The 6 most important advantages of going to a psychologist during pregnancy

A summary of the main advantages of attending a psychologist during pregnancy.

Pregnancy is not only a process in which there is a clear physical transformation. It is also a phenomenon that has significant psychological repercussions on the woman and, by extension, also on her partner (if there is one).

This occurs especially in the case of new mothers, but to a greater or lesser extent, it also occurs in virtually any pregnancy, regardless of those that have occurred before. It is not only the hormonal changes that occur in the pregnant woman's body, but also the changes in her context, in her roles and in the expectations that she must know how to manage, among other things.

In short, there are many psychological and social elements that come into play when expecting a baby. And it is precisely for this reason that many psychologists offer specialized services for those who must adapt to pregnancy and all that it entails. Therefore, here we will see a summary of the benefits of going to a psychologist during pregnancy..

What is perinatal psychology?

The perinatal psychology is the branch of the psychology that is in charge of investigating and intervening on all the emotional, behavioral and cognitive processes linked to pregnancy and motherhood during the first months of childbearing.

It is a field of work that helps people who do not necessarily have to be developing a psychopathology, but who in any case experience special needs linked to their way of adapting to the new situation of pregnancy.

Thus, psychologists who offer services in perinatal psychology provide support for both pregnant women or women who have recently gone into labor and, in many cases, their partners.. In addition, it is also common to provide support to women who have suffered an unwanted miscarriage or who have fertility problems and the obstacles in trying to become a mother affect their quality of life.

The benefits of going to a psychologist during pregnancy

This is a summary of the main advantages of going to a psychologist while going through pregnancy.

1. Counseling is offered

In psychology services for pregnant women it is possible to find behavioral guidelines to adapt psychologically to both pregnancy and motherhood once the baby is born. This helps to know how to manage all the challenges that this new way of life involves without your own mental health suffering.

For example, information is provided on how to manage schedules, how to share responsibilities within the context of the couple without fueling conflicts, how to combine moments of rest with those of work, etc.

2. Promotes self-care programs

In the previous point we have seen that in the sessions with the psychologist it is possible to obtain information on a wide variety of aspects associated with pregnancy..

However, it is also possible to go beyond the simple reception of information and get involved in psychological training programs to be able to move from words to deeds, especially in something as important as self-care.

In this way, psychologists work by generating activities and contexts that facilitate the maintenance of physically and psychologically healthy habits in daily life. on a daily basis. This involves doing self-motivation exercises to follow schedules, Mindfulness to keep anxiety at bay, setting triggers for action to avoid postponing our responsibilities related to diet or good rest, etc.

4. Helps to manage fears

Pregnancy is associated with a whole a series of expectations and forecasts about what may happen during pregnancy..

In these cases, it is relatively easy to fall into obsessive thoughts about everything that can go wrong, something that is not uncommon considering that having a baby is an experience capable of changing our lives: in the absence of information, it is common to worry about the extent to which problems may appear during pregnancy, childbirth, adaptation to the role of mother, etc.

For this reason, in the sessions with the psychologist the tools are offered to manage this anxiety by adopting a constructive mentality..

5. Boosting self-awareness

During pregnancy, it is easy for expectant mothers to get in touch with parts of themselves that were previously unknown to them.

For this reason, perinatal psychology perinatal psychology offers help in exploiting the self-knowledge potential of this kind of experience.. For example, they teach how to keep a diary of emotions, how to detect problematic forms of emotional management (binge eating, hair pulling, etc.), how to understand the scale of values and priorities that one follows, and more.

6. Help is offered for possible psychological disturbances

In some cases, pregnancy can act as a trigger (but not the sole cause) of psychological disturbances that need to be treated in therapy. In view of this, it is important to detect these problems as soon as possible and to it is important to detect these problems as soon as possible and to solve them with professional support..

Are you looking for psychological assistance in the process of pregnancy and motherhood?

Si te interesa disponer de apoyo profesional en el ámbito de la psicología perinatal, ponte en contacto con nuestro equipo de profesionales. En Vibra Bienestar ofrecemos asistencia psicológica tanto presencial en nuestro centro de Madrid como a través de la terapia online.

Referencias bibliográficas:

• Dirix, C.E.H.; Nijhuis, J.G.; Hornstra, G. (2009). Aspects of Fetal Learning and Memory. En: Child Development, 80(4): pp. 1251 - 1258.
• Hepper, P.G. (1994) The beginnings of the mind: evidence from the behaviour of the fetus. Journal of Reproductive and Infant Psychology, 12: pp. 143 - 154.
• Masoni, S.; Maio, A.; Trimarchi, G.; De Punzio, C.; Fioretti, P. (1994). The couvade syndrome. Journal of Psychosomatic Obstetrics & Gynecology, 15(3): pp. 125 - 131.
• Miller, L.J. (2002). Postpartum depression. JAMA, 287(6): pp. 762 - 765.
• Stewart, D.E.; Vigod, S.N. (2019). Postpartum Depression: Pathophysiology, Treatment, and Emerging Therapeutics. Annual Review of Medicine, 70(1): pp. 183 - 196.