Self-Care Tips to Relieve Stress While Pregnant

Self-care is vital during pregnancy for both the parent and child. Pregnancy can take a lot out of a body nutritionally, causing mood changes from hormones, insomnia and stress. Making time for self-care can impact labor and delivery, said Brooke Yancey-Ward, Psy.D., a pediatric psychologist at Arkansas Children’s Hospital in Little Rock and assistant professor in the department of psychology at the University of Arkansas of Medical Sciences. 

"There's been research that shows if we go for a walk every day or have some movement, it has great benefits on childbirth, delivery outcomes and the baby's outcomes," Yancey-Ward said. "Preventing things like hypertension and gestational diabetes will be really good for our pregnancy and babies."   

New moms face many questions and anxieties about labor and delivery, maintaining health during pregnancy and recovery and all the education involved in learning how to properly care for a child after birth. This can lead to increased levels of stress.   

Stress can impact pregnancy in a variety of ways, including:   

• Stress releases the hormone cortisol; increased levels of cortisol are not ideal for children in utero 
• Avoidance or feeling overwhelmed, like not seeking prenatal care, taking prenatal vitamins or preparing for a baby 
• Trigger for feelings of hopelessness with no support or resources to help with pregnancy or postpartum 

Self-care can be tailored to any economic status and situation. It's all about ensuring basic needs are met for both you and baby and understanding when to focus on stress relief.  

Yancey-Ward shared tips for self-care:   

• Meeting with a pregnant or new mom support group 
• Asking a partner or friend to help clean 
• Having someone make meals 
• Therapy, like CBT (cognitive behavioral therapy), to target faulty thinking patterns or negative thoughts 
• Yoga or some form of exercise 
  
  

Basic self-care tips include:  

• Stop smoking, drinking and drugs 
• Prioritize sleep 
• Eat healthy proteins, fats and fiber and avoid processed foods 
• Read a favorite book or magazine, watch a funny T.V. show or movie, meet friends, go outside or enjoy a favorite hobby 
• Do something active 

"It's a fancy term called behavior activation. Whenever we're active, whether walking, having a little dance party in our house, cleaning the house or anything that's active releases these feel-good hormones in our brain called endorphins that naturally relieve stress and anxiety," Yancey-Ward said.