Hormones/pregnancy!

You've gotten great info so far, so I'll just add a CONGRATULATIONS and best wishes for a happy(er) healthy pregnancy and baby!

Get early morning sun- no sunglasses. This helps regulate melatonin and seratonin in your brain. Also, go for daily walks. Exercise will help create endorphins (feel good chems), and also help regulate you overall. I would also consider eliminating food that comes in boxes and cans while you are pregnant. Processed foods are extremely hard on our bodies, and the pregnant body is a very sensitive thing. Try to eat more fresh foods- veggies and brown rice, a little chicken (etc), prep and freeze fresh fruits for smoothies made with soy or almond milk. I think these changes will help you. Some people chalk-up the serious mood swings in pregnancy to hormones alone, but diet and exercise influence how our bodies function tremendously as well.

Good luck!!

Hi R.---I think you are already on the right path in recongizing that you don't like how you are acting.

I agree whole heartedly with making sure that your diet is 'clean'. Eat whole foods with lots of fiber. Fiber helps to remove excess hormones that the body is trying to eliminate. Not enough fiber and the hormones (and cholesterol) will be reabsorbed through the intestines. So, eat mostly fresh fruits and veggies, whole grains, legumes (beans), nuts and seeds. Minimize animal protein, and when you do eat it, be sure it is organic, or at least hormone and antibiotic free. You don't need any added chemicals to interact with everything that is going on in your body right now. Besides, eating this way will make your baby very, VERY healthy. Any questions, feel free to ask.

Try to start recognizing situations that make you sad, mean and irritable. Then simply remove yourself from the situation, find a quiet spot and then practice deep breathing for about 5 minutes.

I'd also bet that as you progress through your pregnancy, your hormones will begin to stabilize somewhat. But do be aware...it seemed to me that when I was pregnant, I would start getting used to feeling a certain way and then have everything change as I progressed through the pregnancy.

Another thought is to just give yourself a bit of a break. Your body is going through some miraculous changes and the end result is nothing short of incredible. Again, try the deep breathing, having some of that wonderful lavendar to inhale, as was suggested in another post.

I wish you well. It may seem like forever, but this will be over soon. Again, if I can be of additional help, please let me know. I am taking a series of wellness classes, taught by a Naturopath who has her PhD in Nutrition. I'm sure I have some ideas that can be of use. Good luck, be well. D.

I got some pretty wicked mood swings when pregnant with my first son. Both my husband and my students (high school juniors and seniors) said it was like watching a demonic possession occur right in front of them! My students, bless their souls, discovered the cure: a mid-morning shot of milk! It seems my mood swings were tied to low blood sugar, so they all started bringing me little offerings of nuts, crackers, M&Ms, fruit and pints of milk. I didn't even realize what they were doing until I started into a mood swing and one of them jumped up in the middle of class and shouted, "Someone get her a milk....STAT!!!!!" The next thing I knew, everyone was giving me a something from their lunch while five students ran for the cafeteria and a milk. That was a real eye-opener...

For my second pregnancy, I worked much harder at grazing healthy all day to avoid the mood swings.

This may sound crazy but from comming from my husband (who is a nurse) he said to try lavander, anything lotion, teas, baby wash, anything. It has a calming somthing in it that will help. they use it in the post partem depresstion unit in the hospital.

I actually became nicer when prego! My friends and family wish I could be prego all the time LOL
But I will say you should talk to your OB about this! You shouldn't be this up and down... you have a long way to go and as you get bigger and more tired it will only get worse!
Please seek help from your doc AND I would say get in more exercise!!! It does help balance everything out.
Good luck!

I'm at the other end of pregnancy... 36 weeks tomorrow. So I get the whole hormonal thing. Here's my honest to goodness recommendation:
First, make sure you're getting enough iron. I just read that iron deficiency can make a person extra cranky.
Second, control yourself. We can all generally control ourselves with perfect strangers or authority figures, so do with the girls what you would do for someone you don't know. Bite your tongue. Go into your room and shut the door. Say what you wanted to say into your pillow and then go back out and move on. The girls deserve to be treated well.

There should be some natural herbs that help with hormonal imbalances but I am unsure what those would be right now. I was told raspberry leaf tea helps with hormonal imbalances even in menopause. For centuries it has also been used for a number of other things in pregnancy. I always drink a lot while I am pregnant. Check this website out about RLT: http://www.motherandchildhealth.com/Prenatal/raspberry.html

I recommend eating more often and trying to take a nap. Your body is working super hard to make a little one. try upping your protein a little too.
I had a hard time with the first couple months too, but managing my diet helped a lot.
Good luck
R.