zha, d.h., zhang, c.l., xu, r.-x.,2019. postpartum depressive mood (pdm) among chinese women: a meta-analysis. arch. womens ment. health 22, 279–287.
2] kendig s, keats j., hofman m., kay l., miller e., simas t., frieder a., hackley b., indman p., raines c., 2017. consensus bundle on maternal mental health: perinatal depression and anxiety. j obstet gynecol neonatal nurs 46(2):272–281
3] grote n., bridge j., g**in a., melville j., iyengar s, katon w.,2010. a meta-analysis of depression during pregnancy and the risk of preterm birth, low birth