It is common to worry about the stages of child development and the bodily changes of the woman, but concern with the psychological stages of pregnancy is something that also requires attention, especially in the current period when pregnant women are experiencing additional stress due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Ministry of Health and the Albert Einstein Israeli Hospital have developed material showing the importance of psychological care during pregnancy, stating that if the emotional health of the pregnant woman is compromised, it can increase the risks of childbirth to severe levels.

Therefore, in this article, we will address the 7 psychological stages of pregnancy and how they can occur in a woman’s life.

It is important to know that these stages are generic and may occur differently for each person. We will address the main points of each stage/trimester of pregnancy. Additionally, we will show how hypnosis can help. Continue reading to learn more!

1. Accepting the pregnancy

The first psychological stage of pregnancy is acceptance. Whether planned or not, all psychological stages depend on acceptance to occur positively.

It is from this point that the woman begins to be aware that she will go through a long process, from the generation of the fetus in the womb to the formation of the child as an independent individual. This can cause stress if the woman is not prepared to handle this responsibility.

During this period, according to Tommy’s Pregnancy, it is common for the pregnant woman to have some reflections such as:

• How will I handle my pregnancy?;
• Will my baby be born healthy?;
• Will I be a good mother?;
• Will this change my relationship with my partner?;
• How will we support the child?;
• Will I ever be able to return to work or study?;
• Will I have any problems during pregnancy?;
• If I eat/drink something, will I harm my baby?

Furthermore, depending on the case, it may be a challenging phase to adapt your work routine for the coming months, potentially facing prejudices in these environments due to your pregnancy. All of this contributes to more intense emotional changes, potentially causing feelings of distress in oneself and those closest to you.

2. Accepting the reality of the fetus

The second stage is to fully understand the existence of the fetus. It is in this stage that the pregnant woman can feel it in her belly and hear its heartbeat. At this moment, she already understands that she is carrying a life, reducing the risk of the pregnant woman opting for an abortion.

It also tends to reduce some discomforts like nausea and vomiting, and the pregnant woman becomes more sensitive, imagining what her child will be like, a moment when she may start developing the habit of talking to the fetus. According to Pregnancy Birth&Baby, the baby can even recognize the mother’s sounds and the music she plays, creating bonds with the child before birth.

3. Re-evaluating and restructuring the relationship with parents

The third psychological stage of pregnancy is about evaluating and structuring the relationship the pregnant woman had or has with her parents. If this relationship was strained due to lack of presence or even a certain level of abandonment, the pregnant woman may fear repeating the same mistakes her parents made with her child.

In this stage, it is important for the pregnant woman to start the process of accepting her parents’ faults and successes and know how to move on with her life without carrying these frustrations and memories into the new phase of her life, especially to avoid triggering negative thoughts that could harm her relationship with her child.

It may also be important to have reconciliation, so that the grandparents can have the opportunity to take on a new role and act appropriately, providing support and building bonds with their grandchildren.

4. Re-evaluating and restructuring the relationship with the spouse/partner

The fourth stage is about the pregnant woman’s relationship with her partner. Due to pregnancy, the couple’s emotional relationships may be affected. The mother needs to stay more secluded from outings and environments, needing to spend more time lying down and experiencing mood swings that can cause dissatisfaction and a sense of abandonment in the spouse. Some concerns that Tommy’s Pregnancy shows in this case are:

• The couple begins to experience anxiety about the experience of becoming parents;
• Concern that sexual intercourse might harm the child in some way;
• Sex does not provide pleasure for the woman;
• The woman’s appearance is not sexually attractive to the partner, among others.

However, even if both face difficulties in this stage, there are indications that their relationship will strengthen with the birth of the child, as the child itself encourages the couple’s unity.

5. Accepting the baby as a separate person

The fifth stage is accepting the baby as an individual, without attributing to them the desires and expectations of the pregnant woman and the partner in their characteristics. Although it is a pleasurable stage for the couple, imagining what the child will be like, there is a chance of a break in expectations if the child does not meet what was imagined.

