Antenatal & Postnatal Psychology Network
  • HOME
  • COUNSELLING For...
    • Conception & fertility
    • Pregnancy decision-making
    • Pregnancy
    • Childbirth
    • Postnatal period
    • Parenting & child
    • Difficult diagnoses
    • Miscarriage & loss
    • Gender disappointment
    • Couple relationship
    • Family relationships
    • Work-related stress
    • Babies and children
  • PSYCHOLOGISTS
    • Dr Renée Miller Principal
    • Dr Megan Andrew
    • Dr Brooke Andrews
    • Vickey Annakis
    • Dr Carolina Barbosa
    • Dr Karola Belton
    • Dr Kate Caldwell
    • Dr Nicole Canin
    • Dr Delwyn Carpenter
    • Anna Costello
    • Emily D'Amour
    • Hettie Dubow
    • Dr Emily Horwill
    • Dr Michelle Kornblum
    • Melissa Lagozzino
    • Beverley Marcus
    • Dr Rebecca McNamara
    • Megan Mellington
    • Dr Melanie Quinn
    • Dr Gwyn Rees
    • Yolanda Romeo
    • Jessica Saville
    • Kanthi Sayers
    • Dr Tania Slaviero
    • Gillian Snow
    • Dr Alicia Tanner
    • Bianca Whiteman
  • REFERRAL
    • For clients >
      • Appointments
    • For referrers >
      • Download practitioner list
      • Perinatal psychiatry
      • Screening patients
      • Referral to Littlies Clinic
  • LOCATIONS
    • Melbourne >
      • Albert Park
      • Ascot Vale
      • Balwyn
      • Boronia
      • Brunswick
      • Carlton North
      • Caulfield South
      • Chelsea Heights
      • Eltham
      • Hampton
      • Kew
      • Malvern
      • Niddrie/Essendon
      • Northcote
      • Plenty
      • Seddon
      • Tecoma (Dandenong Ranges)
      • Thornbury
      • Werribee
      • Williamstown
    • Mornington Peninsula >
      • Mornington
    • Regional Victoria >
      • Warrnambool
    • Telehealth
  • Littlies Clinic
  • RESOURCES
    • Resources
    • Videos
    • Information posts
    • Community support
    • TED Talks we love
  • RESEARCH
    • For researchers
    • Research studies

Anxiety in pregnancy

2/2/2025

 
Picture
Pregnancy is a time of great uncertainty - a time when horror stories are rife and fears about harm befalling one’s baby are common.

Anxiety can be particularly significant for women who have experienced pregnancy losses (or vicarious losses through family or friends); been through the ‘roller coaster’ of fertility treatment; received diagnoses of fetal anomalies; or who have experienced a previous traumatic birth. In addition, an anxious temperament can predispose women to heightened anxiety in pregnancy, especially in the face of stressful life events.

For some women, pregnancy can be a time of feeling an enormous sense of responsibility for the life of their baby. They can become anxious about what they eat, what they do, and can doubt their ability to keep their baby safe and thriving. Women often report feeling better when the baby is born and the responsibility for their baby's safety is shared.
 
Although anxiety tends to be seen as the 'normal' emotional landscape for pregnant women, elevated levels of anxiety can be debilitating, and can contribute to emotional disturbance in the postnatal period.  Symptoms of antenatal anxiety might be overlooked by common symptoms of pregnancy such as increases in heart rate, shallow breathing, nausea and sleep disturbance (Wenzel, 2011). 

Emotional symptoms
  • Worry or fear, that is persistent and uncontrollable (often about the baby's health, own health, birth, becoming a parent).
  • Feeling restless, unable to relax or on edge.
  • Irritability or changes in mood.
  • A sense of fear that something bad will happen. Dread.
  • Racing thoughts. 
  • Difficulty concentrating.

Physical Symptoms
  • Faster than usual heart rate. 
  • Rapid breathing.
  • Shortness of breath.
  • Lightheadedness of dizziness.
  • Feeling tense.
  • Irritable bowel or nausea (that are anxiety-related rather than pregnancy-related, which can be hard to disentagle).
  • Difficulties sleeping. Fatigue.

Behavioral Symptoms
  • Avoiding things out of fear.
  • Seeking excessive reassurance from others.
  • Compulsive checking (e.g., excessive monitoring of fetal movements).

Cognitive Symptoms
  • Distressing thoughts that may be intrusive or repetitive.
  • Even when reassured, worry returns quickly.

