Anxiety due to pandemic

[brummiemumm]

Anyone else struggling to sleep even more so lately due to anxiety? I am 39+4 and while I'm doing my best in the day to stay positive and excited about my upcoming labour, at night I wake up and lie awake for hours thinking of the prospect of birthing alone or my baby contracting Covid-19 or lie feeling so sad at the thought of family not being able to meet our little one (my first baby and my parents' first grandchild). It's so hard to stay positive at night for some reason...

It will be morning soon, and things will seem better. You're safe in your house, and your baby is safe inside of you. That's a lovely thought.

I gave birth two weeks ago, extremely weird not having my parents around but we know it's for the best however difficult it is. I have cried A LOT and I have FaceTime even more often than I've cried.

You'll get through this! Are you having a boy or a girl? Is there something nice and funny you could watch until the sun comes up?

I feel exactly the same. Due a c section next week and petrified of everything. The process, that something might go wrong, the pandemic, my partner getting ill. It's a lot. And it's my first. Insomnia doesn't help things either. X

Thankyou newmumagain for your lovely message. You're right - I feel better now it's day and I can keep busy. Had a little nap too as the tiredness doesn't help. I've already cried a lot and imagine that there will be many more tears to come but hearing about other people who are going through this and coping makes me feel so much stronger so thank you. We don't know whether we are having a boy or a girl and I'm so glad now as it's going to be such an amazing surprise.
Hope your little one is doing well?

@Pip231018 thank you for your reply. It's such a scary time isn't it. And I must say I'm getting a little annoyed by certain friends who just keep saying things like 'at least you won't have to tidy the house for visitors'... I'm so sad to think my own parents won't get to meet their first grandchild, and we won't have the support we would have had ordinarily from both family and health workers.
When is your section? I will be crossing everything for you that it goes well and you can be home soon with your little one.

@brummiemumm I'm also in midlands btw

Yes little one is okay, two year old was taken to hospital last night with DH with high temp he's back home and asleep now. I've sort of got to the point where I feel like there's so much to worry about I can't possible worry about it all lol.

Thank you for this post and I'm sorry you are feeling this way :(

Im 35 weeks and I am feeling exactly the same...it breaks my heart to think my parents (also their first gchild) wont be able to visit the baby. All these little plans, ideas and thoughts I had in my head seem to have been changed by the virus.

Im trying to focus on the fact that they have only been changed..not ruined. At the end of it all, I will still have my precious baby (we also dont know if boy or girl) and we can stay in our little bubble of love.

If you need to cry....just cry. Im just trying to be less hard on myself. Im allowed to feel sad. Im allowed to feel worried, anxious & upset. BUT this is only temporary.

:) :( xx

Hi there,

Just wanted to let you know I’m feeling exactly the same. I’m 39+3 and also having a lot of anxiety. I was actually up reading threads at the same time as your original post last night.

I cannot sleep at all and just have naps. I lie awake feeling very worried and just depressed. Day time is a lot better for me too however, I am feeling positive at the moment and bleaching the house which makes me happy (sigh).

I’m so looking forward to baby being here but also feel very sad that my mum won’t meet him for a while.I have already warned everybody that I will be spamming them all with FaceTime of baby.

I am trying to stay positive today and can honestly say that newborn stage will be a walk in the park after all of the madness from last few weeks. I’m looking forward to having something to do!

Keep strong and just know you are not alone in this. You will love having your baby here regardless of what is going on around you.

X

It sounds mad ladies but it's actually so reassuring to know others are feeling the same and going through the same thing. We will all get through this and how amazing we will feel after it's all over. The lack of sleep and boredom doesn't help the worry but I've kept busy baking and crocheting today!
Where in the midlands are you newmumagain? I am due to give birth at Walsall manor hospital.

Hi all...

It's good to know that I'm not the only one feeling this but also sad to know that there are so many others out there who can't sleep and feel panic stricken/lost/confused and disappointed.

I was at the hospital today for a growth scan and the baby is a little small so they considered delivering early but they are sticking with next Thursday unless I have any changes to movement. I've had a tricky couple of months with GD, reduced fluid, movement & small baby plus the pandemic.

