How can pregnancy impact your mind?
For all expectant mothers, pregnancy is a time of drastic changes. Some noticeable changes include increased hormone levels, belly growth, and ankle swelling. However, the most significant changes are gradual, many of which can be noticed with the naked eye.
Progesterone cycling is a primary driver of anxiety, frustration and mood fluctuations in many women during their menstrual cycle. Progesterone levels are very high during pregnancy and during this period, most women may experience similar symptoms.
Some of the main reasons how pregnancy impacts your mind
Hormone levels
Pregnancy is a period when change in hormone levels keeps increasing. The amount of estrogen and progesterone in your blood increases when you conceive. It helps to prepare your body for pregnancy, but it can also have an effect on your mind and make you feel tired or irritable.
It’s not all about hormones, though. With so many changes happening in your life, it is natural to find that your moods are fluctuating. You may suddenly feel overwhelmed by the excitement of meeting your child, and then suddenly wonder whether you are prepared to take up the responsibilities of a mother.
Pregnancy has proven to trigger long-term changes in brain structure; researchers have revealed, that these changes may increase a mother’s ability to care for her newborn.
Gray matter
Based on brain scans recorded overtime, a study revealed that the volume of gray matter in some regions of the brain in pregnant women, decreased.
Improve your mental health during pregnancy
Pregnancy is both the best and hardest period of a women’s life. To be pregnant and to give birth to a child would be the most amazing experience any women could witness. It is natural to want to take all precautions to make sure that you have a healthy pregnancy and birth, to welcome your child into this world with love and care.
During pregnancy, it is very important to be highly cautious, more than you can be in general, as it makes you fragile and prone to be easily affected, both mentally and physically. For this, there are a few things to help improve your baby’s health as well as your mental health during your pregnancy. These include:
Eat Nutritious Food– Never skip any meal of the day. During pregnancy, you need to eat more than what you eat in normal days, as you will need to make energy not for one, but two. You should eat healthy and include nutritious foods in your diet, like fruits, vegetables, whole grains, calcium-rich foods, lean meats, and a variety of cooked seafood. These categories of food also help to improve your mental health.
Exercise properly– Regular exercise is the most important aspect to improve your health during pregnancy that keeps you and your baby to stay mentally healthy and physically fit as well. Practicing low-impact exercises like walking, swimming, cycling or yoga, would be ideal. Avoid heavy exercise, which could lead to unwanted complications.
Take your vitamins– One of the most important things to plan for pregnancy is to start taking enough vitamins and protein, through food or through supplements. Having enough folic acid reduces the risk of some congenital disabilities. Adequate protein intake is necessary for the development of the infant in the womb.
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