These pregnancy worries sound familiar?
Do these worries creep in in your pregnancy?
Pregnancy is supposed to be a time of celebration but it’s easy to become a worry wort. Your body is changing, your hormones are all over the place and you’re getting advice left, right and centre about EVERYTHING - it can be overwhelming.
There are things you can manage - eat well, get enough rest and maintain a gentle exercise regime - but you need to accept that you can’t control everything and worrying about it will not help!
So what do we worry about?
1. Bonding: Not everyone falls instantly in love with their new arrival. Baby blues and feeling overwhelmed are normal postnatal reactions but if these feelings persist, there is help available.
2. Birth plan: You want a natural delivery but are worried about the pain. Until the time comes, you have no idea how things will turn out. Make a birthing plan - but accept it may need to be adapted.
3. Body changes: It’s not just the tummy that grows. Many of us acquire larger breasts, bum, face and even ‘cankles’ and unfortunately some of the weight lingers after childbirth. Sometimes it’s a case of nine months on, nine months off - so slow and steady.
4. A little loving: Having a baby changes us physically and emotionally and it’s easy to worry that our other half will no longer find us attractive. Take things at your own pace and keep lines of communication open.
5. Money, money money: A real concern for many of us. One of you will probably need to stop working for a time and obviously the bills still need to be paid. Try to put some aside during pregnancy. But remember you’ll probably receive plenty of gifts and very small babies actually need very little other than milk and cuddles.