sometimes even hours, after giving birth. But even during pregnancy itself, there’s a lot of anxiety, afterall, there’s so many precautions you have to take to have a healthy baby, you have a lot to prepare for too. A lot of the time, it looks like a person functioning fine on the outside, showing up to work, replying to texts, going to appointments, even joking about cravings, but inside, the brain won’t stop running.
And yeah, hormones can absolutely play a role, because pregnancy can mess with sleep, mood, and stress tolerance in a very real way. But it’s rarely only hormones. It’s usually a pile of fears that are genuinely understandable, and they stack up fast. It also doesn’t help that prenatal anxiety gets brushed off as “normal pregnancy worry,” like it’s just part of the package.
There’s the Bathroom Fear
Well, this one sounds weird, unless you’ve personally experienced it yourself. But yes, this is actually one of the most common anxiety triggers is also one of the most private: the fear of seeing blood every time the bathroom is used. It can happen even in a healthy pregnancy, because the brain knows what’s at stake and starts scanning for danger. And it can feel isolating, because it’s not exactly dinner conversation. A lot of pregnant people carry this fear alone, even though it’s incredibly common. And you’re pregnnat meaning multiple times a day you have to use the bathroom, and every time there’s that fear.
The Pressure of Becoming a Parent Can Feel Heavy
Which, yes, it’s absolutely heavy because this is a baby, this is a sensitive little baby where the tiniest of tiny mistakes can lead to lifelong troubles, or worse than that. And it’s about being a good parent in general, too. Even though that thought absolutely shows up at 3 a.m. It’s deeper than that. It’s, “What if I mess this up,” “What if I don’t bond,” “What if I’m not patient enough,” “What if I repeat patterns I swore I’d never repeat.” It’s bad now, and usually during postpartum, those feelings kick in on overdrive, even worse.
That kind of thinking doesn’t come from being weak. It usually comes from caring a lot and feeling the weight of responsibility. It can’t be stressed enough here to look into a digital screening for your mental health during pregnancy. Usually, after birth, healthcare professionals will check up on you, but during pregnancy, you have to let it be known ASAP.
Money Stress is a Major Thing
Babies are expensive, all that stuff is, even second-hand. It all adds up, and baby showers can be lovely, but they don’t always cover what’s actually needed. People tend to buy the cute stuff, which makes sense, but it can leave the practical, expensive list sitting there untouched. So how can you afford all of this? Even for baby showers, people only buy what they want, meaning it can be useless to even have a registry at times. Oh, and you’ll need maternity clothes, prenatal vitamins are pricey, and the list could go on.
Things Can Happen Career-Wise
Yes, it doesn’t matter what country you’re in; pregnancy discrimination is real, and it doesn’t always look blatant. Sometimes it’s subtle, fewer opportunities, colder communication, being treated like a risk instead of a person. Sometimes it’s harsher, performance being questioned, or a role being pushed out under a different excuse. People actually get laid off during pregnancy or even after giving birth, and the employer will state it’s for any other reason, so there won’t be a lawsuit.
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