Anxiety

Portland1916

I am a FTM, 34, will be 35 when LO arrives in January. We had our first u/s today. Baby looked like gummy bear we saw the little nubbies and it looked like baby was doing a jig! OBGYN said everything looked really good, heart beat was awesome!

So, I am naturally anxiety prone, but now that we had our first real appt I am really obsessing over any abnormalities that we have to wait to be tested for. I know the percentage is very low, and my DH has been amazing, but I thought I would check in with you ladies for some words of encouragement. I'm 9w1d so no screening for a few weeks.
Thank you in advance! Please, only positive comments I'm pretty emotional these days.

Jaytee501

I just want to tell you that I understand :

I'm 40, I'm 12 weeks along with my 2nd.

I obsessed and worried throughout my pregnancy with my DS...and everything was and is fine!

I can say that I wish I'd done more to control my anxiety a meditation class, swimmin regularly, anything! during my last pregnancy so I'd have enjoyed it more.

I hope you can seek out things/devote time to activities that help calm you a bit. :

I hope everything goes wonderfully for you!

tarheelpixie

Once you start hitting some more milestones, I'll bet your anxiety eases a bit.

Can I just say how lucky this kid is to have a mom who is already concerned and trying to give them the best possible start in life? Sounds like your maternal instincts are kicking in and you're already feeling protective and nurturing.  That's awesome!

supersarah77

I worried a lot during my entire first trimester about miscarriage mainly. Then I continued to worry until the NT scan and 2nd tri screening for Down Syndrome, etc. I think that happened around 13 or 14 weeks? After that, my worries decreased SIGNIFICANTLY and i have just mostly been excited ever since. You're never totally in the clear but odds of something going wrong really decrease after first tri. Hang in there, I'll bet you'll feel a lot better in about a month.

Guennie

First, congratulations on your pregnancy! As you can see there are many of us who can relate to what you're feeling. I've had 5 previous losses so I really had to let go and believe that everything would be ok with this one. Some things which help me tremendously to stay positive are:

1. Listening to music I love that has a happy vibe and puts me in a good mood. This is my number one form of therapy.
2. Calling to talk to a close friend when I'm really feeling overwhelmed. Sometimes just letting yourself unload your feelings helps you get to a point where you can then relax.
3. Finding distractions so I don't sit around obsessing over the fears and worries.
4. Making my main focus POSITIVE THOUGHTS to help my body support the pregnancy. I truly believe it has made a difference.

I hope this helps good luck to you! Hugs!

mlamping

I am 36 today and I have anxiety already. It is much worst with this pregnancy. I had some bleeding at five weeks and I am scared something will go wrong a lot more. This baby was a lot of work, 6 failed IUs and one failed IVF and one frozen cycle to get here and if something happens, I am not sure I have it in me to do it again. Being pregnant this time around is a lot harder and I am four years older. I am scared and worried. 

Best of luck and I am trying to be brave and think possitive.  

ranaverde

Superzuber:

I worried a lot during my entire first trimester about miscarriage mainly. Then I continued to worry until the NT scan and 2nd tri screening for Down Syndrome, etc. I think that happened around 13 or 14 weeks? After that, my worries decreased SIGNIFICANTLY and i have just mostly been excited ever since. You're never totally in the clear but odds of something going wrong really decrease after first tri. Hang in there, I'll bet you'll feel a lot better in about a month.

This.  This is exactly how it went for me, too.  

I also eventually reached a point where I realized that, whatever's going to happen, it's not something I can control.  For me, anyway, I found that seeing things that way gave me permission to relax a bit, because I wasn't responsible if something bad happened - I hope that makes sense?

Portland1916

Thank you so much, ladies. All of your words are realty helpful and remind me I'm not the first to worry! Our appt with the genetic counselor is July 12 so I will keep you posted!

SusanTeach

If it helps, I conceived naturally, for the 1st time, at 39 (after 14 years of marriage) and am now 40. Our baby boy, Drake Edward, is due any day now. Talk about anxious! We never felt the urge to "try" until I was 37, and even then, we made travel and our jobs priorities. When I hit 39, and we were on a vacation, I think I said something like, "Well, we might as well keep trying, but after 40, we can just forget about it." When we found out, that as a result of that vacation, I was 9.5 weeks preggos, both of us were petrified! Neither of us had ever changed a diaper! What an adventure this past 9 months has been.

Before each appointment, I felt so much anxiety. Every single blood test, the Verifi genetics test (which I HIGHLY recommend), ultra-sound, etc. has turned out completely NORMAL. I won't say that I still don't catch my breath until I hear the heartbeat at my weekly appointments. Doc keeps saying all is well. Even if it weren't, just thinking about how fortunate I was to even get preggers at 39 without intervention...well, I can't be anything but positive. Think positively for the baby, too! Good luck. 

Mom38673

I am 37. This is my second. I have to say my anxiety has been though the roof. So worried about loosing him. Best things for me had been:1. Keeping busy 2. Talkin with another pregnant friend 3. Hitting 3rd Trimester4. Prayer!!!
Ever time I go to the Dr, he says its a really healthy pregnancy. Keep a positive outlook. It will be fine!!! Congrats!