In order to identify whether symptoms are problematic, the questions for women to ask themselves and/or their health practitioners are 1.  "Are my symptoms interfering with my life (e.g., avoidance of usual activities for fear of feeling anxious, relationship problems, sleep disturbance, constant reassurance seeking)?" and 2. "Are my symptoms causing me distress (e.g. upsetting or intrusive thoughts and/or distressing symptoms in the body)?" (Wenzel, 2011).

Women do not need to experience high levels of anxiety and worry in pregnancy or the postnatal period.  Cognitive-Behavioural Therapy (CBT) can help women to learn how to manage both the physiological (body) symptoms, and the mental worry, which can contribute to a calmer pregnancy, birth, and adjustment to new parenthood. 
 
Perinatal Clinical Psychologist, Dr Renée Miller shares a practical video to help with managing worry:
Managing Your Mind: Taming Worry

References

Wenzel, A. (2011).  Anxiety in childbearing women. Washington: American Psychological Association.
Wenzel, A. & Kleiman, K. (2015).  Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for perinatal distress.  New York: Taylor & Francis.
Picture

Anxiety in pregnancy

20/11/2019

 
Picture
Pregnancy is a time of great uncertainty - a time when horror stories are rife and fears about harm befalling one’s baby, common. Anxiety can be particularly significant for women who have experienced pregnancy losses (or vicarious losses through family or friends); been through the ‘roller coaster’ of fertility treatment; received diagnoses of fetal anomalies; or who have experienced a previous traumatic birth. In addition, an anxious temperament can pre-dispose women to heightened anxiety in pregnancy, especially in the face of stressful life events.

Although anxiety tends to be seen as the 'normal' emotional landscape for pregnant women, elevated levels of anxiety can be debilitating, and can contribute to emotional disturbance in the postnatal period.  Symptoms of antenatal anxiety might be overlooked by common symptoms of pregnancy such as increases in heart rate, shallow breathing, and sleep disturbance (Wenzel, 2011).  

In order to identify whether symptoms are problematic, the questions for women to ask themselves and/or their health practitioners are 1.  "Are my symptoms interfering with my life (e.g., avoidance of usual activities for fear of feeling anxious, relationship problems, sleep disturbance, constant reassurance seeking)?" and 2. "Are my symptoms causing me distress (e.g. upsetting or intrusive thoughts and/or distressing symptoms in the body)?"  (Wenzel, 2011)

Women do not need to experience high levels of anxiety and worry in pregnancy or the postpartum.  Cognitive-Behavioural Therapy (CBT) can help women to learn how to manage both the physiological (body) symptoms, and the mental worry, which can contribute to a calmer pregnancy, birth, and adjustment to new parenthood.  

Written by Dr Renée Miller
Principal Perinatal Clinical Psychologist
Founder Antenatal & Postnatal Psychology Network
Co-founder The Perinatal Loss Centre

References

Wenzel, A. (2011).  Anxiety in childbearing women. Washington: American Psychological Association.
Wenzel, A. & Kleiman, K. (2015).  Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for perinatal distress.  New York: Taylor & Francis.

Picture

Pregnancy stress

23/2/2018

 
Picture
Take stock of the pace in which you are operating. Does it seem like there are endless tasks on your 'to do' list?  You don't have time to sit down? You are constantly rushing? Do you feel stressed by the deadline of your baby’s due date? 

We can fall into the trap of just keeping on going – trying to get everything done before bubs comes along. Stop...slow down. Add "time-out" to your 'to do' list.  No one can just keep going. Allow your 'to do' list to roll over each day. Slow down the pace in which you are moving. Listen to what your body needs, take breaks, and spend time tuning in to your baby.

It's important to restore our systems.  Ironically, this allows us to get more done. Look realistically at what could be done after the baby is born. Does it all have to be done now? If you are feeling out of control, your sleep is disturbed from stress, or you feel that your stress levels are just too high, seek help.
​
Picture

"What if" thoughts at the heart of anxiety

15/2/2017

 

Conception, pregnancy and new parenthood go hand in hand with uncertainty. Uncertainty can breed an environment of fear and worry, especially if a woman is biologically or psychologically vulnerable. Women struggling to conceive face the ultimate "what if" - "what if I can't fall pregnant?" Pregnant and postnatal women can find themselves stricken with endless "what if" thoughts about the safety or well-being of their babies. "What if" thoughts tend to be catastrophic imagined future outcomes. These thoughts are at the heart of what is often distressing and debilitating anxiety.


