panic in pregnancy
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panic in pregnancy
| Mon, 02-05-2007 - 4:49pm |
I am 22 weeks pregnant, and undergoing major anxiety and panic over the idea of the baby being premature. Even though everything is perfectly normal with the baby and me so far, this is crippling me. I am afraid to get help, because I am afraid they'll take the baby away from me if I tell them some of the things that are on my mind.
I just couldn't handle it if a premature birth happened.
Does anyone have any advice?
I just couldn't handle it if a premature birth happened.
Does anyone have any advice?

hi there,
i had severe anxiety in my pregnancy as well....and was extremely worried about prematurity as my 1st son was premature....
i kept trying to tell myself that NO amount of worry would prevent a premature birth, in fact worrying about this is completely unproductive as it does you NO good....
take care of yourself, and thats all you can do to prevent prematurity...
the good news...i worried incessintly and still had a full term baby!
worry during pregnancy is NORMAL...talk to your doc, they WILL understand...mine did...and it helped tremedously to have someone to talk to.
Hi! It's nice to see you;) I am so sorry to hear about what you're experiencing. You are NOT alone. Many of us with anxiety disorders have had *catastrophic thinking.* Also, the intrusive, scary thoughts. It goes with the territory. It is NOT you. It's a combination of chemicals & the hormonal changes in your body as a result of pregnancy. Your ob/gyn will understand. This is common in pregnant women. Think about yourself & the growing baby. Needless worrying is a stress on both of you that could cause harm. Get help ASAP!
You are NOT crazy! Noone will take your baby away. I know of no woman on this board that lost their kids because of anxiety. This is a treatable condition! Doctors & therapists can tell you, that even if you have thoughts of harming your baby, you WILL NOT act on them.
Thanks for your positive reply.
Acutally, I took action with this today. In my first trimester, I prepaid my labor and delivery fee in full, and I did this over the phone (with a cc, then paid the card off). To do this, I had to register, and they sent me a receipt with an info packet. The info packet had a nice cover letter from some head nurse's name to contact in case I had questions or concerns.
I have tried to call her, but all I get are these really stupid ghetto-sounding girls who don't even know anything about anything. I couldn't get through to this nurse to save my life.
So today, I wrote her a very abstract, professional sounding letter and ABC'd all my concerns (which are valid). I then specified if she could refer me to a hospital social worker, that would be great. I included my birth plan. I put it in the snail mail to the address and ste # that was on the cover letter with my receipt.
I am hoping something comes through with my request for help from this nurse.
I want to make it clear that I am *in no way* thinking of harming the baby. Absolutely not. I know "thinking of hurting the baby" is kind of the thing now, isn't it? No, I don't blame the baby for any of this at all. What I am afraid of is that if something is wrong with the baby beyond what I can provide, then I will have to sign her over to the state so that she can receive medicaid. My dh and I have a strong relationship, but I know something like this will cause him to divorce me. And that's ok, I wouldn't blame him. We have insurance, but they have been real bullies, and I don't trust them at all.
This is why I want to talk to the social worker. I think that they will take the baby for minor reasons. If they do, it will be devistating. But I can probably train myself to think that it was for the best.
I had a dream the other night that my baby girl was about 7 or 8. She didn't know who I was, and was really messed up due to years of abuse in foster care. I was trying to tell her that I was her mom, and she somehow didn't get it. It was devistating for me.
Did I mention that when this is all over, MY TUBES ARE GETTING TIED????
I never want to go through this again. The gamble aspect has been hell. I liked being an only child, and so will she!
A rational thought did occur to me today. That while 10-12% of births are premature, half of those births, the mother has a known risk factor. So, since I have no known risk factors, I suppose I only have a 5-6% chance.
Hi & welcome to our board!
Sheri Ann