WHAT'S WORRYING ME WHILST I'M PREGNANT: 9 COMMON PREGNANCY WORRIES THAT WILL PROVE YOU AREN'T ALONE.

As of Sunday, I will be 24 weeks pregnant. 24 weeks. I mean, how did that even happen? I honestly don’t know where the time has flown, which yes, does sound a little cliche - but it’s true! My pregnancy has absolutely flown by & as each week continues to pass by faster and faster, I am suddenly beginning to realise that before long, our little baby boy really is going to be here, and life is going to become crazy. But In the best possible way of course! I shared another pregnancy blog post recently - if you'd like to check that out, head over to 'How To Stay In Shape Whilst Pregnant', after you've read this post.

I am honestly so excited to become a mummy - it’s just the most magical feeling knowing that there’s this wonderful little person growing inside me! But whilst I am really looking forward to this next chapter, I must admit, my mind, which is overly-anxious at the best of times, is in complete overdrive right now. I’m constantly contemplating different scenarios and how I will deal/manage all of these new challenges on top of everything else that fills up my time - and that side of it does scare me a little! I want to ensure that Marc and I are being the best parents we possibly can be, but I’m under no false allusions here - it’s going to take time to adjust & to establish new routines.

Anyway, I figured that I can’t be alone in what I’m feeling right now, and I imagine a lot of soon-to-be-parents go over the endless ‘what ifs’ in the run up to their little one arriving. So, for this blog post, I thought I’d share a list of all the things that I’m worrying about at the moment. Hopefully those of you reading this post will take some comfort from the content & find yourself saying “thank goodness that’s not just me!” - because trust me, it really isn’t just you. I have thought about everything - to the point of complete destruction!

So, without any further ado, let’s talk pregnancy/future parent anxieties. I hope you enjoy!

Baby on board - our baby boy is due on 2nd August

1.What If my labour and birth is horrific?

Okay, so this is one that I’m going to assume every pregnant women worries about at some point in her pregnancy, particularly as she moves from the second trimester into the third trimester. Oddly, I’ve actually started thinking about this a lot less recently, as I’ve kind of just accepted the entire process. Let’s be really here, how could something as physically taxing as birth possibly feel anything but painful? I know some people have truly horrendous birth experiences, though, so I just hope that mine isn’t completely awful. I guess I’ll just have to see how it goes, and when he’s here, I’ll be sure to share all the details! Eek!

2. What If I don’t feel an instant connection with my baby?

Apparently, this is actually really common - both the worrying about it, and the actual thing itself. Obviously when you’ve been carrying a little person for 9 months, the expectation is that you immediately feel this overwhelming sense of love and affection towards them - but this isn’t always the case. I’m quite an emotional person anyway so I don’t see myself being someone that struggles to accept my baby, but I think it’s good to know that if this were to happen, it’s actually pretty normal. Our mental health is truly tested during pregnancy for a multitude of different reasons, and so it only makes sense that for some people, the likes of post natal depression and general post-baby blues are to be expected.

3.What I’d I don’t know what my baby wants when he cries?

This isn’t something I’m terribly worried about, as I’m sure it’s something I will soon pick up, but having done some research into what other women worry about when they first become a mum, I believe that this is a pretty common worry amongst first time mums. I would say that this has crossed my mind, but I’m just trusting in the process and I’m confident that I’ll quickly pick up on what our baby is wanting/needing from us.

Knitted baby teddy

4. What If I can’t settle my baby?

Again, this ties into the above, really. Right now, this isn’t my biggest concern, but when I do actually take the time to think about it, I can completely understand why so many new mums and dads find this so difficult. It must feel like you’re really doing something wrong if you can’t settle your baby & they just continue to cry, so I can totally see why this would be incredibly stressful. And of course, not being able to get the baby to sleep means that both parents are missing out on valuable rest and recuperation, too.

