Anxiety

[ellspay]

Hi,

So I'm about 5 weeks pregnant. I of course haven't had any scans yet but I just wanted to know if anyone else has/had constant anxiety and fear of something going wrong?

Like everytime I go for a wee I'm so scared I'm going to wipe or there's going to be blood, or I think that I'm so lucky to be pregnant something bad is going to happen. Also me and my partner told our close friends and I feel like maybe we've told to many people to early and it's going to jinx it! (I know that sounds silly) but I just wanted to know if anyone has any advice or can relate?

I started taking folic acid tablets about 3 days ago which I will continue and I've googled what's best to eat, and do etc and what's best to avoid because I want to try anything and everything to make sure this baby grows healthily.

Thanks guys xxxx

Yes, I read this a lot and have it myself, near constant worry, my scan helped (12w) but only briefly, and now back to worrying, 19w scan next week. Ive kinda got used to it over time so it doesnt consume me. I avoided getting too attached to the pregnancy at first because losing it would be devastating. Would always look for blood going to the toilet (still do sometimes).

I just remind myself there is nothing I can do (other than avoid the foods etc and be careful, get flu jab etc) to influence the outcome either way, I have twins so maybe its double the worry, its a challenge in letting go of control, cos its not under our control as such what our bodies do.

Do what you can, avoid the foods on the nhs list , dont google any other lists as they differ. And take it one day at a time if you can, it helps.

and congratulations on your pregnancy :)

Congratulations! I felt (and feel) exactly the same. Every time I dare to feel any excitement, look at a cute baby outfit in a shop, or tell someone I'm pregnant, I am immediately convinced that I've jinxed it and something terrible will now happen to punish me. As if that's possible! Unless you're extremely superstituous, that's just not how it works. Also, telling your close friends will just mean that if things were to go wrong, you have some support around you. That can't be bad, surely.

With my previous pregnancy which ended just before 5 weeks I really suppressed my excitement for fear of being disappointed. However, when I lost it, it was devastating nonetheless. I figured this time that if I lose it again it's just going to be horrible anyway, whether I was happy before that or not. So I might as well enjoy being pregnant now, for however long it lasts! At least then some positive experience has come from it.

I had a private scan at 7 weeks which showed a heartbeat. It was reassuring and convinced me that I wasn't actually just imaging it. I did start to worry again pretty soon after, but I still think it was absolutely worth it. So if it's an option financially, you could consider having an early scan if you think it would help.

Good luck!

I already had pretty severe anxiety before getting pregnant although it was under control. It's not at all under control now. I was already on a high dose of sertraline which I'm sure is taking the edge off but, like you, I'm anxious pretty much all the time. I'm 8 weeks now and haven't had a proper night's sleep in weeks because my mind is just constantly going over all the bad things that can happen. I've already had two scans which do help a little but it's only a temporary relief. I've got an appointment with my psych next week so will discuss it with him and will also request a referral to the prenatal mental health team.

It's awful though isn't it? I don't understand how people can feel excited about pregnancy when I just feel worried all the time! Congratulations on your pregnancy though

Oh bless you, I'm sure a lot of women feel as you do. Thankfully, time passes fairly quickly and when you are past the three month stage, you'll relax. Hopefully then you'll start to enjoy your pregnancy.

Congratulations by the way.
- no for you at the moment :-).

Thanks for all your replies ladies. It's good to know I'm not alone! Xx

Congrats ellspay I'm 4+6 and feeling exactly as you've described. This is #2 for me and I'm so much more anxious this time around. DH keeps talking names etc but I'm holding off, I haven't self- referred yet either. I had a CP before falling pregnant with my DS and and just trying to be cautious until about 6 weeks ish. I doubt I'll feel less anxious then but I'll be passed the point of the CP so may feel slightly more relaxed!

This is so so normal!

I was exactly the same throughout my entire pregnancy (feels like a lifetime haha!)

Try to stay calm and enjoy it. You'll be the size of a house in no time

I think what you're feeling is really normal.

Something that really helps me is being prepared - physically at least - so that if I had a problem is know what to do. Have the EPU number in my phone. Have pads and paracetamol in the house and in my handbag. Then if anything was going wrong I wouldn't feel caught out. That might not help you, but it helps me to think that I'm prepared if things don't work out.