Therefore, this is the time to accept the child as they are, especially if they are born with a syndrome. In other words, it is a stage where dreams confront reality and depend on the couple’s acceptance and adaptation to the child’s personality, sleep patterns, and morphology.

This stage also includes accepting childbirth and the risks it may entail. The woman may face fears and insecurities regarding the pain, while the partner may face the fear of losing his wife and child during childbirth.

6. Re-evaluating and restructuring your own identity

The sixth psychological stage of pregnancy is when the pregnant woman evaluates her own identity and restructures it when necessary. There are basically three types of thoughts pregnant women have in this stage:

1. What losses and gains she had with this motherhood;
2. Acceptance of the new changes of this period;
3. Reconstruction of personal goals.

Due to pregnancy, the woman will have to sacrifice some moments of her life, from sleepless nights due to crying and other needs of the child to a career or study area change. This happens because these goals may no longer be compatible with her new role as a mother and caregiver.

If the woman still chooses to continue in the job market or an academic area, she will need to rebuild her goals so that the child is not harmed, thus seeking new areas of interest that may be more flexible. This may even generate feelings of anxiety and distress still during pregnancy, if the pregnant woman is very involved with her personal and professional goals.

7. Re-evaluating and restructuring the relationship with children

The seventh and final psychological stage of pregnancy is about a point we have intentionally left out until now in this article, which complements those that have been addressed, the relationship with children. If the mother already has a child and is about to have another, practically all the stages return and may have a greater degree of difficulty. From the first to the sixth stage, she will need to address concerns:

• about her ability to have a second child;
• her financial conditions;
• dealing with expectations of what the child will be like;
• reconciling relationships between the new child, the older child, and the spouse;
• re-evaluating her identity and goals that need to be readjusted.

This shows that even if the woman has already gone through a pregnancy process, it does not exempt her from experiencing emotional turbulence again in this process. According to the National Library of Medicine, pregnancy is a psychological event that can trigger various levels of fear, anxiety, exhaustion, lack of sleep, among others.

Here is a summary of the 7 stages for you to remember:

1. Accepting the pregnancy;
2. Accepting the reality of the fetus;
3. Re-evaluating and restructuring the relationship with parents;
4. Re-evaluating and restructuring the relationship with the spouse/partner;
5. Accepting the baby as a separate person;
6. Re-evaluating and restructuring your own identity;
7. Re-evaluating and restructuring the relationship with children.

How can hypnosis help with the psychological stages of pregnancy?

The woman going through these stages appropriately, in addition to being able to harmoniously reconcile with the child’s upbringing, is better prepared psychologically for the challenges of being a mother. But to make it easier for her in all these stages, there are resources within clinical hypnosis that can help.

According to the American Psychological Association (APA), with small considerations from the Brazilian Society of Hypnosis (SBH), hypnosis can be defined as a state of consciousness [intentionally induced] involving focused attention and reduced peripheral awareness, characterized by an increased capacity for response to suggestion. In this state, the subject is led to experience changes in sensations, perceptions, thoughts, or behavior [goal-oriented].

With this, in each stage the pregnant woman goes through, she can accept suggestions from a therapist more easily, and they can identify the pregnant woman’s fears, as well as family traumas or negative thoughts that hinder the acceptance of pregnancy. It can also help resolve conflicts with family members and the partner, as well as help the pregnant woman rediscover herself, dealing positively with new changes.

It is also possible that with hypnosis, the pregnant woman learns breathing techniques to have relaxation and tranquility at the time of childbirth, potentially reducing labor pains, provided that a prepared health professional knows how to use the techniques appropriately at this moment.

Therefore, even though all these psychological stages of pregnancy are a challenge for the pregnant woman and those around her, they can be experienced more easily through emotional health, and in this case, clinical hypnosis can contribute greatly. This way, the mother, family members, and the spouse can go through these psychological stages of pregnancy more pleasantly.

Are you interested in learning more about how clinical hypnosis can help pregnant women with the psychological stages of pregnancy? Then you need to download our free e-book HypnoPregnancy & ChildBirth.

Originally posted 2021-02-11 20:04:13.