Pregnancy Fears That Made Me Lose My Sleep!

 

Summary: Apart from being physically taxing, pregnancy took a significant toll on my mental health as well. When I was expecting, I was constantly afraid of something going wrong. I have here discussed some of my most potent pregnancy fears.

 

They say that being paranoid while expecting is not at all healthy. However, is staying absolutely cool and worry-free during pregnancy even possible? At least it wasn’t in my case – and the sheer volume of apprehensions that used to clout my mind during those nine months was enough to make me have nightmares! I am now a proud mom of a bonny seven-month old kid, and still, I recall some of the fears I was plagued by when I was expecting:

a.       My diet would damage my baby’s health – My regular gynaecologist in Kolkata had prepared a regular diet chart for me to follow during this time – but I was still apprehensive about what I should or should not eat. In addition to unpasteurized dairy products and raw meat, I even decided to give up coffee (my favorite beverage) altogether. In fact, I used to sneak into the kitchen, to make sure that my mom was properly washing all the vegetables before cooking!

b.      My sleeping position would hurt the baby – During the first couple of trimesters, I was absolutely terrified of lying down on my side in bed – lest the fetus inside my reproductive tracts got damaged in any way. This fear did get allayed later though – thanks to the repeated assurances of the pregnancy abortion expert that the embryo is kept secure by plenty of bodily fluids, and chances of such accidental damages were negligible.

c.       Will I have a miscarriage? – This chronic fear of mine made me visit a well-known infertility center in Kolkata, as many as three times. I had no prior history of fertility disorders, my menstruation cycles were more or less regular – and yet, the fear of miscarriage seemed to have a vice-like grip on me. Doctors told me that, unless I happened to have a heavy fall or take a serious bump on my belly, a miscarriage was not likely. I wasn’t much convinced though!

d.      My water might break any day – On the internet, I found plenty of records of premature deliveries, which, at times led to messy abortion procedures. Finicky that I was, I started feeling that I too could go into labor practically any day – right from when my third trimester started. My gynecologist in Kolkata (a really understanding lady) used to show me the ultrasound images every week, and had made arrangements for the delivery, from a fortnight before the scheduled delivery date. My baby, however, arrived on time – and my fears proved to be baseless.

e.      My baby might have birth defects – Experts at the pregnancy and abortion clinic in Kolkata I had chosen kept telling me that hardly four out of every hundred pregnancies led to disfigured babies, but that did not put my mind at rest. The prospect of my kid having extra fingers and weird facial aberrations kept disturbing me, and I was panicky even on the day of the delivery. Thank goodness, my girl turned out to be perfectly normal (and beautiful)!

f.        I am looking horrible – I was not insecure enough to think that my hubby will find my pregnant body to be repulsive, but self-doubts about my appearance kept creeping in. My face had become slightly bloated, breasts felt significantly heavier, and I had gained quite a bit of weight. In fact, the last factor caused me to wonder whether I needed to undergo a weight-reduction course at a local infertility treatment center for some time. It was not necessary though, and I am almost back to my pre-pregnancy weight already!

g.       I will probably need a caesarian operation – I had this strange dread for c-sections, and understandably, was pretty much convinced that I would need one at the time of my delivery. The tests conducted at my pregnancy and IVF center in Kolkata indicated that I was likely to have a normal delivery, but this fear did not seem to leave me. Reading too much about umbilical cord problems and cases of babies getting suffocated inside their mothers’ wombs probably fueled this dread of mine. Once again, I need not have worried – for my delivery was normal.

h.      The labor pains would be unbearable – Well, it’s termed ‘labor’, and a new life is brought to earth through the process – so it was hardly likely that the labor contractions when my water broke will be comfortable ones. However, I used to worry too much about the acute pains I would be in during labor, to be actually able to enjoy the journey of pregnancy to the fullest. The fear became particularly prominent after my first trimester.

i.         I needed to eat more for my baby – Thankfully, the professionals at the pregnancy and infertility clinic in Kolkata I had selected busted this misconception within the first couple of months of pregnancy. I used to think that the bouts of morning sickness were pointers that my baby is not getting enough nourishment, until the doctor told me that there was no such causal relationship. I needed to follow a balanced diet, and drink plenty of fluids – that’s all.

For the weekly diagnostic tests required, I made it a point to choose a lab that offered one of the finest provisions for blood examinations and ultrasonography in India. I researched a lot about surrogacy too, just in case some mysterious complications did crop up at the last moment. To all the soon-to-be moms out there, don’t be as paranoid as I was. You won’t be able to experience the pure bliss of impending motherhood, as a result!