Is this normal to feel this way?

[bowgumdrop2018]

I don't even know how I feel but I don't feel the way everyone explains they feel when they are about to meet their baby...the whole pregnancy has been tough on my anxiety and I'm currently on every day monitoring for reduced movements so I don't know whether this is why I feel so distant but I'm due to have my baby in 3 weeks and chances are I'll be induced because of the reduced movements but I haven't got that overwhelming excited to meet my baby...when people ask if I'm excited I find myself just staring at them not knowing what to say..I feel it still doesn't actually feel real to me that I'm going to be a mum at all..I have no element of regret so I know it's not that and I do love my baby and when I look at her Moses basket I find myself smiling but recently I just feel distant ... do you guys think it may be because of the stress from the constant monitoring and the worry that comes with it? As I feel horrible feeling this way 😔 I think I just want my baby here and safe and then I will allow myself to be exicted maybe?

I think too much emphasis is placed on ‘the miracle of birth’ and the ‘overwhelming feeling of love’ when you first see them.

I didn’t feel that at all. I didn’t really know what to feel when I was in the later stages of pregnancies... I definitely wanted them, and I’d talk to and sing to my bump, play with it etc. But it’s hard to equate that to a baby.

When they were born, I didn’t love them as people in their own right.. still wanted them, and loved the idea of having my healthy babies with me.. but they were strangers, I had to get to know them! I didn’t really want to hold them straight away... I was in shock a bit and needed to sort myself out.

They are now 12 and 10 years old, I love them more than be explained, I would move heaven and earth for them... I am full on mama bear if they have any problems.

Go easy on yourself, it’s hard work... but you will get all the benefits in time.

Completely normal. The last few weeks are hard on body and mind, even more so with what you've described. I felt similar - I felt pretty checked out near the end of my pregnancies, so drained and that the build up was just making it worse so wanted it all done and them actually really here.

Wishing you all the best with all of it

I think it's ok to tell people that it doesn't all seem real yet, it's not an unusual feeling. I think it's probably being amplified by the worry of being regularly monitored. Please don't worry about how you "should" feel, there's such a wide range of reactions and many many women don't have that movie-style overwhelming reaction that is stereotypically shown.