Does the paranoia ever go???

[Princesspowersparkle]

Having an emotional down day today. Will be 35 weeks on Friday and should be looking forward to meeting my baby some time soon. Instead I keep thinking that something is going to go wrong (not going to go into details about WHAT going wrong or happening so I don't freak anyone else out.).
Its so frustrating. I want to look forward it but finding it really hard!

I had a friend who was terrified from the day she found out she was pregnant with the result that she worried about absolutely everything throughout her whole pregnancy. She didn't enjoy it a bit & I thought that was so sad. It's a lovely time (I think it's your first isn't it) you can make the most of your relationship with your DH/DP as it won't be just the 2 of you for much longer, you can enjoy lots of things just for yourself as you'll be a Mummy soon and have to put the LO first, you should also enjoy the anticipation & all the preparation that goes with the impending birth. I could never actually imagine myself giving birth for some reason & I voiced this a few times mainly to DH & a friend, upshot was I had an emergency section, sheer coincidence I'm sure but I never panicked about the fact I couldn't imagine it & I just went with the flow and had a pretty calm birth despite it all.
It is hard to push all the scary thoughts to the back of your mind all the time but you really should try so that you can look back and think of all the nice bits that you enjoyed. Plus if you've tried to focus on the positives a lot of the negatives don't seem quite so bad with hindsight, the ms, aches & pains, constipation (worst thing about pg ). Obviously things do go wrong sometimes but probably most of them couldn't have been prevented so you're wasting precious time & energy thinking about them. It won't be long before you meet your little bundle so enjoy the peace & quiet now and just think how fantastic it will be to meet him/her.

Still pg with my first (39+2) and I know what you mean. Haven't really worried throughout the pg, but every now and then I almost get a panic attack thinking about how something could be wrong or go wrong. V scary, but do you know what is worse - I don't think it EVER goes away! Giving birth safely to a healthy baby is just the first step. Then you have to worry about them for the REST OF THEIR LIVES!

Sorry, that's not very helpful is it? Just wanted you to know it's not just you. And the reality it if things do go wrong you will just get on with it and deal with it, so try not to worry (which if you are anything like me is like trying ot tell me not to breathe!).

Hope you feel better today.

hi princess,

i remember reading a similar post few months ago. if i could only remember the name of the OP.... or the thread title, then i could link here. and i remember a lot of women responding to that post with similar stories. i hope they pop here soon!

from what im seeing, it seems to be very commom for women to get insecure when the due date is so close, you are not alone

Hi Princess,

You sound like me - i'm 31 weeks and although physically this pregnanacy (1st) has been very good, emotionally and
mentally i'm finding it draining. was in a dreadful state before my 20 week scan, crying and shaking (all was ok) and now that the date is nearing, the paranoia/fears are increasing. Sometimes it feels like i'm the only one who feels this way. Reassuring to know that there are others who find the whole experience less than joyful. I do sometimes feel excited about the thought of being a mum, but terrified about the health of the baby.

Thinking of you. Hope you feel better soon.

Ladies, I am 34 weeks tomorrow and exactly the same when it comes to all the worrying - have been through the pregnancy. We hopefully all KNOW that for anything to go wrong with our babies/births would be an extremely rare occurance, but to 'remember' this is easier said then done I know! Some things I find helpful to think about are:

1. I look at strangers around me on the tube or whatever and think 'they were born, they were babies once and now they're fine'....sounds mad but when you see a mass of people you don't know, it sort of helps put in perspective.

2. Remembering that we live in the UK - a first world country with good medical care, compared to other 2nd and 3rd world countries where healthy babies are still born all the time, if that makes sense.

3. Remembering that we live now - medical care is so much more advanced than it was even 10 years ago.

4. Thinking of all the people you know who have had bouncing, healthy babies...

5. Remembering that statistically, we are much more at risk of a whole number of things - such as being in a car accident - than anything awful happening with our babies...not wanting to worry people about other risks in life, but the fact is there are all kinds of things we could fret about, but don't!

In fact, if anyone else has any other ideas on how to stay positive and not worry about things going wrong, that would be great! xxx

I know what you mean. The biggest problem is how much other people's stories seem to stick in my head and form mental milestones - sad tales of loss at x weeks. I keep being relieved every time I get past the stage they were at, but I'm surprised at the number of stillborn stories I read at a late stage. How terribly sad. I mentally monitor movement and try not to reflect on it. I guess these are natural concerns.

Annie- that is exactly my worry at the moment. It seems like there are all these stories around about bad things happening at a late stage. It probably seems more because I'm focused on stories about this stage of pregnancy and the good stories do outway the bad but we don't tend to focus on these.
Thanks all for letting me know I'm not the only one.
XX