The Roller Coaster Ride of Emotions During Pregnancy

Mood swings, insecurities, fears, ambivalence, impatience, and anger are all likely to surface during your pregnancy -- often at unpredictable times. Let's face it: Having a baby is a momentous life change. It's natural to feel joy over this new addition to your family, fears about your new responsibility, and even pangs of longing for your freer pre-baby days.

Discuss your mood swings with the people you are closest to. Sharing your feelings calms you down, helps you see things more clearly, and gives you the objectivity to find solutions. It's difficult not knowing what the future holds, and typical to feel apprehensive about labor, delivery, and motherhood. There's also the added worry of how you'll manage to balance both work and your family life once the baby has arrived.

What can you do when you find yourself feeling out of control? Here are some tips that can get you through this emotional struggle:

1. Don't worry about your worrying.

Some psychologists actually view these anxieties as a reflection of your growing attachment to your fetus. But to get the reassurance you need, discuss your fears with your health-care provider. Some moms-to-be even feel better having more frequent prenatal checkups just to be extra sure that their pregnancy is progressing normally.

2. Prepare an action plan.

Do some research and gather information about the things that worry you the most. Seek out opportunities to mingle with other moms-to-be in exercise groups, childbirth classes, and baby-care classes.

3. Ask other parents how they cope.

Talk to working mothers about how they selected their child-care arrangements, and find out how they manage to balance their careers and family life. Financial and health issues are a huge worry for many parents-to-be. But, the burdens will lighten when you share them with others and come to realize you're not alone.

4. Dream.

Don't be surprised if you become obsessed with anything baby-related and begin dreaming about babies every night -- and day. Dream on! These reveries are a way of getting ready for motherhood, and of bonding with your child. Fantasies let you glimpse the euphoria that you'll feel when you first lay eyes on your little one.

If you find yourself battling a wide range of emotions, be sure and talk about it with your physician or your partner. Keeping things bottled inside will only make things worse for you and your baby. All of these emotions are normal and nothing to feel ashamed about. There are a variety of message boards you can visit to find other moms out there with the same experiences.