Maybe you’ve never suffered from a panic attack before and have now experienced your first panic attack during pregnancy. Maybe you are a sufferer of panic attacks and now that you’ve discovered you are pregnant, you’re concerned about possible risks. Whatever your situation, I will answer what is probably your most pressing concern right off the bat. Your panic attacks do not and will not cause any harm to your baby. Panic attacks are fairly common during pregnancies and you have no need to worry about the experience of a panic attack hurting your unborn child.
If you’re unsure of whether you’ve had a panic attack, the symptoms include a pounding heart, perspiration, shortness of breath, an overwhelming feeling of fear, thinking you’re going crazy or going to die, and others. And it is always a good idea to see a doctor to be sure it was a panic attack and that it wasn’t a result of some other medical condition. At the very least, you should definitely bring it up at your next pregnancy check up.
So why did I have a panic attack? I’ve never experienced this before I became pregnant? Why now? Well all panic attacks have the same root causes, and pregnancies can sometimes bring situations about that can cause them. Panic attacks are usually caused by overwhelming stress and anxiety. This is extremely helpful if you’re living in the ice age and need a burst of energy and adrenaline to fend off that saber tooth tiger, but not as quite as helpful if you’re living in the twenty first century and dealing with the stress of a pregnancy. The reason panic attacks are common with pregnancies is because of all the stresses associated with one. First of all you have all the worries of bringing a new life into this world. Will I be able to take care of the child? Well he or she be born in good health? Will I be able to make it through the pregnancy process? And second of all, you have all the chemicals that come with a pregnancy rushing through your body and causing you extreme changes in emotion. No wonder you’re being faced with overwhelming stress, enough to make your body think you’re in trouble.
The primary way to treat panic attacks during a pregnancy is to bring your stress down to normal levels. Calm yourself as much as you can. The breathing exercises you learn at your Lamaze class can do wonders. There are also many methods such as behavioral therapy that can cure your panic attacks if you experience them more than once. One thing you should not do though is go on medication. There are some medications that may be ok and you will need to consult with your doctor, but the simple fact that you have a baby on the way should be enough to convince you against this route.
If you are fearful of having a panic attack during the delivery process, you may ask your doctor for extra sedatives, but be aware that this will make it harder for you to push. Also, just because you’re now through with the pregnancy doesn’t necessarily mean the panic attacks will go away. The chemical affects of pregnancy and childbirth are still having an effect on your body and there are many stressful anxieties that exist during and after child birth such as post partum depression. You panic attacks are not guaranteed to go away.