I'm in the NW and had a bit of a cry to the midwife because I'm so anxious and have been awake since 2.30. She said that my hospital isn't in a bad place at the moment and they have more staff due to the emptying of the hospitals. It's hard as they can't really say much to reassure you but midwives are almost ring fenced and they want you in and out ASAP.

I said I understood the restrictions and why they were there so I wouldn't shout about it. But at the same time feel like my partner and I are missing out on a special experience with it being our first and he can only be there for surgery before having to leave. Then he can't see us again until he picks us up ☹️ someone said something similar on another thread and another poster called the OP selfish. So apologies if I sound selfish to wish for a 'normal' experience, part of me feels a bit robbed. I just want what most new Mums have had as standard up until now. Obviously I understand why we can't given the circumstances.

My Dad is self isolating in France, my sisters husband is super high risk and isolating for 12 weeks, my partners parents are isolating too. So, it does sadden me that we don't get to share the joy of a new baby. I feel like human contact was something we took for granted and I would love so much to have the experience of being a new mum with family support and someone to hold the baby whilst I washed my hair 😂

I know that this is just the way it is and we all have to get on with it. I'd love for it to be over sooner rather than later so I can enjoy my baby, my maternity leave and get to see my loved ones again.

Wishing everyone lots of luck and a good nights sleep, because everything is better after a good nights sleep. X

37 weeks and feel same as everyone else.
Scared, disapointed, anxious, worried, upset. I’ve had a really good last week but I know it’s the calm before the storm before I go mad again.
I have a 2 year old as well which is making everything 100 times harder. But on the plus side for me, this isn’t my first, or my parents first grandchild etc etc so it was already less ‘special’ according to society anyway. But apparently I should be less scared of birth because I’ve done it before - i’m not.
Everyone I know/interact with keeps writing to me things like ‘thinking of you during this worrying time’ and the like, which scares the life out of me but also makes me realise that me, and op/pp are going through a particularly tough one here and should remember that. This is not normal or ok for anyone, but the added stress of a global medical crisis is very very upsetting for us. Guaranteed there won’t be a heavily pregnancy woman in the country right now who isn’t feeling all of these same things

@Pip231018 you are not selfish at all. People need to realise that, while we all totally understand that it's not the hospitals or midwives' fault, and we understand why this needs to happen, it doesn't make it any easier. We are effectively grieving for the experiences we have lost. I've felt the same - I've had people messaging saying things like 'ah well just enjoy not having visitors annoying you' and 'it'll all soon be over' and it just makes me feel more angry and sad.
We all know we've got to get through this, and there's nothing we can do, but we are all more than entitled to feel sad, disappointed, scared, anxious and anything else we are feeling.
Best of luck ladies - we will get through this - it's going to be a bit shit but we will come out the other end!

Hi All.

Just an update. The hospital have cancelled my c section. The Dr that called didn't seem to have read my notes or knew I had GD. I think from what she said she was just phoning first time mums on the elective section list.

When I queried what my options were she said 'let's just see how you get on' - I queried what that meant and if I could have a section or not at the time I went in to labour or if I didn't (because I've been told I won't go over 39 weeks with my GD and other hiccups throughout the last 3 months). There was no answer to my questions. I have never discussed any other pain relief or birth options, I have no preferences, I've not done antenatal classes as it was discussed from very early on that I'd have a section.

She essentially said that they are running the NHS day by day. It wasn't at all reassuring. She said they will always have an emergency service available for sections. I've been referred back to my ANC (or told I will be) but they can't do a growth scan as I had one yesterday and they were concerned the baby was still a bit small hence the debate to move delivery. The Dr was also unaware of that discussion.

I'm not really sure of my options now, maybe they will give me an induction date, despite the fact I've already said in my number out conversations I didn't want an assisted birth or an induction.

I get the sense no one really knows what is happening and the information yesterday was wildly different to today. The Dr herself said, what we say today can change tomorrow so you need to be flexible with any plans. I hear you, but easier said than done if I go in to labour.

Just wanted to share this with you to let you know how quickly things change.

X