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Talk about every stage of pregnancy, from early symptoms to preparing for birth.

Original poster

Pregnancy Book Freaking Me Out

19 replies

Wendalicious · 03/01/2011 21:09

I am 15 weeks pregnant and my friend has kindly given me a book on pregnancy. I skipped to the end bit and it said that in the last month, I would experience:

Not being able to walk
Not being able to breathe
Not being able to sleep
Will be so huge I can't move

Etc etc and many other not so fun things....

I went to find my husband through my tears as I am feeling over emotional anyway and couldn't really control myself as was totally freaked out.

Does anyone else feel a bit overwhelmed??

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Casseopeia · 03/01/2011 21:16

Chuck out the book! What rubbish. I could do all those things, right to the bitter end! No horse-riding or bungee jumping for sure, but I was due last Jan and I still hit the Christmas sales.

Enjoy the ride.

notnowbernard · 03/01/2011 21:18

Am not pregnant but remember feeling a bit like that on the 1st trimester with my 1st

My tip: take it a week (or a day even) at a time. Try not to project too far forwards because you have absolutely no idea how you will feel at 37 weeks or whatever

FWIW I found the last few weeks with my 1st ok... sleep isn't great by then but was manageable

Throw the book in the bin Grin

What book was it, btw?

jkklpu · 03/01/2011 21:18

You've no idea how things will go so don't stress about it. Also, don't forget that it all happens gradually: seems much more alarming to think about all this from 15 wks along when you may well not even be showing yet and might not have noticed much impact on your life. But the changes don't happen overnight.

Take care of yourself and stop reading the book.

MandaHugNKiss · 03/01/2011 21:19

I'm very newly into my fourth pregnancy and in all honesty, I'm not worried about the end at all! Yes, some women are 'unlucky' and will experience SPD, but on the whole the (very real) discomforts of the final month are overshadowed by the thoughts of meeting your baby.

And as much as some women are unlucky, some are lucky too and remain mobile, healthy and rested until the last!

I know it's easier said than done, but please don't let that book worry you; your experience will be unique to you and whatever it is, you'll get through it. It doesn't hurt to be aware of the worst, but you have no reason to expect it will be so for you.

niamh29 · 03/01/2011 21:19

Maybe best to only read month by month from now on : ))

Don't worry, pregnancy books go through all the possible symptoms, you might only have a couple of them, I found the end of pregnancy easier than the beginning, with my first I completely freaked out around 7 months, but you get over that and just get on with it!

Best of luck!

Ladyopheliastar · 03/01/2011 21:22

Hi, I am at 37 weeks and whilst it's not totally comfortable it is no where near as bad as that! Everyone is different too. Think of those women who give birth without even knowing they were pregnant in the first place! Don't think so far ahead, a day at a time is enough x Wink

Highlandgirl · 03/01/2011 21:25

Put the book away and find another....!!!!

Also try not to read to far ahead of your current weeks..it will just freak you out..Grin and sometimes to much information is NOT a good thing.

LittleWhiteSnowWolf · 03/01/2011 21:27

Paperclip over those chapters! Yes I got very fat and starter to waddle and sleeping did become an issue, but I got to the 8th month before anything like that happened. And even then it wasn't dreadful. Its good to be informed, but sometimes a little ignorance is blissful! Grin

Congrats btw!

moregranny · 03/01/2011 22:48

Never forget that at the end of it all you will have the most precious gift of all and that is worth any discomfort, bin the book, we have been having babies for a long, long time......if it was that bad none of us would be here now :)

tallwivglasses · 03/01/2011 22:55

I had the odd beached whale days (summer births) and heartburn, etc, but the baby moving and kicking and telling you it's so nearly there will give you strength.

Nagoo · 03/01/2011 22:59

I've just had my baby in november: hence the lack of typing prowess as i hold her Smile

your body will change, but you might even like it. ther's been some threads about the best bits of being pg, look them up :)

I still could walk sleep and breathe! You might find yourself up at 3am, but there's some nice mumsnetters up at that time.

get on an antenatal thread, you'll get lots of sympathy about your fears.

Pancakeflipper · 03/01/2011 23:04

You can breathe in the last month... Honest.

And you can walk - you don't see loads of wheelchairs with heavily pregnant women sat in them.

Sleeping does get more interupted needing wees, baby thumping you. But that's good prep cos' babies wake you up in the night.

And although marathon running isn't something you'll wish to do in that last bit - you can move. Probably with a little waddle.

Whatever you do - don't read about the birth. I didn't - I let it be a surprise.

daisystone · 03/01/2011 23:56

If you weren't able to breathe, you would die. Honestly, these books just scare people!

I had a crap pregnancy (gave birth on 2nd December)and had loads of physical ailments, but I was still doing stuff right at the end because that is life and there is stuff to be done! Sleeping was a nightmare, I will admit, I could not get comfortable at all and was up about 5 times a night weeing and struggling with acid indigestion and reflux. Totally ghastly.

