As much as most people see pregnancy as a blessing, there’s no denying that it’s one of the most challenging moments women go through. The idea of how pregnancy is portrayed in social media is often far from reality.
For most women, pregnancy isn’t always about having glowing skin, doing elegant prenatal shoots, or reading books to their bellies. In reality, many women are bound to go through many ups and downs in their physical, emotional, and mental health. One way to help women get through their pregnancy successfully is through prenatal therapy.
Prenatal Therapy: At A Glance
The goal of prenatal therapy is to help women facilitate the transition from pregnancy to motherhood. It’s also the best place for women to open up about their concerns or fears relating to their pregnancy. So, if you have any worries about pregnancy, childbirth, body or relationship changes, you can seek more help and guidance from a prenatal therapist.
Remember, prenatal therapy isn’t only for pregnant women diagnosed with mental health issues. Instead, it’s meant for any expecting mother who wishes to improve their mental well-being and prepare themselves emotionally for a significant change ahead.
How Is Prenatal Therapy Beneficial For Your Pregnancy?
If you’re skeptical of whether you should consider going on prenatal therapy, this article will enumerate how prenatal therapy can help you successfully get through your pregnancy.
- Help You Handle Stress And Expectations
When some people know you’re pregnant, they’ll bombard you with a lot of information and pressure about how to handle your pregnancy and take care of your baby. While they may mean well, these reminders or advice can put unnecessary pressure, stress, and anxiety on pregnant women.
For instance, your female friends could constantly be messaging you about what you should not eat, drink, or do. These thoughts could lead you to doubt your parenting abilities or worry that something is wrong with your pregnancy. Not to mention those social media content discussing what pregnant women should and shouldn’t do.
Through prenatal therapy, your therapist will sift through all the advice and information thrown at you and help you find strategies to handle stress and anxiety effectively. Your therapist will also remind you that there’s no perfect way to be a pregnant parent. Making mistakes is acceptable; doing so is a necessary component of learning and growing.
- Overcome Body Image Issues
During pregnancy, your body will experience many changes. Besides your growing baby bump, some of you will gain weight, develop stretch marks on different parts of your body, and have uneven brown marks on your nose, cheeks, or eyes. While these body changes are normal, some women tend to feel insecure and, eventually, develop body image issues.
Some may compare their bump with other women or wish they wouldn’t gain any weight so they could still look good in any outfit. Ultimately, many expectant mothers struggle with accepting their changing bodies and appearances. There is some evidence that prenatal therapy can help women who struggle with negative body image.
For instance, you tend to miss your old body whenever you see your old clothes and start hating your current appearance. Since you no longer look or feel good in the clothes you once adored, you have difficulty finding the motivation to care about your appearance. Your therapist will help you identify the triggers for these negative body image ideas and combat them.
They may ask you to store away or remove your old clothes to help you embrace your pregnant or postpartum bodies. Usually, holding on to your old clothes might only pressure you to lose weight as soon as possible, leading to stress from body image issues. Women who seek support for their bodies during pregnancy are more prepared to handle and accept physical changes that may occur postpartum.
- Learn Coping Strategies Against Anxiety And Depression
It’s natural to experience ups and downs during your pregnancy. But for some women, these worries could become bigger, leading to prenatal anxiety or depression. For instance, you feel anxious about your pregnancy because you feel you’re not good enough to be a parent. Or, perhaps, you’re feeling depressed because you feel incapable of juggling your pregnancy, motherhood, and career. When these mental health issues are left unresolved, they can lead to postpartum depression.
Whatever factors or challenges that are causing your prenatal anxiety and depression, your therapist will help you in finding coping strategies for your mental health concerns. They may also recommend you to implement some lifestyle changes that may significantly affect your mental health. In some cases, some therapists will involve your partners in the treatment plan and teach them how to support you whenever you’re experiencing anxiety or depression (e.g., check you regularly, accompany you to your exercises, etc.).
- Overcome Past Pregnancy/Childbirth Trauma
For some mothers, their previous childbirth experience has been a traumatic event in their lives. This is true, especially since not all childbirth will go as planned. Some women may have undergone instrumental delivery, emergency C-section, or given birth at the most unconventional place and time. Their previous childbirth experience has brought them nightmares and resulted in trust issues towards care providers.
With prenatal therapy, your therapist can provide you with tools or strategies to overcome and work through these traumatic and painful memories. They’ll also shift your focus into the present with your current pregnancy and help you think more positively about your future birth experience.
Key Takeaway
Overall, prenatal therapy brings numerous benefits to your mental well-being and helps you get through your pregnancy. Whether you’re a fifth-time or first-time mom with fears and concerns regarding pregnancy, you can schedule your appointment with your trusted prenatal therapist.