"What if I can't have children?"
"What if I fall pregnant, but something goes wrong?"
"What if I've eaten something that will harm my baby?"
"What if the fumes from that building site are toxic to my baby?"
"What if I have a stillbirth?"
"What if my baby gets sick because of something I did wrong?"
"What if my baby is getting into bad sleep habits?"
"What if my baby has a developmental delay?"
"What if I am a bad mother?"

According to a Harvard Health Publication, women experiencing infertility felt as anxious as patients diagnosed with cancer. Anxiety is reported to be higher in pregnancy than in the postpartum (Andersson, et al., 2006), with anxiety symptoms found in more than 25% of pregnant women (Ross & McLean, 2006). Significant anxiety during pregnancy puts women at risk for poor postnatal adjustment (Wenzel, 2011). And, anxiety in the postpartum can adversely affect the couple relationship, and the mother-infant relationship.
With or without full blown panic attacks, anxious women commonly report the following symptoms:
  • Impending doom
  • Dread
  • Sick to the stomach
  • Agitated
  • Knot in the chest
  • Heart flutters/palpitations
  • Wired/trouble sleeping
  • Fearful
  • Nervous
  • Shallow breathing
  • Jittery
According to Wenzel (2011), a woman may be experiencing Generalised Anxiety Disorder (GAD) if she worries more than 50% of the time, especially if she cannot be reassured, she cannot control her worry, and when the worry interferes with her daily life. 
GAD and other anxiety disorders (Adjustment Disorder with Anxious Mood, Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder, Panic Disorder, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, Social Anxiety Disorder) can be diagnosed and treated by psychologists or psychiatrists who specialise in pregnancy and the postpartum. With the use of medication and/or talking therapies (e.g., Cognitive-Behavioural Therapy), women can learn to manage "what if" thinking, and the associated physiological arousal, cultivating an optimal emotional environment for falling pregnant and enjoying their pregnancies and babies.
Written by Dr Renée Miller (perinatal clinical psychologist)

References
Andersson, L., Sundstrom-Poromaa, I., Wulff, M., & Astrom, M. (2006). Depression and anxiety during pregnancy and six months postpartum: A follow-up study. Acta Obstetricia et Gynaecological Scandinavia, 8, 937-944.
Ross, L.E., & McLean, L.M. (2006). Anxiety disorders during pregnancy and the postpartum period: A systematic review. The Journal of Clinical Psychiatry, 67, 1285-1298.
Wenzel, A. (2011). Anxiety in childbearing women. Washington: American Psychological Association.

http://www.health.harvard.edu/newsletter_article/The-psychological-impact-of-infertility-and-its-treatment
Picture

Anxiety in pregnancy

21/1/2017

 
Pregnancy is a time of great uncertainty - a time when horror stories are rife and fears about harm befalling one’s baby, common. Anxiety can be particularly significant for women who have experienced pregnancy losses (or vicarious losses through family or friends); been through the ‘roller coaster’ of fertility treatment; received diagnoses of fetal anomalies; or who have experienced a previous traumatic birth. In addition, an anxious temperament can pre-dispose women to heightened anxiety in pregnancy, especially in the face of stressful life events.


Although anxiety tends to be seen as the 'normal' emotional landscape for pregnant women, elevated levels of anxiety can be debilitating, and can contribute to emotional disturbance in the postnatal period.  Symptoms of antenatal anxiety might be overlooked by common symptoms of pregnancy such as increases in heart rate, shallow breathing, and sleep disturbance (Wenzel, 2011).  

In order to identify whether symptoms are problematic, the questions for women to ask themselves and/or their health practitioners are 1.  "Are my symptoms interfering with my life (e.g., avoidance of usual activities for fear of feeling anxious, relationship problems, sleep disturbance, constant reassurance seeking)?" and 2. "Are my symptoms causing me distress (e.g. upsetting or intrusive thoughts and/or distressing symptoms in the body)?"  (Wenzel, 2011)

Women do not need to experience high levels of anxiety and worry in pregnancy or the postpartum.  Cognitive-Behavioural Therapy (CBT) can help women to learn how to manage both the physiological (body) symptoms, and the mental worry, which can contribute to a calmer pregnancy, birth, and adjustment to new parenthood.  

References

Wenzel, A. (2011).  Anxiety in childbearing women. Washington: American Psychological Association.
Wenzel, A. & Kleiman, K. (2015).  Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for perinatal distress.  New York: Taylor & Francis.
Picture

Anxiety in Pregnancy

30/3/2016

 
Picture

Pregnancy is a time of great uncertainty - a time when horror stories are rife and fears about harm befalling one’s baby, common. Anxiety can be particularly significant for women who have experienced pregnancy losses (or vicarious losses through family or friends); been through the ‘roller coaster’ of fertility treatment; received diagnoses of fetal anomalies; or who have experienced a previous traumatic birth. In addition, an anxious temperament can pre-dispose women to heightened anxiety in pregnancy, especially in the face of stressful life events.


