Who can relate? As of today, I am 17 weeks pregnant with our second baby and I couldn’t be more excited. But the excitement I feel is met with a lot of uneasy feelings and anxious thoughts about what’s to come in this current climate.
I found out I was pregnant in January of 2020 and just four months later, we went from planning the Disney trip of a lifetime to figuring out if we can even get to the grocery store. At first I found being super informed eased my anxiety but with so much uncertainty in the media surrounding this ominous virus, information hasn’t done more than make me fearful for what’s to come. This virus is scary enough when it affects you or your family. Its a new type of fear what it affects a small being that only you feel you can protect. You are no longer staying indoors for yourself to stay safe but so you can keep this little baby safe as well. It is an immense sense of pressure that is put on families to stay safe during this crisis.
When information starts to fail me, here is what I remind myself in an attempt to keep my anxiety at bay and this little baby happy:
Try to control only what is under your control – we cant control what is happening outside our windows. We can’t control the rules the hospitals make about visitors. We cant make people stay quarantined or stop bulk buying, but we can control how we treat ourselves. We can create a safe space at home (if you are able to stay home – thank you to all those working to keep us safe!) where we have what we need to feel as calm as possible.
Give yourself grace – allow yourself to feel nervous, anxious and excited. It’s okay to be excited about your new baby in such uneasy times! It’s okay to be terrified of what state the world will be in when you deliver. And, its okay to eat 2 cupcakes in one sitting while you binge watch The Tiger King (have you watched this show yet?!).
Remember, that you are doing all you can for your family and this baby – Whether that means staying home in quarantine or as an essential employee; you are doing the best that you can and that is all that matters. Remember that when this all passes, this will feel like only one (brutally long) chapter in your story.
Talk about how you’re feeling – talk to your husband or wife. Talk to your friends. Talk to your parents. Or even just talk to you in a journal or to the mirror. Let out the feelings of frustration, of anger or fear. Sometimes it may feel like the Corona virus is over shadowing this monumental time in your life and that is so frustrating! Maybe talking out how you feel will alleviate some of that pressure or at least it will bring others onto your raft, so you don’t feel so alone.
Being pregnant is exciting and stressful already! Add into the mix a global pandemic and yikes, it can get a bit overwhelming. I have been kept up at night with the uncertainty of whether or not I will be allowed to bring my husband in with my to give birth to this baby and the idea of missing out on that first look, when Olivia meets the baby in the hospital. I just keep reminding myself to only worry about what I can control, and that everything else will fall into place. The nurses will be there to comfort and care for us and the new baby and remember mommas – we are all stronger than we ever give ourselves credit for. Im trying to implement these ideas of giving myself grace and room to feel sad, of eating that second cupcake and taking out how I feel.
We will get through this, supporting each other. Talking about how we are feeling. Finding support in others. Please, message me and talk to me about how you’re feeling. I am going through the same thing. We got this.
A New Perspective Project 