The Mind Center

Body, Soul, and Baby: A Doctor's Guide to the Complete Pregnancy Experience, From Preconception to Postpartum
by Tracey W. Gaudet, M.D., Paula Spencer

(Page 2 of 3)

Your mind is the interface between reality (the world, your outer life) and your body's response. I look forward to the day when this powerful connection is more routinely woven into the fabric of pregnancy care, because it so clearly impacts the health of the mother and her baby. We now know the state of your mind can influence your reproductive hormones, your blood pressure, your glucose levels, and the time and progress of your labor, among other things. Your body responds not to the reality of the circumstances you are in but to your perception of those realities. If you're resting on the sofa with your feet up and a glass of lemonade in your hands after a long workday, but you're ruminating about the dish-throwing argument you just had with your husband and what shape your unsettled marriage will be in by the time the baby arrives, your body responds as if still in the middle of the fight. Your brain goes on alert and the fight or-flight response built into your system kicks in, poising your body for action. The stress hormones cortisol and adrenaline jump, your blood pressure and heart rate increase, muscles tense, and glucose and cholesterol are released to provide quick energy. These changes are collectively known as the stress response.

On the other hand, you could be in the stressful throes of labor and yet, if your thoughts and breathing are aligned to a calm, relaxed mode, your body will respond accordingly and relax. This physiologic reaction is called the relaxation response. It can happen naturally - say, because you are actually lying there drinking lemonade and enjoying it - or you can use mind-body tools to trigger this response to counter stress.

Relaxation is to the mind what sleep is to the body. Sleep is a time when the body can truly unplug and be at rest. Your mind needs rest, too. And yet, when push comes to shove in a busy day, this center is one of the first my patients seem to ignore. Failure to relax can impact the likelihood of conceiving or of carrying a healthy baby to term. The following are some ways to nurture this center and achieve the basic mental goals of pregnancy. (Trimester-specific advice appears in the chapters that follow.)

GOAL: Try to bring awareness to your
level of stress every day.

Reflect on your stress level. Whether pregnant or not, we grow accustomed to chronic stress. Our bodies adapt to it and our minds begin to consider this state normal. Over time, we keep setting our baseline a little higher and higher, so that eventually we don't even notice how stressed out we really are. Stop and bring a level of awareness to what you're feeling each day.

Reflect on your stress points. Your stress points are how stress manifests itself. Notice how and where your body holds stress. Reflect on which body systems or parts of you are most affected by stress. Do you get headaches or backaches? Are you more likely to get sick? Are you simply tired or fatigued under stress? Does your gastrointestinal system take the hit (for example, changed bowel habits such as constipation or diarrhea, or indigestion)? Do you get depressed? Do your relationships suffer? Often an individual's stress points change or intensify while on the Fertility Pathway. Places in your musculoskeletal system that previously manifested stress - the lower back, for example - may be even more vulnerable, while areas that might never have given you much of problem - your GI system, for example - may start responding noticeably to stress. Reflect on whether and how your stress responses have changed.

Be conscious about how much sleep you're needing and getting. The average non pregnant woman needs eight hours of sleep a night - and one-quarter of us don't sleep enough to be fully alert the next day. Now add in the demands of gestation. At various points in pregnancy, your body may require more sleep than what you're used to. Be aware that sleep is an arena that can change a lot on the Fertility Pathway, and throughout pregnancy. Pay attention to your individual needs, and honor what you learn. If your body is telling you it needs more sleep, then listen and get more sleep. Pay attention to sleep surroundings as well. During pregnancy, you may find that you require more space, more pillows (to support your body), different room temperature, or more/fewer blankets.

GOAL: Trigger the relaxation response at least once a day.

Find a form of meditation that works for you. Essentially, meditation is a way to quiet the mind and is often done with an inner focus, in contrast to the outer-focused, preoccupied unconsciousness that we use to get through much of everyday life. Meditation is sometimes also called "centering." It's been used for centuries in the Far East as a practice for attaining spiritual enlightenment. You can learn this kind of formal meditation, which sometimes involves special postures and mantras, or you can attain a similar state of deep calm through such practices as deep breathing, meditative prayer, yoga, or other deeply relaxing pursuits. Meditation activates the relaxation response, quieting the mind and clearing it of anxiety and worry while also causing such physical changes as reducing blood pressure and stress hormones, and relaxing the muscles. Experiment with different forms of meditation until you find one that is comfortable and effective for you, then try to incorporate it into every day.

Practice mindfulness. Are you connected and living in the present, or preoccupied with the future (for example, what's next on your to-do list), the past (the argument you had last night), or a different place (such as text messaging while you're lunching with a friend)? A certain amount of shifting out of the present is necessary to function, but when you find yourself doing too much of it, you tend to feel out of balance and more stressed. (Not to mention you're probably missing a whole lot of your life!) Begin to notice how much of the time you are fully present and practice this skill consciously. Put down the BlackBerry or cell, and turn all of your attention to your friend, for example, or to the food on your plate.

Try breathing exercises when anxiety creeps in. Conscious breathing is a great way to catch a few quick moments of relaxation, even in the midst of stress. Any kind of slow breathing - such as taking deep rhythmic breaths or doing the following breathing exercise - can put a brake on rising stress.

4/7/8 Breathing (Paced Breathing)

1. Rest the tip of your tongue on the ridge behind your front teeth throughout the exercise.
2. Breathe in through your nose for a count of four.
3. Hold for a count of seven.
4. Exhale through the mouth for a count of eight. With your tongue in the same position as in step 1, you should hear a hoosh sound as the air goes out. Repeat four times. Do this as often as needed throughout the day.

Try It: Take a few minutes to practice 4/7/8 breathing right now. See how easy and relaxing it is? This simple breathing pattern, which Andrew Weil taught me years ago, has become my favorite secret sanity-saver since I became a mom. When we get really stressed, we tend to take shallow, panting breaths. Paced breathing, which is based on an ancient yoga practice, helps reverse that tendency, whether it's subtle or pronounced, and sends a relaxation message to the body.

Calm your mind and relax your body with mental muscle relaxation. We hold tension in our bodies without even being aware of it. Examples include tooth-grinding at night, or a tight back that's not in pain yet flinches when touched. This exercise - ideal to do at bedtime - relaxes major muscle groups to release stress.

Copyright © 2007 by Tracy Gaudet

About the Author

Tracey W. Gaudet, M.D., is director of the Duke Center for Integrative Medicine at Duke University Medical School and a practicing, board-certified Ob-Gyn. She was the founding executive director of Dr. Andrew Weil's Program in Integrative Medicine at the University of Arizona in Tucson. Dr. Gaudet received her M.D. from the Duke University School of Medicine. A noted expert on women's health issues, she's been featured on Oprah, ABC News' 20/20, and the Arts and Entertainment network. She and her husband, Dr. Richard Liebowitz, live in Durham, North Carolina.

Paula Spencer specializes in health and family subjects for Woman's Day, Glamour, Parenting, Baby Talk, USA Weekend, and other publications. She is the author of four books on pregnancy and parenting, including Everything ELSE You Need to Know When You're Expecting.