Worries about baby’s health and development

[CanadaFall]

Hi all

Currently 32 weeks pregnant and wondered if anyone has experienced unjustified worries in pregnancy about their baby’s development etc after birth?

I can’t stop worrying that my child will have problems in later life. I worry he’ll be autistic for example and what that will mean for him and wonder if I’d be able to cope.

I plan on mentioning my concerns at my next midwife appointment although there is nothing to justify these worries. Is this normal FTM anxieties?

Did anyone else feel similar? I think naturally you just want the best for you children

Hello. I'm 33 weeks and 100% with you. Earlier in pregnancy I worried about missed miscarriage, then I worried they'd find something at each scan then I worried about the genetic testing. I'm getting to the point where I'm more relaxed about those things but within the last week I've started worrying about the exact same things: what if she has autism, what if she has mental health issues... what if, what if. I put it down to the wealth of information we have these days. Just scrolling through some of the family/ pregnancy YouTube videos I watch you don't go far before you see an "autism" update or something. It's wonderful that they're out there able to support others going through the same thing but it's also scary at our stage because it makes you hyper aware that it's a possibility. The chances are small and if it does happen, you'll be well supported. But social media/ media in general does sometimes bombard you with the idea that you should always be hyper alert that something will be wrong, when in fact it's quite unlikely.

Mention it to your midwife for sure, she'll be able to talk you through it. Good luck, we're probably due at very similar times!