Why Stress Relief Is Important
No matter how you slice it, stress does not paint a pretty picture for your body. The tolls of stress on the non-pregnant body are slightly easier to recover from. However, during pregnancy the added toll of stress to your already taxed system has the potential to cause problems with the pregnancy in extreme situations.
Increased levels of stress can also affect how you absorb your nutrients, and prevent or restrict blood flow through the placenta to your baby, causing fetal growth restriction. Stress can affect how you bond prenatally with your baby. Untreated stress can make life changes more difficult, particularly those you are trying to change for the benefit of your baby, for example, quitting smoking or changing eating habits.
Even if your stress levels have not reached the extremes required to harm the pregnancy, the stress you experience can make pregnancy more difficult for you. This has led to a huge increase in stress relief products and programs.
What's the big deal about stress in labor?
Stress in labor has some very negative effects on the progress of labor. Nature and science tell us that if you are stressed in labor your body produces more stress hormones, cathecholamines. This can lead to a slow down of labor or a stop, called dystocia.
Stress relief happens in a variety of ways. From the physical to the mental, it is important to our well-being. One of the easiest ways to reduce stress is through relaxation. There are several types of relaxation and each one plays a part in your total body makeup. To neglect a component of this organization is to neglect your body. The three forms of relaxation are mental, emotional, and physical.
Mental Relaxation
Mental relaxation is probably the most widely talked about form of relaxation. If you are taking childbirth classes, you may have gone into great detail on this form of relaxation. Basically, the definition of mental relaxation is to be able to clear your mind of intrusive thoughts during certain periods.
Essential
Mental relaxation can be one of the most difficult things to train your body to accomplish. Many women, particularly during pregnancy, feel like their minds are racing a hundred miles a minute. If you experience this feeling, it can lead you to a feeling of the inability to turn your brain off long enough to feel relaxed.
The benefits of being able mentally to let go of ideas and extraneous thoughts is fairly obvious. You can clear your mind to deal with whatever it is you are currently doing. This type of relaxation is a
There are many ways to deal with mental stress. The one that is most available to you will probably be education. While education may sound like a simple answer to a complex problem, it is very often all you will need to help address the issues you are facing mentally in pregnancy.
If you are a fact- or detail-oriented person, this may not be a difficult task for you. Perhaps you've signed up for every class your birthing place offers. Maybe you've read some books on the topic. Chances are you've sought out some form of information about pregnancy, labor, and parenting to help you cope with the mental stresses of the unknowns. Even if this is not your first pregnancy, the issues of adding an additional person to your family or the stresses of things you would like to change from your first pregnancy can be many.
Emotional Relaxation
Emotional relaxation is the second hardest form of relaxation to learn. As the term implies, it has to do with dealing with the emotional issues that are affecting your life. During pregnancy, the emotional issues are many. Add hormones to the mix and you've got an interesting pot of feelings to deal with.
Fact
The fear-tension-pain cycle is another childbirth education backbone. This theory states that if you have fear, you tense. If you tense, you will have more pain. If you have more pain, you will fear labor and pain. The goal of most forms of relaxation taught in these classes is to interrupt the cycle and, therefore, provide pain relief.
You might be dealing with issues of becoming a parent for the first time. This leaves you revisiting issues of your childhood, both positive and negative. You may start to look at other parents you know and wonder what type of parents you and your partner will be.
Physical Relaxation
Contrary to popular belief, physical relaxation is much easier to achieve than mental or emotional relaxation. Your body's reaction to physical issues can be dealt with in a much clearer and more precise manner. The tools you have available to you are numerous and should be used as often as you wish. Some examples of these tools include:
Massage
Aromatherapy
Music
Acupuncture
Hydrotherapy
Many of these tools can be used in conjunction with one another. For example, during a massage you may use some scented oils to aid in your relaxation or perhaps you listen to the radio while you take a bath or shower. Sometimes you use these tools without being aware of their use or that you are deriving benefits from them.
Think of how you feel when one of your favorite songs comes on the radio. First, you might tap your toes or fingers, but before you know it you are singing along, even when it is not necessarily appropriate. This is your body responding positively to something you enjoy. Your body responds with the production of endorphins, hormones that make you naturally feel pleasant and relaxed.
Essential
No matter what types of concerns you have or how confident you are in previous parenting skills, you have a lot to deal with during this pregnancy. The stress that comes from these issues cannot be answered simply. The good news is that the relaxation exercises can help you deal with these problems both in the physical and mental forms.
While these tools are available for your use, even during pregnancy, they are not necessary for physical relaxation. They should be looked at merely as aids in the relaxation process. You will learn some physical relaxation techniques later in the chapter, such as the tense-release exercises, that use only your own body versus choosing to incorporate your partner into your physical relaxation for assistance. Do whatever makes you feel comfortable. Exercise is one of the best ways to deal with the physical stresses of life.
