• Skip to main content
  • Skip to secondary menu
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer
Pregnancy Logo 2018

Pregnancy Magazine

Pregnancy and infancy news, tips, and reviews

“Great
  • Pregnancy
  • Labor & Delivery
  • Baby
  • Breastfeeding
  • Buyer’s Guide
  • mom

How am I supposed to feel while pregnant?

by Alice Domar Leave a Comment

Many of my pregnant patients ask me the same question the first time they come to see me: How is one supposed to feel while pregnant? Each time I have to force myself not to laugh, not because it is a funny question but because there is no logical answer. The fact is, the way you feel today has absolutely no predictive value as to how you might feel tomorrow. And if you want to get really specific, the way you felt this morning may or may not be similar to how you might feel later in the afternoon. Although the one definitive thing I can tell you is that the term morning sickness must have been coined by a man, because I can’t think of anyone who has reported that their nausea and/or vomiting is only experienced in the morning. Maybe it is worse first thing, but symptoms don’t tend to go away as soon as the clock strikes noon.

This might be one of the most challenging things about pregnancy. There are no rules about physical and psychological symptoms. Some women feel marvelous physically, never a moment of nausea or heartburn, but are wracked by mood swings. Others feel less depressed or anxious than they have in years, but can’t sleep due to leg cramps. If your mother had nausea during her pregnancies, it might mean you will as well. Or you won’t.

My advice is to stop looking for what others have experienced during their pregnancies, and instead focus on how you are feeling. If you have any symptoms which bother you, whether they are physical or emotional, tackle each one.

Nausea/vomiting

Track what might make you feel worse (the smell of coffee, cooking meat, seafood) and do whatever you can to avoid those triggers. I remember once leaving a restaurant with a napkin plastered over my nose after a nearby diner ordered a seafood medley. Maybe more importantly, imagine what actually appeals to you. Examples include tart, citrusy, salty, or minty flavors. Seek out things which appeal at the moment. I have one patient who survived on orange soda and potato chips because those are the two things which sounded attractive. My older daughter is made up of Dunkin Donut chocolate chip muffins; it was the only thing which appealed to me for months. And she is 5”8’. And a soccer goalie.

Insomnia

This is a surprising one since most pregnant women experience constant fatigue, especially early and later in their pregnancy. However, my colleague Jodi Mindell recently completed a study and found that most pregnant women experience disturbed sleep throughout their nine months. If you fall into this category, try to figure out why your sleep isn’t good. Do you have to get up to pee all night? Maybe try to drink more during the day and less later in the evening. Do you lie awake and worry? Then try to learn some relaxation techniques to use to help get back to sleep. Do you have back or leg pain? Experiment with different positions, creative use of supportive pillows, and mandate nightly back massages from your partner.

Mood swings

Many of my patients find their volatile emotions a bit hard to handle, and their partners are bewildered much of the time. Tearfulness, irritability, overwhelming love and affection, distaste, or clinginess can all be experienced within minutes of each other. It could be a sign of hormones and there isn’t much you can do about that, or it could be a sign that you are tired or upset with something. Check in with yourself to see if you can determine what is bothering you. Small things can sometimes set you off balance more than the big ones, the so-called daily hassles of life. Make a list when you are in a good place of things which you know you can do to help yourself feel better; take a walk, watch birds at a bird feeder, watch your favorite chick flick, eat a really good piece of chocolate, etc.

The key here is that pregnancy can make you feel so out of control of so many things that you might forget that you have more control over some things than you realize. Identify what is bugging you, focus on finding a solution, and take action.

— Alice D. Domar Ph.D is the author of the new book, “Finding Calm for the Expectant Mom” (Tarcher, August 30, 2016).

Filed Under: Pregnancy

Reader Interactions

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Primary Sidebar

  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • LinkedIn
  • Pinterest
  • Twitter
  • YouTube
Peaceful Discipline by Sarah Moore

More to See

parent coaching

Parent Coaching: 3 Ways to Create a More Joyful Home

By Sarah Moore

The perfect workout for pregnant women (sponsored)

By Isa Herrera, MSPT CSCS

how to be a good mother

How to Be a Good Mother: 5 Ways To Raise Children with Love & Respect

By Sarah Moore

Aligned Parents webinar

By Paul Banas

Footer

Copyright 2023 Pregnancy Magazine Group

Emails powered by Wishpond: PregnancyWishpond

Dedicated WordPress hosting: PregnancyFlywheel

WordPress Theme: PregnancyTheme

This website provides information of a general nature and is designed for educational purposes only. It is not a substitute for an examination by your healthcare provider. If you have any concerns about your own health or the health of your child, you should always consult with a physician or other healthcare professional. Please review the Terms of Use before using this site. Your use of the site indicates your agreement to be bound by the Terms of Use.

 

Recent

  • A Beginner’s Guide to Gentle Parenting: 5 Ways to Lead with Love
  • How to Be a Good Mother: 5 Ways To Raise Children with Love & Respect
  • Best Parenting Books: 28 Books That Will Change Your Life for the Better
  • Aligned Parents webinar
  • How to make sure your home is ready for the new addition to your family

Search

© Copyright 2023 Pregnancy Magazine Group · All Rights Reserved

This website uses cookies to improve your experience. We'll assume you're ok with this, but you can opt-out if you wish. Cookie settingsACCEPT
Privacy & Cookies Policy

Privacy Overview

This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these cookies, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are as essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may have an effect on your browsing experience.
Necessary
Always Enabled
Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. This category only includes cookies that ensures basic functionalities and security features of the website. These cookies do not store any personal information.
SAVE & ACCEPT