22.9% of pregnant women experience pregnancy-related stress. Expectant mothers' minds will be occupied during pregnancy, even if they are excited, receive support, and maintain good health. Managing day-to-day pregnancy symptoms, coping with changing body shape, gaining weight, and struggling to do regular household activities can be mentally overwhelming and emotionally exhausting.

Maintaining emotional equilibrium during pregnancy by accepting your bodily changes and patiently coping with the symptoms can significantly improve your mood and mental health. Practising mindfulness, spiritual awareness, and acknowledging the changes are key to managing pregnancy-related stress.
Emotional Rollercoaster During Pregnancy
Pregnancy not only changes a mother's physical structure but also alters emotions and the brain to support and nurture the baby's growth. Your comfortable routine, goals, relationships with others and your inner self, and expectations evolve and change. These are some major emotional changes you can expect during each trimester.
First Trimester
During the first trimester, oestrogen and progesterone increase to support pregnancy. These sudden shifts in hormones activate your brain’s limbic system (amygdala) and trigger anxiety, stress, discomfort and mood swings. Around 30-50% of women experience mood swings and anxiety in the first trimester.
Second Trimester
The second trimester is referred to as the “honeymoon” period of pregnancy. As the body begins to adjust, hormones stabilise, and the prefrontal cortex adapts to the demands of pregnancy, empathy and bonding increase. While emotional stability and clarity increase, some women may still feel stressed and anxious due to continuous hormonal fluctuation.
Third Trimester
The brain and body begin to prepare for safe delivery and motherhood, leading to anticipation, fear, sensitivity, and attachment towards the baby. Approximately 25-30% of women experience depressive symptoms during the third trimester. Pregnancy brain effects cause brain fog, forgetfulness and reduced ability to focus.
Proven Strategies for Stress Relief
During these vulnerable and emotionally tender times, expectant mothers should effectively manage their mind and heart to maintain stable emotions, reduce anxiety and promote overall health. Here are a few proven ways to relieve stress during pregnancy.


Mindfulness: Being present in the moment and focusing on your breath and body functions helps reduce maternal stress, anxiety, and depression. Start with a short, guided and intentional meditation every morning.
Relaxation: Indulge in deep breathing to reduce a racing heart rate, high blood pressure, and cortisol levels. Practising relaxation techniques helps reduce stress, shorten labour duration, and promotes an overall positive pregnancy experience.
Cognitive Reframing: Identifying and reframing negative thoughts to improve emotional well-being. Rewiring your negative, stressful thoughts about pregnancy, labour, and motherhood into visualising happy, relaxed, and calm thoughts eases your mind and reduces stressful emotions.
Spend Time with Yourself: Regular hospital visits, and guests may sometimes feel too much. Taking time for alone time to read books, watch something good, go for a long walk, stitch something for the baby, and massage your bump to enhance the bond and promote calmness.
Journaling: Writing your worries can reduce anxiety and enhance resilience. By expressing your pregnancy-related worries, fears and day-to-day experiences, you can unload overwhelming emotions without relying on support. Writing down what you are grateful for helps you cherish and show gratitude for the positive things. It can also be a good keepsake to look back on in future
Breathwork: Slow, deep breathing reduces 15 -30% salivary cortisol, stabilises heart rate and blood pressure. Abdominal breathing, where you inhale deeply from the belly and slowly exhale, helps reduce anxiety and tension. Box breathing, where you inhale through the nose, hold the breath, exhale through the mouth, and hold the breath, helps stimulate the parasympathetic system.
Stabilising Rituals: Practising self-care and emotional care rituals reduces cortisol levels by up to 30% and helps balance unpredictable pregnancy emotions. Spending a few minutes on grounding exercises, mindfulness practice, journaling, breathing, prenatal yoga, swimming, lighting candles, and eating something comforting helps you counteract stress and improve emotional resilience.
Create Sacred Space: It doesn't have to be a fancy setup, or you don't have to book a spa near Mount Everest. You need a place where you feel serene, safe, and emotionally and spiritually connected with yourself. This kind of environment boosts emotional regulation, balances the nervous system, and increases dopamine. Include soft lighting and essential oils, and keep the place gadget-free.
Improve your Lifestyle: An Unhealthy lifestyle and constant exposure to stressors are not good for both maternal and foetal health. Balanced nutrition, optimal hydration, regular physical exercise, quality sleep, supportive environment, deep meaningful work sessions, alcohol and smoking-free, and a limited caffeine lifestyle reduce prenatal anxiety.
Limiting Screen Time: High screen time, doom-scrolling, and indulging in toxic content lead to unwanted comparison and rumination, which increases anxiety, worsens sleep quality, and emotional instability for pregnant women. Completely avoiding screens or limiting screen time is recommended.


During pregnancy, oestrogen dramatically increases, leading to mood swings, irritability and anxiety. Though progesterone reduces stress and anxiety, any rapid shifts in early pregnancy may cause depressive symptoms. Cortisol, especially in the third trimester, peaks to support foetal development and lung maturation. However, high cortisol levels also increase anxiety, irritability and stress. Oxytocin spikes during the peripartum period to prepare the uterus for delivery and improve bonding.


When you're pregnant, trusting you and your body is important. Practice self-compassion to support a healthy pregnancy journey. Every time you find yourself going into the black hole of stressful thinking, counterattack it with deep breathing, visualising positive thinking, and sharing your worries with trusted partners. Pregnancy is a time to strengthen the bond between your body and your soul.
Whether you’re pregnant, a new mom, or navigating postpartum, you don’t have to do it alone. Join our support group to connect, share, and support one another.
FAQs on How To Stay Calm During Pregnancy: Science-Backed Strategies For Pregnancy Stress Management