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Is Your Anger Affecting the Baby
 "I
feel like a psycho, it takes so much of my part to control it. I've never felt
this angry in
my life. I feel like punching/hurting someone ( I haven't, like I said I control
myself ) but it physically hurts to keep it in" These are the words of
Dalinajimenez, pregnant and calling out for help. Another named Jeenee says "All
my crazy pregnant anger somehow gets directed at my poor husband! We were
driving to his work's Christmas party and he kept interrupting me when I was
telling him something. I just flipped out on him. I felt really bad after I did
it and I apologized for getting soooo mad"
They are not the only one suffering from Anger, an emotion more and more women
find hard to manage during pregnancy.
Anger is a completely normal, and usually healthy, emotion. We have all
experienced anger due to frustration, hurt, betrayal, annoyance, disappointment,
harassment and threats.
According to APA (American Psychologists Association) documentation, anger is
accompanied by physiological and biological changes: when we get angry, our
heart rates and blood
pressure go
up, as do the levels of our energy hormones as adrenaline and epinephrine are
released, contributing to growing tension and causing blood vessels to
constrict. This reduces oxygen to the uterus, thus compromising fetal blood
supply.
Researches have shown that long-term anger or anxiety can have detrimental
effects on your baby. Some effects include:
-
Premature birth (delivered before 37 weeks). Pre-term babies are
susceptible to a range of complications later, including chronic lung
disease, developmental delays, learning disorders and infant mortality.
-
A problematic birth, or
-
A low birth weight (even when full term) baby, that can lead to infant
mortality. A Normal birth weight is defined as greater that 5 lb. 5 oz.;
moderately low birth weight is 3 lb. 5 oz. to 5 lb. 8 oz., and very low
birth weight is less than 3 lb. 5 oz.
-
Hyper active baby: Research has indicated that extreme anxiety during
pregnancy could double a mother's chance of having a hyperactive child. Most
recently, some studies are suggesting that stress in the womb can affect a
baby's temperament and neurobehavioral development.
How to Manage the Emotional Outburst
In order to prevent these harmful effects, Anger needs to be constructively
channelized.
The American Psychological Association (APA) suggests following measures.
-
 Practice Relaxation: Spare
some quality time for yourself, be it watching a movie, doing meditation,
listening to songs or going for a spa therapy.
-
Exercise Regularly: Depending on your level of fitness and health
status mark out 20 min of your daily routine as time to exercise.
Find the right reasons to exercise so that you do not drop out. Not only
will it keep you physically fit but it will also help you to manage your
emotions better. Exercise is known to release happy hormones which make you
feel good about yourself and others. In a fit of rage, the best thing to do
would be to head for a walk and cool your nerves.
-
Try keeping a journal where
you can express your thoughts and emotions.
-
Try something special with your partner, such
as a weekend getaway, to give yourselves a chance to remember what you love
about each other.
-
Educate yourself about fertility problems. Read as much as you
can about fertility problems,
and ask your doctor and other couples in your same situation questions. This
is especially important when you're dealing with a fertility problem because
the technologies behind the treatments are complicated and change quickly.
"You've got to understand what's happening medically," says Epstein, "or you
won't be able to make informed choices."
-
Count one to ten: The
moment you fly into a rage stop and count from one to ten. The intensity of
rage is bound to subside.
-
Become rationale: Angry
people tend to curse or speak in highly colourful terms which reflect their
inner feelings and thoughts, so when angry try replace those usual dramatic
thoughts with more rational ones.
-
Aim for a healthy diet: Stress
is known to rob the body of essential vitamins and minerals, yet a healthy diet can
help the body fight back. Make sure you compensate for any shortfalls by
eating foods that are rich in essential nutrients. Increase the intake of
carbohydrates and proteins in your diet, recommended eating options such as
nuts, green leafy vegetables and fortified wholegrain breads. In between the
meals, you may have salads and fresh fruits.
-
Sleep Well: catch up
on your sleep for, lack of adequate doze hours can leave you stressed and
irritable.
Learning to manage stress and anger will leave you and the life within a happier
person.
For Support:
Dated 13 April 2013
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