5. What if I become ratty and snappy because I’m tired all the time?

Now, this is something that I do worry about, as I’m one of those people that likes to keep the mood high & everybody else smiling. When I do feel myself drifting into a bad mood for whatever reason, I immediately feel a sense of guilt at the same time. I hate the fact that when one person isn’t feeling altogether happy or jolly, it immediately impacts on everybody else. For this reason, I want to ensure that I remain full of positive energy when the baby comes along, even when I’m super tired. Naturally, I’ll have snappy moments, I’m sure - but in general, I’m determined to continue being my happy-go-lucky self.

Baby boy swing

6. What If my baby has something wrong with him?

This one is more of a serious fear and something that does genuinely terrify me. I actually try not to contemplate this too much as I think I would end up getting very upset and stressed, but i do think it’s important to let other expectant mums know that worrying in this way is completely normal. I’m a very worrisome person at the best of times and I really do get overly-anxious about the health and well-being of those closest to me, so I kind of always knew that this would be something that would make me fearful. Fortunately, I am in control of this worry & I am able to rationalise this anxiety.

7. What if our dog gets jealous of our baby?

Okay, so I’m a huge dog lover and our dog Elvis (and his brother, Buddy, who lives with my parents) means the world to me, and so I can’t help but worry that when the baby comes along, the pups will feel pushed out in some way. I really don’t want Elvis to feel like he’s not the baby anymore (because he always will be!) and already I’m thinking about how to introduce Elvis to our little boy. I want our fur baby and our human baby to have a great relationship and I’m really keen to get them bonding. If anyone has any tips on tips by the way, I would love to hear from you! Please drop me a message or leave a comment in the comments box below - your help on this would be very much appreciated.

8. What if I don’t have any time for myself anymore?

This is a really big one for me, and I really want to hear from any new mums that have experience in this, as it would be enormously helpful for me. I’m not a selfish person and I like to think that I’m not overly high maintenance, but there are certain things that I do like doing for myself that make me feel good about myself. So, when I think about the fact that my self-care routine is potentially going to suffer or be impacted in some way when baby gets here, I can’t help but get a teeny bit anxious.

If I don’t get to blow dry my hair every single morning and my gel nails have to wait a little while longer to be refreshed, then I totally accept that - but I’m determined to continue getting that all-important me-time. Things like performing my skincare routine twice a day and indulging in a bubble bath once a week are really important to me, and I want some kind of reassurance that I’ll still get time for these things. People have actually reassured me in this regard and have reminded me that I do have a loving husband who will be on-hand to help, but I’ve also experienced my fair share of scare-mongering, too, which I don’t really understand. Nurturing a baby and raising a happy, healthy child is absolutely a joint effort for any couple that is bringing up that child together, and there’s no reason why both parties can’t enjoy a little bit of time to themselves.

Baby boy clothes 

9. What if my relationship suffers when the baby gets here?

I’m not too worried about this, as I feel like having a baby is such a wonderful contribution to a relationship. I honestly just love that feeling that Marc and I have been able to create this beautiful little person and that he is equally 50% of both of us - it’s just wonderful! However, I do occasionally think about how we will manage our time, how often we will be able to squeeze in romantic date nights and so on. Fortunately, my parents live just a few minutes away from us, so I’m confident that when our little man gets a bit older, they will be happy to keep an eye on him for a couple of hours whilst we focus solely on us. Truthfully though, I’m excited for a cute little addition to our date nights! I feel like it’s so important to really think about when you’re ready to start a family, as you have to accept that life will change and that it isn’t just all about you anymore - and I think between us, we are definitely ready for that!

These are the 9 pre-baby worries that are standing out most to me right now, but I know that there are TONS of other things that other future mums fret about, so feel free to share those with me either via direct message, or in the comments section below.

I really hope that you all enjoyed this blog post and that you no longer feel alone in your anxieties - I for one completely understand!

Until next time my lovely readers.

Lots of love,
Grace x