Psychological Aspects of Pregnancy: Stress, Bonding, Identity & Fear

By Anat Juran © 2025

Reflections from the Water:

"Pregnancy is often described as a physical journey—and it is. The body stretches, softens, and grows. But alongside the physical changes lives a deep psychological unfolding—one that deserves just as much attention, care, and presence. In my years of working with pregnant women in the water, I’ve learned to listen not only to muscles and joints, but also to stories. Sometimes those stories arrive in the form of tears. Sometimes in stillness. Sometimes in bursts of joy or quiet overwhelm. They are all valid. They are all part of the journey." 

~ From Sacred Water: Prenatal Aquatic bodywork Training – student’s manual by Anat Juran

Stress: A Body That Holds So Much

Even in a wanted, planned, and joyful pregnancy, stress can sit just under the surface. Hormonal changes amplify emotions, the body begins to feel foreign, and the mind races ahead to a future that feels simultaneously close and out of reach.

There’s a constant negotiation between the known and the unknown. The changes are relentless—physical, hormonal, emotional—and often not well understood even by the pregnant person themselves. When a woman lies back into warm water and is met with gentle, attuned touch, something begins to shift. The sympathetic nervous system starts to soften. Breath deepens. The body remembers how to rest.

In those moments, water doesn’t just hold the body—it holds the stress that words cannot always explain.

Bonding: The Invisible Thread

We often talk about bonding with the baby after birth, but in truth, it begins long before. Some women feel immediate connection; others struggle with numbness or disconnection and then carry guilt about it. All of these experiences are normal.

In the water, we have the rare opportunity to invite presence back into the belly—not by force or pressure, but through space. Floating in water helps some women “meet” their baby in a new way. The internal sensations become clearer, and the womb feels like a safe, alive container—not just an organ of labour, but a vessel of life and love.

Sometimes, just placing a hand over the belly in stillness, together, becomes the most profound part of the session.

Identity: The Threshold Between Selves

Pregnancy challenged my identity.

Who am I becoming?

Will I still be me after this baby arrives?

What happens to my body, my work, my sexuality, my freedom?

Can I be a good mother?

After three pregnancies and many sessions with pregnant women I know now that these are real, human and normal questions. And they don’t need fixing—they need room to breathe. I’ve seen women relax into their deeper selves in water, where there are no roles to perform. Where they don’t have to be “excited,” or “glowing,” or “strong.” They can just be.

In a way, aquatic bodywork invites a woman to meet herself again—not just as a mother-to-be, but as a whole person walking the threshold between who she was and who she is becoming.

Fear: The Quiet Companion

Fear is often the silent partner of pregnancy—fear of pain, of the unknown, of losing control, of not being enough. These fears are not always spoken aloud, but they live in the body. They might surface as tension in the jaw, shallow breath, a hesitation to fully let go.

Water creates a unique opportunity to meet fear with compassion. Not to push it away, but to be with it. When held in water, some women finally exhale after holding tension for weeks. Some cry. Some sleep. And some laugh. All are signs of the nervous system saying, thank you—it’s safe enough now.

A Final Word

I’ve come to believe that one of the most important things we can offer a pregnant woman isn’t advice or correction—it’s presence. A warm, attuned presence that honours her inner world, however it shows up that day.

In warm water, with skilled touch and emotional safety, we’re not just doing bodywork—we’re creating a space where transformation, grief, joy, and love are all welcome.

Because pregnancy isn’t just about growing a baby—it’s about growing a new version of self. And that process deserves to be held.

See more about Aquatic Therapy in warm water for pregnancy support, and a gentle non invasive and painless approach to encouraging babies out of breech positions here.