Stress / anxiety in pregnancy

[PistFump]

I'm 6 months pregnant and this year so far has been a year of really bad news including lots of terrible family illness and some close (elderly) relatives are now terminally ill. I'm so stressed out and anxious I'm seriously concerned about how it's affecting my poor baby. I have midwife tomorrow and I'm sure my blood pressure is going to be sky high. I'm not really sure what I can do about it, or what I'm hoping to achieve by posting, but I guess a hand hold would be nice.

[sleepycat13]

sorry to hear you are going through a difficult time.

you will hear all sorts of things about avoiding stress etc in pregnancy but our bodies (and babies) are incredibly resilient and can cope with an awful amount. I had went through a difficult time when pregnant with my ds and my mental bealth really suffered but we are both now doing good.
might be worthwhile talking to your midwife though and letting them know how you are feeling. is there anyone else you can talk to too? a friend or partner? and as hard as it is try and look after yourself whenever you can.
I found practising mindfulness to be really helpful in managing stress and anxiety. have a look at the stop, breathe, think app or there is alsonone called mind the bump which is tailored for pregnancy.

[PistFump]

Brill thanks @sleepycat13 I'll take a look at those as I hadn't heard of them. My husband is trying to be as supportive as he can. I don't think I'm helping myself as I'm struggling to talk about things as I end up in tears. I'll speak to my midwife too tomorrow.

[Chaosofcalm]

Would you consider hypnobirthing? I found the CDs very relaxing.