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Personality changes during pregnancy are often attributed to hormonal fluctuations, new responsibilities, body reorganisation, and the excitement of becoming a parent. These changes impact a mother's maternal health, relationship dynamics, and behaviours. Understanding and validating these shifts can help expectant mothers navigate uncertainties and feel more empowered.
Why Personality Changes During Pregnancy
Personality is measured by 5 traits:
- Openness
- Conscientiousness
- Extraversion
- Agreeableness
- Emotional stability
These five traits help understand the personalities of individuals and how they cope and adapt during pregnancy. Emotionally strong women are less depressed during pregnancy. Women who show extraversion and conscientiousness experience less peripatetic distress.
Pregnancy hormones, such as oestrogen, progesterone, and oxytocin, influence brain regions (including the amygdala, prefrontal cortex, and hypothalamus) that are involved in mood regulation. Oestrogen enhances your mood, progesterone regulates anxiety and oxytocin in late pregnancy helps in bonding and connection. The rise and rebalance of these hormones help in regulating emotions and risk tolerance.
Pregnancy Personality
Depending on the mother's natural personality and the influence of hormonal and environmental interventions, the mother's personality changes during pregnancy.
Planner/Organiser
Women who are deeply into meticulous planning, structuring their days, and preparing for childbirth are planners. This is often an instinctive behaviour, as planning reduces anxiety and helps focus and control.- Being organised helps in enhancing a positive birthing experience
- Planning reduces uncertainty and anxiety
- Meticulous planning gives clarity and proactive prenatal care
- Organised women keep their birth plans and hospital bags ready for emergencies
Nesting Queen
The nesting instinct usually kicks in during the third trimester, prompting mothers to keep their home clean and organised, and create a safe and secure place for the baby. This is an evolutionary and instinctual response observed in animals, birds, and human beings to prepare a safe space for the baby.- Creating a secure environment for the baby may increase the maternal-infant bonding
- The intense urge to clean and prepare the home for the baby is strong
- Nesting often shows the readiness for baby arrival
Wellness Lover
Women who practice mindfulness accept bodily changes and practice emotional stability. Wellness or zen mothers focus on maintaining a peaceful, stress-free environment for both the baby's and the mother's health.- Practising mindfulness helps keep the nerves calm and reduces the fear of labour and postpartum.
- Regular grounding and breathing work enhances emotional regulation and acceptance of blood changes.
- Reduced stress and a lower risk of prenatal depression are also common among mindful mothers.
- Mindfulness helps stabilise emotions, resulting in reduced mood swings.
Researcher
Mothers who are open to knowledge and gather information to make informed decisions. They are naturally curious and show proactive, healthy behaviours. They are open to change and evolve in response to the changes that occur during pregnancy.- Researching high-quality information on nutrition and childbirth helps women get prepared and know what to expect.
- High-quality knowledge empowers mothers to adopt healthy changes and practices in their lives, including maintaining a balanced diet, engaging in physical activity, and getting sufficient sleep.
- The constant urge to learn about their body helps them easily predict red flags and adjust to the bodily changes.
- Acquiring more knowledge about pregnancy helps build confidence and manage pregnancy efficiently.
- Actively participating in antenatal classes helps them understand pregnancy better, learn how to manage their symptoms, and be prepared for postpartum recovery.
Worrier
Worriers often exhibit stress, anxiety, sensitivity, and continuous concern about foetal and maternal well-being. Women with this character experience heightened cortisol levels and mood swings.- The worrier archetype has increased fear of childbirth and anxiety
- They often exhibit increased cortisol levels, which are linked with adverse pregnancy outcomes
- Worries are prone to antenatal and postnatal depression
- Increased stressful thoughts hinder foetal health and increase labour pain
- Anxiety and stress significantly affect sleep quality and quantity
- High maternal stress may lead to preterm birth and low birth weight.
Social Butterfly
Social butterflies are highly extraverted, love interacting with others, and crave connections and support. Their personality is a mix of extraversion and agreeableness, and they actively seek out interactions and shared experiences, cultivating a healthy network.
- Extraversion tends to increase during the second trimester as the body adjusts to the pregnancy and hormonal changes.
- High agreeableness helps in building empathy and a strong relationship with others
- Social engagement helps keep peripartum depression at bay.
- Extraversion during pregnancy facilitates the expression of emotions freely and openness to healthcare providers.
- Positive social interactions help in increased oxytocin, which supports bonding and regulates emotions.
Floater
Floaters have no plans and no expectations about pregnancy; they just live in the moment. These women prioritise rest and don't stress about what's about to come. They are flexible to changes and have a relaxed mood and behaviour.
- Being flexible and open to change during pregnancy can lead to a more satisfying childbirth experience.
- Less stress about pregnancy and greater flexibility help ease labour and improve coping after childbirth.
- Emotional stability allows better postpartum healing and reduces prenatal and postnatal depression.
These personality types continue to evolve and change throughout pregnancy. During the first few months, the lack of knowledge, nausea, and fatigue may make you a researcher and a worrier. As the second trimester approaches, the honeymoon phase of pregnancy may make you a social butterfly and planner. The third trimester triggers nesting instincts, prompting you to prepare your home for the arrival of the baby.
During pregnancy, you might become well-organised, your nesting instinct spikes, and you thrive on quality information, spending all your time on wellness activities or seeking therapy. Instead of fighting your feelings, embracing them helps make your pregnancy a happy and effective journey for both the fetus and mother. Acknowledging and validating your feelings helps in dealing with anxiety and common pregnancy symptoms.
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FAQs on Personality Changes During Pregnancy: Identify Your Pregnancy Personality
- How long do mood swings last during pregnancy?
Mood swings often occur during the first trimester, triggered by the rise in hormones and unfamiliar emotions. It settles during the second trimester and resurfaces again in the 3rd trimester due to the rapid baby growth and physiological discomfort. - What is the most emotional stage of pregnancy?
The first trimester of pregnancy is emotionally tough and demands a lot from the mother. Since bearing a baby is an unfamiliar feeling, the heightened hormones keep triggering morning sickness, bloating, and nausea.