Pregnancy Mood swings...what to Do About It...

I also had those horrendous mood swings and was not a nice person when pregnant with my third child. I found that walking, outside, helped considerably. There was an underlying problem that caused much of the mood changes. I was scared. I had two children already and wasn't sure if I could handle another baby. I did not realize the level of the fear until after the baby was born and I began to see that I could do it, but I was terrified. And, I don't know your level of faith, but if you are a praying person, I highly recommend telling the higher power your problem, and asking him to let you know what you need to know. It might not be today or tomorrow, but you will be shown how to handle this. In the meantime, each time you feel like being ugly, eat an apple. It is hard to say mean things with your mouth full.

Hey L.,

Being pregnant is a huge adjustment and speaking as a Midwife I think a part of your mood swings are physiological you are experiencing a drop in your basal metabolic rate and if you are not able to constantly eat small meals trough out the day your blood sugar drops and you quickly turn into a crabby, cranky and hungry person. Meds are not the soulution it's eating every two hours and having a brisk walk or some sort of phyical activity that gets your heart rate up and to increase your cirulation.
Another part of it is communicating your needs to your partner. if you start to feel angry nip it in the bud and tell him your hungry. soon he will be able to read the signs and will hand you a snack before you have to ask. one more thing B Complex Vitamin is excellent for helping people deal with fatigue, stress, and strong feelings of anger etc. B Vitamins are water soluble and are safe for pregnancy. Just follow the label on the bottle. you will notice that your pee will look brite neon yellow and that is normal.
Good for you for seeking advice and asking questions about whats best for you and your baby before you medicate your self and not just turning your self into a robot. You are a vibrant pregnant woman who is in the mist of a huge life adjustment it's perfectly normal to swing from one emotion to another.
M.
well

I had major depression and mood swings with my pregnancy and never sought any help on it and now I am scared to be pregnant again because I don't want to have a repeat of those feelings. Not only was I depressed for the nine months of pregnancy, but I had problems for over a year afterwards and really couldn't enjoy the pregnancy or my daughters infancy. Medication may not be the way for you, but you might consider counseling or just talking with a good friend. I didn't do anything and really regret it because it stole over two years of my life.

My best friend had a similar problem and found that doing the prenatal yoga actually helped her stay a bit calmer. Might be worth a try to help avoid the meds. If you're not inclined to do yoga maybe try going for a walk each day.

Plus, both will help keep you in better shape later on.

Good luck! I hope everything turns out great for you.

Hi L.! On my third pregnancy, I had that problem. I couldn't stand myself with the mood swings. I was yelling at my kids for no reason. It was horrible. I tried calming myself & everything, but I couldn't stop it all before it came out. At 5 mos. preggo I couldn't take it anymore. I talked to my OBGyn and he put me on Zoloft. I am not a big medicine taker, but I tried it anyway. Overnight I was much better. I took it until delivery...then everything was fine.
Let me just say this: I have a sister who stayed depressed during one of her pregnancies...mood swings..sadness...etc. Her baby never smiled, was very "serious" looking all the time. I'm not saying it was def. b/c she was depressed during pregnancy...but it may be.
The baby I had while on the meds was my happiest baby out of 4. To me it was worth it for my sanity & my children's happiness. They were miserable along with me ... so waS my husband.
Also, I'd like to add that I did exercise, and eat small frequent meals, took my vitamins, etc. Nothing worked for me.
I wish you the best of luck in finding a solution that works for YOU.

I can understand about the mood swings. I'm not far along myself, and I have noticed that I feel the same way at times. Sometimes, I feel that writing about my day or how I am feeling helps me to calm down. Maybe this is something you can do before responding to anyone. See if it works for you, and then maybe that will help you to calm down before snapping and maybe make it easier to talk about things.

I had the same problem with my second pregnancy. I think it has to do with added stress and having a child already. I did yoga and it really help and added bonus I alonely gained 25 pounds with my second pregnancy, my first I gained 48 pounds. It also gave me extra energy which I think helped lowered my stress because I wasn't always tired.

I do not have an answer for you, nor a suggestion. But I am glad to know that I am not alone. I am almost 16 weeks with baby #2 and my boyfriend and I could not be any worse off right now. It is so bad that we are both considering moving- only not together. That stresses me out even more and upsets me and depresses me. I try so hard not to take it out on the 2 year old, but sometimes it's hard. Good luck!!

I know everyone says this, but it really does happen to us all. At 20 weeks, I threw a pack of batteries at my husband because he changed the brand of dog food. I have a short temper and tend to snap at my husband even when I am not pregnant (I take Welbutrin for PMS normally but will stop before I get pregnant), so I have become an expert at apologizing afterwards, which always seems to help. Also, crying is a great stress releiver, so if you need to cry let it out and let your BF comfort you. He is probably feeling pretty helpless right now and will want to "solve the problem", like all men want to.
If you need to vent to get it all out, try writing it down. It doesn't matter if you just ramble on, you aren't being graded and it feels great to get it all out without abusing your loved ones. This was very therapuetic for me. If you need a sympathetic ear who won't judge, find a pen pal (or e-mail pal) to send your complaints to. I am happy to volunteer if you think it would help. Good luck and remember it doesn't last!

Usually the high levels of progesterone excreted during pregnancy, cause calmness and relaxation. That was my experience during pregnancy, until I got very large and really uncomfortable. Of course not all women are the same. Could it be that you are feeling extra insecure, since you are not married? God created marriage for that security, comfort and stability. I personally would want to be married before getting pregnant, as it is natural to be more vulnerable during that time and want to be protected. Could you possibly have some underlying anger about that? Just a thought....

B. S. RN CCM

My mood swings never went away after pregnancy:( Finally I found an essential oil that I wear as perfume, whenever I feed edgy of moody I apply it again. I use lavender to calm me down or joy to take my pissy feeling away. They are a little pricey but well worth it when you find out which ones work for you. I get them from www.youngliving.org

There are so many alternatives to meds! Proud of you for insisting on learning how to do this without.

Go to our website, www.royaloil.org and check out "Between the Raindrops." It's a totally natural energy product that isn't really on the market yet. We'll send you a free sample if you are willing to field test this. There is an email link there. --M.