8 Tips to Calm First Time Pregnancy Worries

If you saw my post on Wednesday, then you will know the big news! Me and the Mr. are expecting a baby girl in April! I wanted to share a couple of things that have helped me through the early pregnancy stages. At the beginning I really struggled with worries (okay honestly I still do). I had a lot of anxiety about small pains and wondering if everything was all right. I wanted to share my tips to calm first time (and second and third) pregnancy worries. There will always be worries with pretty much any pregnancy (it’s a natural thing to worry), but there are ways to combat the anxiety.

1. Keep Busy. When I was first pregnant I thought time was moving as slow as molasses on a below freezing day. I was thinking about being pregnant constantly. In turn I thought of all that could go wrong. Luckily, I’ve been working through this pregnancy. Going to work helped to distract me from the slow passing time and then suddenly I was half way through my pregnancy thinking where did all that time go. Find a hobby, book, TV show and get into it. Enjoy it now because time will be so precious in the months to come.

2. Don’t read everything on the internet that you can find. It is tempting to Google every little detail on pregnancy, symptoms, etc. I do it too, but I don’t let myself get sucked into it anymore. I would start reading and reading and reading. Things can happen to anyone, but in many instances the odds are that you and your baby are doing great. So put down your phone and enjoy your pregnancy. Be with your significant other, family and friends.

3. But read the good stuff. Add a pregnancy app to your phone and read all about the milestones baby is making each week. I especially love having something to compare the size of the baby to each week. Plus, these apps give lots of great info on things you might not even think about like what to buy when, healthy snacks, etc.

4. Be Healthy. By taking prenatal vitamins, exercising and planning healthy meals you are doing great things for you and your baby. Make time to get these things done. Knowing that you are doing these things can help eliminate some worries. Avoid anything like smoking, drinking and drugs that would definitely put you and the baby at risk.

4. Talk to your Dr. If you have something that is worrying you and you just can’t take it anymore, call the doc or ask in your next prenatal visit. You are likely paying a good portion for your prenatal care so you should be able to have access to your doctor, in the same breath, don’t call about every little thing cramp either.

5. Talk to your family. While every pregnancy is different, the ones that might be more closely related to yours would be that of your mother and sisters. They will have lots of advice and can tell you how things went for them. It might even put your mind at ease. You pregnancy will still be yours, but somethings run in families, like morning sickness.

6. Try not to focus on every little pain. Pregnancy can be rough for some and easy for others. If for the most part you are feeling as well as you can, a small cramp here and there can be all sorts of things. Be sure to check with your doctor if anything seems amiss, but don’t let every pain take you away from your life.

7. Have a little faith. Say a prayer, meditate, etc. Do what helps you calm down. Take a warm bath and just relax. Stress from worrying about baby doesn’t help anything!

8. Remember, millions of women have been pregnant and survived to tell the tale. Many of those women had a lot less knowledge, medical help and pain management methods. Pregnancy is hard, but you can make it through. Think of all those who have done it before and that their pregnancy went through just fine.

What things helped you keep your mind off your worries?