Is it normal to feel scared and pessimistic when pregnant?

[PrincessConsuella]

I'm about 7 weeks now and from the day the digital 'pregnant' letters appeared ive been a wreck. Haven't stopped crying, filled my head with EVERYTHING that'll go wrong during pregnancy, including myown death. Haven't had a full nights sleep since I found out..is this normal? I'm 32 years old, so shouldn't I be more up for this now??

A level of fear is normal but if you are not sleeping and crying constantly, then I would suggest that you speak to a doctor or MW as this is definitely not normal.

This is my 5th baby and every now and then I have those thoughts or feelings but they are quickly dismissed and put to the back of my mind.

Is there something in particular you are concentrating on? Sometimes educating yourself on the facts and processes can help to alleviate fears.

Oh and congratulations on your pregnancy.

Don't forget that at 7 weeks your body is going through so many changes and this increases hormones and highlights emotions

I've been to the gp and she has referred me to the pre natal councillor,whom I'm seeing on Thursday. I'm scared of something going horribly wrong during birth and me not making it.. Or something happening to the baby. I tried reading about childbirth but that sort of started to make it worse.

Congratulations on your pregnancy!

I must admit that feelings of worry have taken over on a number of occasions during my pregnancy (I'm now 33+4). I suffer from anxiety at the best of times and I'm on a low dose of citalopram.

It's a stressful and worrying time for the calmest of people so don't look at this as a weakness. I'm glad you've spoken to someone about this - it's so important that you keep discussing how you feel as GPs/midwives/therapists are all there to help you.

I'm also terrified! Made worse by bleeds, surgery, high risk pregnancy. No brilliant advice but you are not alone.

Some level of worry is definitely normal. My first pregnancy was a shock as I thought it would all be lovely and serene and totally hadn't realised most women spend half their time panicking about what might go wrong.

In addition to your counselling, I would massively recommend a hypnobirthing course. I did it for my last pregnancy and everyone I know who has done it was able to deal with birth calmly and was happy with the outcome, me included.

I also avoided anything like One Born Every Minute until well after I'd given birth, and everything I read about birth freaked me out. It's actually a good idea to stay away from other people's birth stories. They are only relevant to them, and are unlikely to help you. I would also add that as your pregnancy progresses you may well find yourself able to deal with things at what feels the "right" time for you. I could not even think about childbirth for the first 6 months, but after that I gradually became able to think about it in a practical way. Don't put any pressure on yourself to feel a particular way or to be thinking about or planning anything you're not comfortable thinking about. It will all come naturally. I think at 7 weeks total panic is normal. But do think about the hynobirthing, it's amazing.

Thank you GreyWhites. Will check hypno birthing out. I'm having my first counselling session tomorrow..

Good luck with that. Let us know how you get on.