1st trimester anxiety

[Annach85]

Hi, I found out that I'm pregnant just over a week ago - I'm only 5 weeks but already I am so paranoid that something will go wrong! To make things worse I ate Parma ham yesterday and only just found out I'm not supposed to which has just added to my worries! I'm normally not like this and I really don't like it! It seems like forever until my first scan and I've just seen so many things saying that things can go wrong in the 1st semester. Does anyone else feel like this?

Hello, I'm 5 weeks too and equally anxious. I've had a couple of miscarriages and one daughter and I'm still climbing the walls despite knowing there's nothing really I can do. My current guilt trip is I licked the spoon while making cake, forgetting about the whole raw eggs thing. Intellectually and scientifically I know the risk is negligible, but that doesn't help much!

Are you in the UK? The NHS isn't concerned about parma ham, have a look here

Crazy isn't it! My logical mind says I need to chill but I still can't seem to quash my worries! Thanks for the nhs link, that is reassuring - I don't understand why there are so many things that day you shouldn't eat it! It's all very confusing.... I can't imagine how you must feel having had 2 miscarriages, this is my 1st and it happened so quickly I just can't believe that everything will go as it should!

I think the majority of people feel that way, i definitely did, and when you get to 12 weeks and have your scan then you'll worry about something else. But you do need to remember the odds are in your favour, and will be all throughout your pregnancy. Look on the ante natal boards, I'm sure you will find other women that are due the same time as you that are going through exactly the same thing, that def helped me. Congratulations and good luck with it all.

Hi, I've recently found out I'm about 5 weeks and I'm like you - absolutely paranoid about everything! I'm convinced something bad will happen, I feel like I've wanted this baby for so long, its almost too good to be true. It doesnt help I found out after getting trollied on a night out! My midwife told me not to worry about it at my initial appointment, she said there's people who found out later and kept drinking smoking etc who had perfectly healthy babies. I just try to remember for all the bad things you hear, most people go on to have healthy pregnancies and babies, otherwise how would the population be what it is today.

It's good to know I'm not the only paranoid one out there! It's all so new and exciting at the moment I just can't believe it's going to continue! I had my first bout of morning sickness yesterday which made it feel a whole lot more real which in some way was kind of nice even though I did feel awful! Been fine today though which is strange

Worrying is totally normal! I'm 18 weeks today and have worried almost constantly since peeing on that stick. I'm hoping feeling regular movement will be reassuring, but I'm still waiting for that (and my next scan).

A couple of wee points to put your minds at rest:

Parma ham (and other cured meats) were banned by the NHS because of the risk of listeria - which is a food poisoning bug which doesn't actually affect the baby, it's just not a great thing to get ill with when pregnant.

Eggs (uncooked) are banned due to salmonella risk. The risk from commercially bought eggs in the UK (especially free range) is negligible. Again, this is a food poisoning risk, not a risk direct to the baby.

Alcohol - is a problem, but it's thought early on in pregnancy (before your positive test) the baby is not affected as it does not share your blood supply yet. Once you have an established placenta at about 10 weeks you're sharing your blood supply properly. However, this doesn't mean you're OK to drink till then (unless you have chosen to for your own reasons, it is your decision after all).

The one to really look out for is toxoplasmosis - this can cross the placenta to affect the baby directly and can cause a lot of issues. This can be caught from animal feces and uncooked meat. This is why there are guidelines about washing all fruit/veg, cooking meat thoroughly, and not changing out your cat litter or doing gardening if you have cats in your neighbourhood.