Stress - 25 weeks pregnant

[Unicornorange]

I think I know that this won't directly harm my baby but I'm just looking for advice, support, words of wisdom...a pat on the back!

Currently 25 weeks pregnant, already have a 2 and 4 year old, living with partners family during extension works to our house (absolutely no issues with family but it just makes the day to day logistics more difficult). I've found the process of having this building work done so much more stressful than I thought and to top it off there's now a dispute between the neighbors, the builders and the architect and I'm stuck in the middle of it all just trying to do the right thing. I also have two high profile projects on at work and I feel like I'm constantly chasing my tail and it's only a matter of time before I drop the ball either in my personal or professional life.

I've always been someone who takes things in my stride but for the first time in my life it just all feels too much. Some days I feel like I can feel high blood pressure/high heart rate just constantly in the background. Now I'm reading about high cortisol affecting the baby and stressing about that too....

I took a sick day last week because I just needed a break from it all but spent all day worrying about work and the house anyway.

Just all feels crap at the moment

When I was pregnant with DC1 (21 or so weeks), I had stabbing abdominal pains. I went to the doctor, and described my symptoms. He barked at me: “Stress. Are you stressed?”

Well, yes I was. Since I’d got the (unplanned) line on my pregnancy test, a close cousin had died unexpectedly (less than a fortnight before I got married). I got married. My sister was in and out of ITU. We were moving. DH was changing jobs.

He said, “Well of course, you’re stressed. Just don’t get stressed about being stressed.”

That was 26 years ago. DC1 is a successful young woman, who runs marathons in her free time. She is, if I’m honest, the most highly strung of my children. But I doubt if that has anything to do with her womb-time.

So, accept you’re stressed. And don’t get stressed about being stressed.