anxiety and pregnancy

CLS29 · ‎13-03-2018

hi everyone,

i'm a long time sufferer of anxiety and as a result of that, depression. my husband and i are currently trying to have a baby. we have been together for a long time and are both late 20's with stable jobs and are financially stable as well. the timing, as they say, is perfect. the only real issue that we have is now my anxiety. when we first began trying a couple of months ago i would have had the 'normal' persons reaction to trying - i was excited and only a little nervous about what was to come. fast forward a couple of months and i've suffered from a bout of gastro. sickness has been possibly the biggest of all my anxiety triggers. the loss of control over my body and how i am feeling ensures massive panic attacks will occur for the length of my sickness.

the gastro i've just had has made me very anxious to get pregnant. the thought of a repeat of uncontrollable nausea and vomiting is almost unbearable. i know not everyone gets morning sickness, but part of my issue is not knowing if that would be me. not knowing if i can handle being sick for an extended period when an hour of it sends me into uncontrollable panic. the birth also frightens me, mainly because of not knowing what will exactly happen and not having control over it. the pain is ok because i know there are available drugs - but there aren't really many options left for panicking as i know i can't take valium.

just wondering if anyone has been through a similar experience, and if anything worked for them? I'm hoping there would be nausea drugs that i could possibly get prior to getting pregnant that i could use if i needed. any other tips would be welcome. thanks.

Doolhof · ‎13-03-2018

Hi CLS29,

Welcome to the community here. I'm wondering if you have a DR you can talk to about your anxiety? It may be very beneficial to try and learn ways to cope with the anxiety before you do become pregnant.

There is a lot of information on this site about anxiety, the more you read the better informed you will be.

For some people ginger or peppermint helps with the feelings of nausea. It may be beneficial to chat with your Dr about this as well and any concerns you may have regarding a pregnancy.

Hope yo manage to find some answers! All the best.

From Dools

CLS29 · ‎13-03-2018

Thanks Dools.

I've got a GP i've spoken to a fair bit about my anxiety but as she doesn't specialise in the area, she prefers to refer me to psychologists. i had a wonderful one but she has now finished practicing which is a shame. i just felt like trying something different and hoped this forum would help talking to people who fully understand it.

thanks so much for your response

MsPurple · ‎13-03-2018

HI Guest and welcome

Trying to get pregnant can be stressful. I don't personally know but I know a lot of people struggle to get pregnant or anxious about pregnancy. I think this is a normal reaction to have. However if it is interfering with your every day life and affecting your every day activities and functioning it is something you could discuss with a professional. I know pregnancy can cause some issues with nausea however doctors will be about to help you with managing it. I know it is a scary concept but i know it will be ok for you and hopefully exciting when the time comes

quirkywords · ‎13-03-2018

HICLS29,

I too elcome you to the forum,

The last timeI was pregnant you were a baby, so my experiences were a long time ago and my have changed.

I have suffered from gastro and diarrhoea quite a lot especially when nervous.

You may not have nausea when pregnant many women do not. For my first pregnancy I did have nausea for 3 months but for me it was not as bad as gastro.

Also when yiu are pregnant you know/hope you will have lovely baby at the end of the pregnancy which makes it something to look forward to. I know feeling anxious is hard and worrying is something women do even before they become pregnant.

I worried with my second pregnancy I would get nausea again and I did but this time i had an energetic toddler to look after .

Is it possible to find an obstetrician who understands anxiety- maybe you could talk to some of your friends that have children. You need someone who understands anxiety as well as pregnancy.

Feel free to post when you want to.

You are not alone as may women feel like you or did when or before they were pregnant.

Quirky

CLS29 · ‎08-04-2018

thanks so much quirky 🙂