Considering motherhood, every first timer frets at the thought of being pregnant. The moment she realizes she is carrying, a surge of thoughts and worries rush through her mind, which go on till delivery. And, then, there are other sets of worries post that. Below are the top 10 things pregnant women constantly worry about.
1. Your Baby’s Health
Moms are often anxious about their babies health. For many, their regular ultrasound scans involve a combination of excitement and anxiety. While it makes them happy to see their baby every time, they also bite their nails over the possibility of something wrong appearing in the scans.
2. The Fear Of Miscarriage
Many mothers feel that if they do or don’t do something, it will result in a miscarriage. Miscarriage is a consequence of chromosome abnormality – it may alter normal fetal development. The good news is that more than 80% of the pregnancies result in healthy births. After your doctor finds the heartbeat, which is around the 6-8th week, the risk of miscarriage drops to 5%. If a couple has already experienced a miscarriage in the past, it will relieve them to know that the risk of a second miscarriage is below 3%.
3. Morning Sickness And Other Intense Pregnancy Symptoms
One obvious thing to worry about are the usual pregnancy symptoms that almost every expectant mom goes through – morning sickness, nausea, swollen feet, and backache to name a few. Morning sickness neither leads to any nutritional deficiency nor in any way affects the fetus. There is nothing to worry about, unless you feel too dehydrated or unwell to call a doctor.
4. Wrong Eating And Drinking
During pregnancy, women are under a lot of pressure to eat and drink healthy. Apart from having a healthy diet and balanced amounts of vital nutrients, women don’t have to worry about eating unhealthy once in a while. Your doctor will advise you about the foods to strictly avoid. Then again, if you happen to drink unpasteurized juice or eat unpasteurized cheese accidentally, which doctors advise against, nothing bad will happen to you or your baby.
5. Going Too Early Into Labor
This fear is justified since the rate of premature births has seen a steady increase over time. But, more than 70% of babies who are born between the 34-36th week of pregnancy have a lower risk of any serious complications. To reduce any risks on your end, avoid smoking and drinking, have regular checkups, and take prenatal folic acid supplements, if and as recommended by your obstetrician.
6. The Excruciating Labor Pain
How much will it hurt? How long will it last? These questions often boggle mothers at the time of delivery or as the due date gets closer. Just to impart some confidence, women have been doing this since the beginning of time, so you can handle it too. And, these days science has devised several ways to curb the pain. If you are one of those who gets more nervous reading a lot of information online, talk to your doctor directly about it. The trick is not to stress it too much – the calmer you are, the easier it gets.
7. Embarrassment During Delivery
The thought of having embarrassing moments during delivery is common. You would have come across delivery room stories online – woman who pooped during delivery, or shouted an obscenity at her husband in everyone’s presence. Also, the thought of doctors and nurses staring at your vagina for an extensively long time is itself fretting. First, they do that almost five times a day as a part of their profession, and it makes no difference to them. Second, you won’t really care in that moment of giving birth.
8. Need An Emergency C-section
Almost every c-section is known in advance – it is a planned surgery. The doctor will let you know if you need one. They are not those scary, last-minute decisions. In case of complications, or if the mother had a c-section previously, there is a specialized medical team in the hospital to take care of you and your baby, so you don’t need to panic.
9. Unable To Lose Baby Weight
Every pregnant woman worries about getting into shape soon after delivery. They feel they won’t be able to regain their pre-pregnancy bodies back. Researchers say that 14-20% of women retain some of their pregnancy weight, yet they can lose every last pound they gained during pregnancy. Doctors recommend staying within the margin of 25-30 pounds of weight gain, to lose it easily later. Breastfeeding can help you slim down naturally. You can still ask your doctor if you wish to begin exercising soon after.
10. Won’t Be Able To Make A Good Mommy
Moms often feel skeptical about their own selves, thinking they may not prove to be good moms. They may feel their care and attention towards their baby isn’t enough – they get stressed trying to be a perfect mother. If this is a concern for you, then it is a sign of good parent in itself. Try not staying on your toes all the time.
Remember, things will pass smoothly. Don’t push yourself off the edge with stress and worry. Seek advice from the doctor, and support from your near and dear ones. Pregnancy is a wonderful journey – and worrying is the last thing you would want to do during this time.
