The Baby Center website notes that some anxiety during pregnancy is normal, but when it begins to interfere with daily life, a woman may need treatment. Some women are helped with Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), and various relaxation techniques can help treat symptoms. Women are advised to work with their doctor to find the best treatment for them. The symptoms of anxiety during pregnancy are similar to anxiety symptoms at any other time.
Sleep Disturbances
The Cradle website says that anxiety can cause a pregnant woman to sleep excessively or have insomnia that is not related to the discomfort of the pregnancy. Lack of sleep can impair a woman's ability to function on a day-to-day basis. Sleeping all the time means a woman is not getting the physical activity she needs to stay healthy and carry her baby to term; excessive sleeping can also lead to depression. This anxiety, if not treated, can lead to a pre-term or low birth weight baby, as well as cause preeclampsia--high blood pressure and protein in the urine--in some pregnant women.
Panic Attacks
Panic attacks are perhaps the biggest symptom of an anxiety disorder, and they often happen more often during a pregnancy. Baby Center says that symptoms of a panic attack include fear, shortness of breath, sweating and disassociation with reality, or feeling separate from the body. Many women experiencing a panic attack think they are having a heart attack and are going to die. Panic attacks come on with no warning and can lead to depression if left untreated. Women who already suffered from panic attacks prior to pregnancy often have to discontinue their anti-anxiety medications because not a lot is known about their effects on a developing baby. However, The Cradle says that many women experience a natural reduction in panic symptoms when they are pregnant.
Obsessions/Irrational Thoughts
Often a woman with anxiety has symptoms of Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD), and if she takes medications such as Prozac or Zoloft, she usually has to quit taking them while pregnant, which can result in these symptoms coming back with regard to her baby. Baby Center says that the obsessive or irrational thoughts during pregnancy center around the health of a woman's unborn baby, and result in a constant worry about how much sleep she is getting, what she is eating and whether her stress levels are harming her baby. Some women also fear that something bad is going to happen to their baby or obsess about their ability to mother their child once it is born. These thoughts can lead to panic attacks and depression.
