Feeling Joyous or Anxious During Pregnancy? Your Baby is Feeling it Too

Processing Emotions

While babies have the ability to feel various emotions during pregnancy, they lack the ability to process the emotions they are feeling. As adults, we have the ability to work through our emotions in therapy or discuss them with our friends and family. Babies do not have these coping skills, so it is essential that the mother talks to the baby when they are experiencing negative emotions. Using a soothing voice and a rocking motion helps the baby process the negative emotion without becoming overly stressed. The baby may not be able to understand the words you use, but they will know by your calming voice and actions that everything is okay. Let the baby know that you are handling your emotions and they don’t need to worry about it. This sets the foundation for your emotional relationship with your baby for the rest of their life.

Handling Stress

Even the most uneventful pregnancies have moments of stress in them. Although you cannot eliminate stress from your life, there are things you can do to reduce the amount of stress you are feeling during your pregnancy. One of the best things you can do is exercise. Not only is exercise good for your body, it also helps to calm your mind and the mind of your baby. Another thing you can do is listen to relaxing music. The music will help get your mind off of the stressful things going on in your life. It will also help your baby relax. Relying on friends and family for support is perhaps one of the best things you can do to relieve stress. Many people in your life would probably be happy to run errands or cook meals for you and your family. Don’t be afraid to ask for help.

You cannot prevent your baby from feeling the same emotions you are feeling during pregnancy, but you can make the positive emotions far outweigh the negative ones. Stressing about adding a new person to your life is natural, but so is joy. Do your best to focus on the joy and work through the negative emotions as quickly as possible so that you and your baby are both healthy and happy during your pregnancy.

How did you handle stressful situations during your pregnancy?