How to Deal with Anxiety During Pregnancy

Try these simple ways to calm common stresses during pregnancy—and enjoy the weeks before your baby arrives even more.

Along with the typical (and totally normal) worries about labor and caring for a newborn, smaller stressors can pop up throughout your pregnancy. In fact, occasionally feeling a little overwhelmed isn’t unusual during pregnancy, considering all the life and hormonal changes occurring. The good news: A few smart tips can help you ease your mind and focus more fully on this special time. Here are three common scenarios that can cause anxiety during pregnancy and what you can do to stay calm—for your peace of mind and your baby’s healthy development.

The Stressor: Selecting a Pediatrician

The Fix: Go Step‐by‐step

• Consider what’s most important. When beginning your search, it’s a good idea to start by writing down your top criteria—for instance, an office close to home or one with evening hours or a certain approach to wellness.
• Gather recommendations. Talk with friends, family, and even your obstetrician about which pediatricians their kids visit.
• Filter your possibilities. Add or eliminate doctors depending on the recommendations you receive, whether a doctor meets your criteria, and the results of an online search for such information as whether the doctor is board certified.
• Schedule a time to meet with each doctor. Come with questions about office hours, hospital affiliations, additional resources available to you (such as a nurse hotline), and the doctor’s approach to common illnesses, such as earaches.

In the end, you should have a good sense of the right fit for you and your baby.

The Stressor: Changes in Your Relationship

The Fix: Talk It Out

Chances are your partner has some of the same concerns that you do. Keeping the lines of communication open now and once your baby arrives can smooth out any bumps in the road. Another idea: Even before your baby arrives, agree which chores each person will do—for instance, one person takes the baby for a walk while the other vacuums. Although you won’t be able to nail it all down before your baby arrives, having a plan in place should help ease your stress. And while it’s still just the two of you, indulge in doing all the things you love to do as a couple.

The Stressor: Setting Up the Nursery

The Fix: Gather a Team

Putting together baby’s room can definitely be fun, but with so many tasks to complete, it can also feel overwhelming. Once you’ve narrowed down everything that needs to be purchased, borrowed, or completed, enlist the help of friends and family to tackle each to‐do. For instance, have your spouse paint, your best friend put together the crib, and your sister organize the baby’s closet. While it might be tough to give up control, getting others to pitch in will relieve some of the anxiety during pregnancy pressure on you and allow them to share in all the baby excitement as well.