Pregnant women are feeling hopeless because of pandemic and broken expectations.

During a time when a pandemic can induce extreme anxiety, even for a person in an ordinary situation, imagine the kind of stress a pregnant woman has to live through! Pregnancy brings a wave of mixed emotions—from extreme happiness to extreme anxiety and restlessness. The emotional ups and downs during anxiety are akin to being on a roller coaster ride. A lot of these stresses and emotions are due to the hormonal changes the woman is undergoing but sometimes external factors also affect the peace of her mind. External factors such as what we are undergoing currently…a very contagious virus spreading out there, threatening to take over the world!

This pandemic can be overwhelming for moms-to-be. It brings with it high levels of stress and a lot of anxiety, fear, disappointments, and frustrations.

Requirements of isolation, social distancing, and curfew-like conditions outside on the roads make it even worse. It can lead a pregnant woman feeling lonely, helpless, and out of control. Her human interaction is limited to virtual conversations. Where she could have chatted her worries over a cup of tea with a dear friend and feel relaxed, she has to make do with virtual connect. The needs of a good massage, some yoga exercise under the supervision of an expert, a relaxing pedicure to indulge herself—are some small pleasures, unfortunately, denied to a pregnant woman during the COVID19 scare. 

The contagious nature of the virus can push anxiety attacks to another level totally. It can worry her into thinking about a lot of negative “what-ifs” regarding the safety of her unborn child. The fear of coming in contact with an infected person can lead to sleepless nights. Even going for regular check-ups or tests can be so fearful and stressful. Just preparing herself for her journey outdoors—wearing masks, gloves, carrying sanitizers can make her feel if she is stepping into a warzone and make her feel as if she has already lost the battle. 

Due to the lockdown situation there can be an inconvenience in acquiring some pregnancy and baby-related goods. Buying newborn’s clothes, furniture is very limited if not almost impossible. Having to adjust and compromise with the limited online choices in all these things can be very disappointing and annoying at times. Whereas a woman plans the grand arrival of the newborn, she has to adjust with whatever is available. All these feelings just add on more and more distress and feeling of hopelessness.

Cravings are completely another part of pregnancy. It is said that during the pregnancy period whatever the mother craves for are the baby’s demands and that can be indulged into if not harmful. But due to the lockdown, ordinary activities such as getting desserts delivered, stepping outside for some street food etc are denied and this continuous having to “let-go” or denial of her pleasures cannot just be frustrating but leave the pregnant woman feeling unloved and uncared for.  

Not to mention the lack of availability of household help and the avalanche of household chores and office work (if employed), the pregnant mom has to deal with.

But since life doesn’t stop, te can think of some alternatives for these difficult times which might be helpful-

• Talk to your loved ones on video chats to feel connected. Just visually seeing the other person can be reassuring. 
• Keep a check on your diet and exercise. A healthy diet and regular exercise can be very helpful in balancing your mental health. Toss some interesting snacks for yourself…cooking is not only cathartic but you also will be eating healthy.
• Try practicing meditation. It helps in sleeping better, coping with symptoms such as depression, anxiety, fear, helplessness, etc. It can help reduce a lot of psychological difficulties and make you feel more in control of your emotions.
• Try to maintain a daily routine. Studies have shown that maintaining a routine can limit stress. During this pandemic when everyone is at home and there are no chasing deadlines,  it is natural to fall into a routine of waking up late, missing meals, etc. But this can disturb the circadian rhythm of the body and leave you with a feeling of not having done anything and hapless. So, plan a routine and stick to it.
• Put time into hobbies and explore your creativity and take your mind off the negative news doing the rounds.
• Stay away from hearing excessive news about COVID19. Skip checking trackers on the mortality rate. The less you expose yourself to grim news the better it is.
• Prioritize your jobs…cleaning can wait; eating on time is important. Laundry can be shifted in favor of doing your stretches. Enlist the help of family members to keep this stress away.