Last minute anxiety??

Question

Hi all -

Just wanted to vent/reach out to see if anyone is having similar emotions as me.

I'm 37 + 2 today and for whatever reason am having last minute anxiety that is almost crippling. I can helping asking "what if" .... specifically what if my baby girl isn't healthy.

I'm a first time mom, 34 years old, and have had genetic testing/screening done and NT ultrasound.  Thank goodness all tests came back low risk or negative. Plus baby girl is moving beautifully and all check ups to date have been great. However, I can't let the negative thoughts creep into my mind that baby girl could have DS, Turner Syndrome, etc. or wonder about the changes of a false negative or think did I miss any important screening/diagnostic tests.

I never  considered myself a worrisome or negative person until I became pregnant - now I'm paranoid about EVERYTHING!

When I talk to my husband about it, he's very comforting and attributes it to hormones but still the thoughts continue to linger.

Anyway ... just ranting and looking to see if anyone is experiencing the same emotions. Any tips on how to manage the anxiety is also welcome!

Thank you ☺️

Answer

When I feel like that, I just think to myself even if the worst case scenario happens, I'm going to love him anyways. I'll do what ever I have to do to make sure he's alright and if I can't help him I'll love him as much as I can and he'll know he's loved. It's not much but this always makes me feel better. It's out of our hands from there.

Answer

I haven't had the same full-blown anxiety, but I'm similar to you (34 weeks, 37 years old, had full genetic screen done and that plus anatomy scan both came back all-clear and looking perfect). For some reason, the "what if there's something wrong we don't find out about until birth?" thoughts have just started to resurface in my mind too. I thought it was all put to rest after the DNA screen and 20-week ultrasound, but for some reason I've started wondering just recently about something undetectable like profound autism or something taking us by surprise. I think it's only normal to have these thoughts, though if it's keeping you from functioning day to day you should probably talk to your provider about it. For me - a perfectionist and control freak in the rest of my life - pregnancy has been one huge lesson in accepting that over this particular life process, I have very little control and just need to go with it. Hang in there! You'll meet your little one in just a couple more weeks and the odds are overwhelmingly high he/she will be perfect.

Last minute anxiety??

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