I also got VERY out of breath and felt generally shit. BUT (and it is a big but), I know many people who felt fine at the end and who had hardly any problems. I was very unlucky and I still managed. I now have a gorgeous nearly 5 week old baby girl and my God, she was so so so worth it.

I hated being pregnant for most of the time and I didn't even think my baby would make up for it at the time, but how quickly you forget.

You have to wait to see how it will be for you. You may be one of the lucky ones who says "I just loved being pregnant and I had no problems and felt wonderful all the time!".

I spit on those women! Grin

kelly2525 · 04/01/2011 00:48

What a load of cack, burn the book!

Im due next week, yes my feet are so friggin huge I can only fit into pumps, yes I get breathless if I overdo it, and sometimes I feel a bit shit, but thats me, every pregnancy is different.

As for not being able to sleep, bollocks! Im now taking two naps through the day, (although im in my mid 30s, im guessing I would have had more energy for this 10 years ago) you will be woken up by your bladder at least twice a night, but getting back to sleep shouldnt be a problem, I find being horizontal very comfortable these days, its sitting upright especially when driving that can be a bit uncomfortable.

I agree with Pancake, dont read about the birth either, I havent, nor have I been to any classes or read any of the crap in the bounty packs.

Ignorance, as they say, is bliss Grin

Its gonna happen, it will hurt, (although I plan on grabbing every drug they wanna give me to reduce the length of time I have to suffer) I think there is too much info out there, and most of it is worst case senario shit, whatever will be will be, just enjoy the pregnancy, and dont over think it.

daisystone · 04/01/2011 08:14

Can't say I agree with kelly2525 about ignorance being bliss. My labour became quite complicated and if I had not been prepared I think I may have been quite scared. You do need a certain amount of information in order to understand what is going on and what you are being asked. You also need to know what is normal and what is not.

For example, you need to know about the Vitamin K injection when they ask you if you want your baby to have it straight after the birth.

You need to know about breathing technique - it helped me enormously and the midwives were impressed with how I coped in the early stages just with my breathing.

You need to know about the pros and cons of the pain relief plus many many more things.

I agree that too much reading can be detrimental but forewarned is forearmed and I don't think it is advisable to go into a delivery suite not knowing what to expect as you may be very bloody shocked indeed!

LittlePoot · 04/01/2011 10:26

I don't want to be on the receiving end of being spat on by Daisystone but...... I'm nearly 36 weeks now and pretty much love being pregnant! Your book is very harsh and as the girls say, just not true. I sleep loads! Only wake up once a night for a wee. I do have mild pelvic pain which stops me walking quickly or for long distances, I get heartburn a lot more often than I'd like and my lungs definitely aren't as big as they were before.... But as someone else said, this all comes on pretty gradually, and to balance it all off, I've got this big fantastic bump who kicks and wriggles all day and is a great excuse for treating myself to a set of mum-to-be massages from the local Clarins spa..... I agree with Daisy about getting lots of info about the birth so any emergency won't be a shock, but not until a lot later than you are. My antenatal classes just finished and I've met a lovely group of ladies who are now my new coffee/lunch buddies, and giving birth now seems like a pretty much manageable and definitely temporary situation. But I'm a real 'need to know' person. At 15 weeks though, just enjoy being able to reach the floor (and your feet!) and looking forward to feeling those first kicks. Maybe by about 6/7 months have another look at a (different) book and you'll hopefully find it much less of a shock. Good luck! x

Deliaskis · 04/01/2011 11:48

The book sounds a bit alarmist, I'm almost 8 months now, and yes things have got a bit harder, and they will doubt be harder still over the next few weeks, but the later you get, the more you appreciate that you just have to start taking things a bit easier.

Firstly, it's probably unlikely, if you experienced any of those issues, that you would be unlucky enough to have them all. Surely it's more of a x, y or z may happen, so that people are prepared?

I am really struggling to sleep at the moment, but I'm just making allowances for that, and e.g. if I can sleep on the sofa in the evening then I will do.

I'm still at work and plan on staying as long as possible, but am starting to take annual leave a day or two a week, to give me more of a break. Also colleagues are really looking after me with lots of brews and bringing things to me rather than making me get up etc. so just as life starts to get harder, people do usually try and help to make it easier. DH and my Mum & Dad won't let me do anything that they could reasonably do these days so I'm completely off tea-making duties at the moment!

So yes things have got a bit harder, but you make allowances, and usually those around you do too. You'll be fine, and baby is making such a big song and dance about reminding me s/he is there, that I never forget why I'm doing this!

D

Original poster
Wendalicious · 05/01/2011 22:30

Thank you everyone for ressuring me, sometimes it's easy to carried away with so much new information xx

OP posts:
PenguinArmy · 05/01/2011 22:37

i was running for the bus in my last week. It wasn't pretty or efficient. I also climbed (indoors) until 37 weeks

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