Pregnancy Anxiety

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Litcrit

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I took a pregnancy test this morning and it’s positive. Apparently, we’re going to be parents of three children relatively soon! This child wasn’t planned (conceived on day 7 of my cycle), but (s)he will be welcomed.

However. I have a lot of anxiety, which is at this point possibly hormonal in origin, but that doesn’t help.

I’m worried about money and my job. I’m worried about my doctorate. I’m worried about handling three children with very different but pressing needs at the same time (my oldest goes to school, the middle one is very demanding and temperamental ad loud and at home). I’m worried about my health - only recently have I realized that a Pap smear done during my previous pregnancy was possibly/probably/likely suspicious. It was at the end of the pregnancy, so I didn’t pay much attention and only connected the dots later. Now I’m worried that I’ll have cervical cancer in pregnancy and that I or the baby or both will die or something (of course I’ll see my doctor and am not soliciting medical advice).

I’m having trouble letting go of these worries. Any vaguely general reassurance or prayers would be greatly appreciated. :o
 
Best wishes! It sounds like you have a lot of good things in your life (the kids, the dissertation, your job), but maybe more than you can handle right now.

I would suggest:
  1. Make sure that you have total confidence in your OB or other practitioner. Find the best one you can, explain your concerns, and then let them do the medical worrying for you.
  2. Can you get help? If you don’t have any local options or can’t afford them, do you have enough space so that you could house a helpful relative or friend for a couple of months with the idea of freeing you up so that you can devote yourself to your dissertation? You might have a young cousin or niece or something that would be thrilled at the chance of free room and board in exciting and exotic Ruritania (or wherever you are). Choose carefully, of course. “Just” getting an extra chapter or two of your dissertation done would do a lot for your morale even if you have to shelve it for another half year once the baby arrives. Knowing that you have help for a limited time may help you with motivation and focus–you can do almost anything for two months. I think I would time the visit for the second trimester, which is when you have the best chance of feeling relatively perky. If you’re in your first trimester right now and feeling poorly, I would suggest taking a break from unnecessary activities.
(I have to confess that my most ambitious activity while expecting my third baby was walking to the fridge and I found even just catching up my email intellectually challenging, but I’m wishing you a more energetic pregnancy. If you also find it impossible to manage anything while pregnant, I would suggest following the same plan, but waiting until the new baby is three months old before starting. Three month old babies are generally charming, low-maintenance and cooperative.)

Congratulations!
 
Congratulations, Litcrit, and prayers for you and your baby and family. :hug1:

Trust in God that everything will be fine, and that He will give you any strength that you will need.
 
Praying for you.

Just take it one day at the time. Put your trust in God and let Him sort it out. I find that to be the best way when life becomes too much.

This is one of my favourite prayers: “Jesus, I surrender myself to you. You take care of it.”
 
Hail, Mary! Full of grace,
The Lord is with thee;
Blessed are thou among women,
And blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus.

Holy Mary, Mother of God,
Pray for us sinners,
Now, and at the hour of our death. Amen.

May God Bless you!
 
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