Although anxiety tends to be seen as the 'normal' emotional landscape for pregnant women, elevated levels of anxiety can be debilitating, and can contribute to emotional disturbance in the postnatal period.  Symptoms of antenatal anxiety might be overlooked by common symptoms of pregnancy such as increases in heart rate, shallow breathing, and sleep disturbance (Wenzel, 2011).  

In order to identify whether symptoms are problematic, the questions for women to ask themselves and/or their health practitioners are 1.  "Are my symptoms interfering with my life (e.g., avoidance of usual activities for fear of feeling anxious, relationship problems, sleep disturbance, constant reassurance seeking)?" and 2. "Are my symptoms causing me distress (e.g. upsetting or intrusive thoughts and/or distressing symptoms in the body)?"  (Wenzel, 2011)

Women do not need to experience high levels of anxiety and worry in pregnancy or the postpartum.  Cognitive-Behavioural Therapy (CBT) can help women to learn how to manage both the physiological (body) symptoms, and the mental worry, which can contribute to a calmer pregnancy, birth, and adjustment to new parenthood.  

References

Wenzel, A. (2011).  Anxiety in childbearing women. Washington: American Psychological Association.
Wenzel, A. & Kleiman, K. (2015).  Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for perinatal distress.  New York: Taylor & Francis.
Picture

    Author

    Posted by Dr Renée Miller 
    ​Principal Clinical Psychologist

    Topics

    All
    About-APPN
    About Therapy
    COVID 19
    Fatherhood
    Fertility
    Gender Disappointment
    Grandparents
    LGBTIQA+
    Loss
    Motherhood
    New Clinic Locations
    Parenting
    Pregnancy
    Research
    Resources
    Sleep

    RSS Feed


Social Media Guidelines
Website Terms & Conditions 
Research Disclaimer
Picture
Picture


© Antenatal & Postnatal
Psychology Network 2024

Portrait photos by
​Rebecca bana photography


  

We acknowledge and pay respects to the Elders and Traditional Owners of the land on which our psychologists practise.
  • HOME
  • COUNSELLING For...
    • Conception & fertility
    • Pregnancy decision-making
    • Pregnancy
    • Childbirth
    • Postnatal period
    • Parenting & child
    • Difficult diagnoses
    • Miscarriage & loss
    • Gender disappointment
    • Couple relationship
    • Family relationships
    • Work-related stress
    • Babies and children
  • PSYCHOLOGISTS
    • Dr Renée Miller Principal
    • Dr Megan Andrew
    • Dr Brooke Andrews
    • Vickey Annakis
    • Dr Carolina Barbosa
    • Dr Karola Belton
    • Dr Kate Caldwell
    • Dr Nicole Canin
    • Dr Delwyn Carpenter
    • Anna Costello
    • Emily D'Amour
    • Hettie Dubow
    • Dr Emily Horwill
    • Dr Michelle Kornblum
    • Melissa Lagozzino
    • Beverley Marcus
    • Dr Rebecca McNamara
    • Megan Mellington
    • Dr Melanie Quinn
    • Dr Gwyn Rees
    • Yolanda Romeo
    • Jessica Saville
    • Kanthi Sayers
    • Dr Tania Slaviero
    • Gillian Snow
    • Dr Alicia Tanner
    • Bianca Whiteman
  • REFERRAL
    • For clients >
      • Appointments
    • For referrers >
      • Download practitioner list
      • Perinatal psychiatry
      • Screening patients
      • Referral to Littlies Clinic
  • LOCATIONS
    • Melbourne >
      • Albert Park
      • Ascot Vale
      • Balwyn
      • Boronia
      • Brunswick
      • Carlton North
      • Caulfield South
      • Chelsea Heights
      • Eltham
      • Hampton
      • Kew
      • Malvern
      • Niddrie/Essendon
      • Northcote
      • Plenty
      • Seddon
      • Tecoma (Dandenong Ranges)
      • Thornbury
      • Werribee
      • Williamstown
    • Mornington Peninsula >
      • Mornington
    • Regional Victoria >
      • Warrnambool
    • Telehealth
  • Littlies Clinic
  • RESOURCES
    • Resources
    • Videos
    • Information posts
    • Community support
    • TED Talks we love
  • RESEARCH
    • For researchers
    • Research studies