Dealing with Anxiety During Pregnancy Naturally

Before becoming pregnant I had many more options to treat anxiety naturally. I drank Kava Kava tea, practiced yoga at least 4 times a week, and may have taken advantage of Colorful Colorado’s recreational herbs. When I got pregnant I kissed all those things goodbye. I practiced yoga for as long as I could, but suffered from SPD (symphysis pubis disfunction) which made yoga terribly painful.

So the search began.I found ways to relieve my anxiety that were not only safe for my little bun in the oven, but were also natural.

Some posts in my blog contain information that helped me through out my pregnancy such as homeopathic remedies, herbs, supplements and other health choices. I am not a doctor and in no way fit to prescribe or tell anyone what they should and should not take. Always consult your doctor, nutritionist, or any other health professional you trust before doing or taking anything discussed on this website. Every woman is different and especially while pregnant so what works for one may not work for the other. This is serious you are growing a human inside you. I am here reporting what has helped me along the way.

This post may contain affiliate links for products I use and love. I will never include anything I haven’t tried, tested, and loved. If you take action (i.e. subscribe, make a purchase) after clicking one of these links, I’ll earn some extra cash to help support my lil family & keep the site running so I can create more helpful content like this.

SYNERGY

I can’t tell you if one remedy works better than the other because I used them in combination. Thats what I loved about it. Synergy is when the interaction of multiple elements in a system creates an effect that is greater than the sum of the elements’ individual effects. That’s how I kicked my anxiety to the curb.

Pick and choose what works best for you. One week might be completely different than the next. Listen to your body and decide what it’s calling out for.

ACUPUNCTURE

At the beginning of my pregnancy acupuncture was my goto. If you haven’t tried it before I urge you to now. Acupuncture is a form of traditional Chinese medicine. We have energy meridians through out our bodies, sending Qi to every organ. Sometimes these energy lines get stuck and our Qi isn’t flowing like it should. When one part of our body is out of wack it can cause discomfort and disease in other areas, like a chain reaction.

An acupuncturist will ask you questions about your life, your energy levels, how you feel, what your poop looks like, ya know all the fun stuff. She then checks your pulse. Different pulse points on the inside of your wrist coincide with different organ systems in the body. After she/he does this they can tell which acupuncture points to stimulate to get that Qi (energy) moving.

Many are afraid of acupuncture because of the needles. I am someone who hates needles, and let me tell you they aren’t scary at all. They are as thin as a piece of hair and barely enter the skin. Some spots can be more sensitive than others, but after a couple minutes you can’t even feel where they are at.

The feeling once all the needles are in place is so blissful. It’s like a sudden ZING! I don’t know how else to describe it. Like a switch just turned on in your body and every thing is moving again. The acupuncturist will leave you alone for awhile to “bake” (thats what mine always says) and returns to remove the needles. Which also does not hurt. While I’m “baking” I usually fall into a meditative sleep almost, and its wonderful.

You can usually find community acupuncture for pretty cheap. It’s around $25 a session, and you are in a room with other people also receiving acupuncture. No one is bothered by anyone else though. It looks as if everyone is napping. I chose to go once a week, but do whatever feels right for you.

My anxiety got better every week along with my sleep. Acupuncture can also help with pregnancy troubles such as constipation, diarrhea, low energy levels, and swelling.

Unfortunately my favorite acupuncturist moved out of town during my pregnancy so I quit my acupuncture sessions mid pregnancy. I was really attached to her because she knew everything that was going on with me, so I chose not to meet with a new acupuncturist and to save that money instead for maternity leave.

BACH FLOWER REMEDIES

This is my favorite. I love mixing and making concoctions. When I was younger I was obsessed with witchy things. I would goto sleep at night praying I would wake up with magical powers the next day like Sabrina the Teenage Witch. Combining Bach Flower Remedies is similar to making a magical potion right? Only for my health. Combine some positive affirmations and I got a spell. What’s up Piper, Phoebe, and Prue I’m your long lost sister. ( Charmed reference) Okay I’m done being a nerd for now.Moving on with what these bad ass flowers can do for you witchy woman.

What are Bach Flower Remedies?

Dr. Edward Bach discovered that flowers had a natural healing power towards our emotions. He believed disease was the end product and physical manifestation of negative emotions such as unhappiness, fear and worry, hatred and indecision. The flower remedies cast out these emotions and allow balance between mind and body to return. Here is a link to Bach Flower Remedies FAQ. It can answer all your questions.

I did some research and compiled a list for you of the best flower essences to use during pregnancy. Pick which ones work best for you and then make your own little magical potion.

