Fear of Miscarriage During Pregnancy
I’m not sure if any pregnant mother gets through their pregnancy without the fear of miscarriage. Usually, we walk on edge for the first trimester, the danger period when most miscarriages occur.
Photo: bies
Last year I went for my first 12 week scan, relived to have made it to the second trimester, only to discover that there was no baby and I had a blighted ovum.
For this pregnancy, the first trimester was a little shaky for me, and those persistent panicked thoughts of “Am I going to lose my baby,” rarely left me.
Here I am now, at 26 weeks, and I can feel my daughters feet firmly kicking my belly and am comforted to know she is still with me and growing well.
Does the fear of first trimester miscarriage leave you once you hit the second trimester?
No. It lessens somewhat, but there is still that darkness lurking in the background that something could happen. The stories you’ve heard of babies lost at any stage of the pregnancy remind you of how real it is for some people, and have you hoping it won’t happen to you.
Any pain in your abodomen sends a freak out chill down your spine. “Stay with me baby,” you whisper. “Grow big and strong.” And then you realize, in relief, that it’s just round ligament pain or lower back pain from the extra few kilos you are now carrying.
Now as I venture into the third and final trimester each week is brought with a thought of “I’m that much closer now, if something were to happen, my baby has a X% chance of surviving.”
Each new week you breathe a sigh of relief that those odds have increased.
Pregnancy changes your body, and it changes your rational mind. You think of things you wouldn’t normally fear. And then that fear of miscarriage turns into a fear of losing your child once they are born.
It’s not a dominant fear, but it is a lingering shadowy fear that quickly pops its head as you start your car, or plug up your power sockets, or think about travelling to exotic destinations.
It’s a fear that becomes part of being a parent, and one you need to learn how to relinquish its hold on you.
At least one good thing is that it reminds you to love deeply and cherish every single moment spent with your child.
Comments
Brynn
My fears just lessened in the 2nd trimester, but towards the end of the second and in the third they were alot better though I worried about preterm labor. The worry starts with pregnancy and never ends as a mom 🙂
Following back, thank you for visiting my blog!
Caz
The life of a mom! It turns you from someone who never worries who now lies awake imagining the most riduclous things happening
Sonia
Although my pregnancy was almost 10 yrs ago, I had the fear of a miscarriage after a slight slip on the tub the same day I found out I was pregnant (completely unplanned & single) and the shock was still settling in, but after the slipped I got scared. After that even though I did not have a tummy I took extra care of myself. My pregnancy wasn’t that smooth but I survived the head in the rib cage. Thanks for the follow on twitter (@thetraveljar) I am still trying to get use to twitter.