Health Anxiety and Pregnancy

[Amanda74]

I have had my health anxiety for about 12 months now and it doesnt seem to be improving, I am waiting for a counselling session (waitlist is about 10 months long)

My husband and I are at the point where we have started to think about having a baby but I am very worried because i keep thinking of all the complications that could happen and that I could die. Not helped by the fact that I am overweight and I know this means I am at high risk of complications.

Does anyone have any advice, been overweight and pregnant or had a health anxiety and been pregnant?

Any advice would be gratefully received

[blondie47]

I ripped out all the pages of my pregnancy books that had to do with stuff that could go wrong. Of course, I had my kids long before the Internet, so there was no worries of googling. I didn't have full blown HA when I was young and pregnant, but I think I've always been the anxious type and knew better than to leave those pages in the books. Once I did that, I had no worries.

Good luck with your plans to have a baby! I can tell you that even though I live with this horrible HA on and off over the years, I am so forever grateful for my kids. I can't imagine not having had them, or what my life would be like without them. Its the best decision I never had to have kids -- it makes you less selfish and more in tune to the circle of life.

[nataliean1982]

i have had health anxiety since i was pretty young, it comes and goes. with my first two preg. i really didnt have any problems with anxiety. with the third i had several anxiety attacks, and always thought something was going wrong. just remember its only forty weeks of your life, and then you have a lifetime with your child. DO NOT research any kinds of complications or things that could go wrong. discipline yourself not to do that. if you have a real concern when you are pregnant, just ask your doc.

[Stressed32]

I worry about the same thing! I told my hubby to feel bad for our Dr cause I will be his nutty patient that knows it all from Google! We have been trying to get pregnant for 3 years and haven't...and I have come to realize that this is the easy part b/c once I am...I will be terrified of about a million different things! Good luck and please know..ur not alone and stress is NOT good for concieving!

[deb141]

Hi, i put off trying for a baby for years due to my anxiety. But as i started getting older ( i am now 34) i thought it was time and i actually really wanted to be a mom. After a long time trying i got pregnant and at the time was nearly 16 stone. I had a lovely pregnancy but still suffered with panic and anxiety, i used to ask the consultant for a c section and they just said no !. I worried that much that i went overdue by 11 days and had to be induced. I was quite calm through this and had an epidural. My baby girl was born healthy and it was amazing. It was soooooo worth it all, and i totally understand what your saying. I just had to put myself in the hands of the professionals and trust their judgment. Don't read up on complications you will stress yourself out even more and thats not good for you and your baby. mY baby is 6 months old now and its all a blur ! You will be fine, your body knows what to do. Take care

[Amanda74]

Thank you all for your replies - im glad im not alone in my feelings.

Am going to see the doctor this week to talk about getting pregnant as I have PCOS as well! so don't think it will be very easy to conceive

Wish me luck

A

[doodah]

Hello Amanda,

Just read your post and the wonderful replies you've had. I've had agoraphobia/anxiety for more years than I care to remember - when I fell pregnant over 22 years ago I was petrified - excited too, but more worried about how on earth I was going to cope! At that time I was taking all sorts of weird and wonderful pills and potions too :(

Strangely enough though, being pregnant was the making of me! Like you I thought of all the "what if's" but when it came to giving birth I went through the whole thing with no pain killers, no gas and air, just naturally - I couldn't believe that someone like ME could do that lol!

When my daughter was born I obviously had all the natural worries that any new mum would have, but I found having someone who totally and utterly depended on me helped me enormously with the agoraphobia and anxiety.

I hope you get on really well when you see your doctor!

Wendy xx