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Turkey Day Stress
Surviving Thanksgiving While Pregnant
By Lisa A. Goldstein
Little comments may actually be hurtful and can reinforce a woman's negative feelings about herself. "Observations like, 'Oh my heavens! You're SO BIG!,' 'My gosh! They don't even let you dye your hair?' or 'I had terrible stretch marks like you,' may not be taken by a pregnant mom with the same spirit of empathy with which they were delivered," Dr. Fink says.
Combine this with fatigue from pregnancy and life and overeating like we all do at holiday time and the holidays can be a recipe for tension, Dr. Fink says. Fortunately, episodic stress has not been shown to have a negative effect on the baby. But pregnancy is certainly a time when little problems become compounded.
Stress itself causes fatigue, changes in eating habits and even depression, Dr. Fink says. "Part of what I encourage in my pregnant patients is to find something to feel good about all the time," he says. "Then, there's always a 'happy place' to go to in her mind if she starts feeling the squeeze of stress. Keeping reality in perspective makes a big difference in how a pregnant mom will handle these stressors."
Also having experienced a few Thanksgivings while pregnant, Carol Friesen, associate professor of family and consumer sciences at Ball State University in Muncie, Ind., has both professional and personal advice:
Remember the name of the holiday – Thanksgiving. This should be the time when you give thanks for the gift growing inside you. The people who surround you at the table as the turkey is carved will be the same people who will help raise and shape your child. Focus on the positives each relative brings to your family tree.
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Re: Turkey Day Stress by kendra on 11/20/2008 12:48PM
Don't think people realize how stressful the holidays can be when you're pregnant, especially if you are the one who has to do everything. No one will step up in my family and take the lead this year for me. Was happy to see an article like this, though I do think the family should take over and not expect a pregnant woman to do all of the prep and entertaining.