You need a 30 ml (1 oz.) glass bottle with a dropper. You can purchase these at any health food store or in the link below. Your choice of flower remedies (Up to seven can be added in one jar). And purified or distilled water to top it off.

In the glass bottle add two drops each of your chosen flower remedies. Then top off the remainder of the bottle with the purified or distilled water.

They say to add four drops of your mixture to your glass of drinking water four times a day. Well, I’m out and about a lot during the day, and can’t always remember to add my drops in. So what I do is add 8 drops of my mixture to my water bottle in the morning, and when I refill it later that day I add 8 more drops.

SUPPLY LIST:

My personal mixture I used while pregnant is as follows:

Walnut
Crab Apple
Mimulus
Impatiens

HOMEOPATHY

Homeopathy was something I didn’t really believe worked up until my pregnancy. I had never tried it before so I thought why not. I am now a true believer. It sounds hoaxy though right? (is that a word, hoaxy?) A remedy that can cure you by taking repetitively diluted substances? We are talking parts like 1 in a millionth. If you want more information about homeopathy and how the remedies are made and why it works follow this link.

I used Kali Phosphoricum during my pregnancy. Which offers relief for symptoms of stress and nervous tension, sleeplessness, and tension headaches. It is said to calm the nerves. I use phosphorus postpartum.

For a complete list of homeopathic remedies to help with anxiety check out this website!

AFFIRMATIONS

I’m a firm believer in positive affirmations. There is seriously a motivational quote or some kind of positive text in every room of our house. My partner got a little carried away with those vinyl decals you can stick to your walls. Plus I write little sayings on the white board, have letterboxes hanging on the walls that I change out frequently, and use my eyeliner to remind myself I am Beautiful on the bathroom mirror.

When ever I felt anxiety coming on I reminded myself that worry is a negative way to use my imagination. I need to live in the present and stop fixating on the future, which I have no control over. Most of the time the things we worry over never even happen, and everything always works out.

Here are a few of my favorite affirmations & quotes for anxiety, worry, and fear.

Stop being afraid of what could go wrong. Focus on what could go right.
I’ve survived all the difficult moments of my past.
I am safe and secure.
This to shall pass.
Don’t believe everything you think.
Interrupt anxiety with gratitude.
I am in the process of positive changes.
Today I will trust that the Universe has my back.
I choose calm over anxiety.
Worrying is like praying for what you don’t want.
Slow down. Calm down, Don’t worry. Don’t hurry. Trust the process.

MEDITATION

Alright this is something I for some reason always find the most difficult to do. But it’s so simple. I make the excuse that I don’t have time, even though it only requires ten minutes of my time. I’ve heard that the things we put off most are the things that will help us the most. Because they force us to grow.

So I did it. I put my little meditation pillow in the middle of our suppose to be dining room so that every time I walk form the living room to the kitchen, I pass my cushion and it reminds me to meditate. (I got this one and I absolutely love it:My Zen Home Dhyana Meditation Cushion, Blue/Black) Set the timer on my watch for ten minutes and get Zen.

If you do not know how to meditate I think the easiest way is to first, sit down somewhere in a position that is going to be comfortable for you to hold for ten minutes. You do not want to be fidgeting and rearranging. Just breathe normally. On the inhale I usually either say inhale to myself in my head or count the number one, and then on the exhale I say exhale in my head or the number two. I do this over and over while imagining my breath entering my nostrils continuing down to my lungs and then coming back up and out. Thats it. If your mind wanders off somewhere just go back to the one/ two or inhale/ exhale.

YOGA

Yoga is not only a great way to relieve stress, and calm our minds, but its also great exercise for pregnancy. You can find all kinds of prenatal yoga tutorials on YouTube. My favorite source is Gaia Tv. You can download the app on your smart tv, fire stick, rook, whatever you have and play the yoga videos directly on your tv. Or if you want to get out and about a lot of yoga studios offer prenatal yoga.

TEA

There are many herbs that should not be consumed during pregnancy. So I had to be very cautious in what teas I drank. My goto teas were lavender chamomile, and Sleepy Time Tea by Celestial Seasonings. I googled quite a bit and read many forums. Obviously consult with your doctor or midwife first, but from what I read these seemed safe. They contained herbs that helped calm and relax the mind and body.

Some teas are safe during breastfeeding but not during pregnancy due to properties that can cause the uterus to contract. One of them being Holy Basil or Tulsi tea which is my goto during breastfeeding for anxiety.

Please consult with your doctor or midwife before attempting any of these to reduce your anxiety. What works for one might not work for others. They could also have a better solution that works for you.

Anyone else experience anxiety during pregnancy? What did you do to push through it?