I am on a break from work. Nothing serious, just a recommendation from the doctor due to some painless but frequent contractions and high blood pressure. I have another appointment tomorrow and I'm hoping for an ultrasound to verify my cervix is still long and closed but otherwise I'm just trying to enjoy my time here. I have to keep reminding myself not to think about work, or feel guilty for leaving them two weeks before a deadline that was already in peril. It's just work, right?
Now that I'm hyper-aware of any contractions, it's funny to be able to connect them to my current activiy or mood. Some funny triggers;
-Talking to my mom or sister, usually one of them complaining about the other
-Thinking about work
-Cleaning the bathroom (too bad)
-Watching hockey (I keep that one a secret from Mr. M; there is no way I am missing out on watching Canada thump the rest of the world) or missing the Flames comeback in time for playoffs
One weird side effect (symptom?) that has presented in the last couple of weeks is these intense bouts of anxiety. They last about an hour during which time my heart is thumping, my mind races, my skin crawls. I am not typically an anxious person - the most common word people use when describing me is "laid back". At the time I can't pinpoint any thought or worry to associate with the anxiety. I brought it up with the doctor, they said it could be my blood pressure setting off the jittery feeling and to keep tabs on it and keep mentioning it if it persists.
So 21.5 weeks, feeling good.
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I have definitely had an increase in anxiety during this pregnancy. I actually started seeing a therapist hoping to get some tools to help lower my blood pressure and relieve stress. I have the sudden, intense heart racing feeling, mind racing, etc. My doctor told me that the heart rate thing is normal (our hearts beat faster during pregnancy), and that it is intensified by anxiety. And my therapist thinks it's likely hormonally related, too, because while I had some occasional situational anxiety before, I've never had continuous, ongoing anxiety reactions like this.
ReplyDeleteAnyway, one thing that has helped me somewhat is to practice deep breathing, taking ten successive slow deep inhalations/exhalations from the diaphragm, at several points throughout the day, regardless of whether I'm feeling anxiety or not. This gets harder and harder throughout pregnancy, since the boys are pushing up so hard on my diaphragm, but it makes a difference. Apparently (per the therapist) shallow breathing causes an increase in anxiety symptoms, even if there aren't any external stressors, so since I basically breathe shallow all the time because of the babies, it makes sense that there would be an increase in anxiety events.
Anyhow, it's not a cure-all, and I don't mean to convince you to do this in lieu of following doctors orders, but I just wanted to offer a suggestion for something simple and harmless that has made a major difference for me. Breathing. I never would have thought it would have made this big of a difference.