Anxiety?

[SumnerRain]

For the second day in a row I feel a sense of anxiety and dread wash over me. My heart is racing, I feel nauseated (more than usual), dizzy, and my *TMI* bowels get rumbly like I am going to have diarrhea. I also get a lump in my throat and I just cannot calm down. It also gets harder to breathe and concentrate. I almost want to say they are like panic attacks? They last a while, like 4-6 hours.

This is just a pregnancy thing, right?? I have an ultrasound on Friday and it cannot come soon enough, I hate feeling this way.

Anyone else have these and the baby was OK? How did you calm yourself??

[luckiest]

That does sound like a panic attack to me. I know that depression can be an issue for some women during the first trimester, even if you're happy with your pregnancy.

I would definitely suggest talking to someone -- a therapist if you have one, or just anyone you trust. I would also do lots of journaling and ask yourself some questions. How do you feel about being pregnant? Worries, fears? If you are worried or afraid, see if you can try to track exactly what you're afraid of and where it might be stemming from.

Also, don't worry about harming your baby from the anxiety. All that will do is add to your stress. Take care of yourself, and you'll be taking care of the baby as well.

[TheDivineMrsM]

I was really anxious, especially this week. I was so scared that something was going to be wrong with the baby. I couldn't sleep well, couldn't focus on work. I was a mess. But we had our first sono yesterday, and got to see the little bean's heartbeat. Needless to say, I'm much better now. =)

Talking to DH and ranting on MDC helped a lot. Once we tell our families, I'll be able to rant to my mom, too. Is our DP/DH/SO a good listener? Do you have a friend/family member that's been pregnant before that you could talk to?

It WILL be ok, mama. Rant away. And stay off of Google!!

[SumnerRain]

DH is a good listener, when I can get him on the phone. Right now he's in the middle-of-nowhere Louisiana with 0 bars on his cellphone until the 23rd and I am stuck home alone with 4 kids and an unexpected pregnancy. I guess maybe that is part of the issue, I didn't realize how much I wanted this baby until I got (14) BFP HPTs.

I *am* under a lot of stress, but I wonder if part of it may have had to do with the second cup of coffee I had to attempt to wake me up. I think just knowing this is normal helps, and I am sure Friday's ultrasound will bring some peace too.

Thank you for listening ladies!

[TheDivineMrsM]

Well, caring for four children alone, early in a pregnancy, will stress anyone out. Waiting for the first u/s is a killer. What you're feeling is absolutely normal, and you're definitely not alone!

[COgirl19]

I think it sounds normal given your circumstances....BUT, if after the ultrasound shows things are OK, your DH gets back and you still are feeling panicky a lot, do not hesitate to talk to your doctor, midwife, ect. Anxiety disorder is not uncommon, I was diagnosed with that and depression in 2000. Both are VERY treatable in a number of ways that are very safe for pregnancy and breastfeeding. Most likely you will feel better in a few days, if not, talk to your doctor/midwife/therapist for help. Again, this totally sounds normal and will go away in a few days once the reality of pregnancy sinks in but I just wanted to put that information out there in case you or anyone else needs it.

[LaydieBugs]

Yeah that sounds familiar. I have some history with anxiety, it's been fine for a long time, but a few times pregnancy chemical shifts caused anxious symptoms even when my brain was totally happy with life.

And I'm at 37+ weeks now, babe is fine, and I've had maybe a handful of days when this came on.

It isn't good for LO for you to not address the anxiety, because cortisol exposure isn't great for them. There aren't a huge array of choices during pregnancy however.

I've done really well taking 5-HTP (100mg 2x per day). The first OB I saw freaked about the 5-HTP ("it's not been studied"), which I've taken for ages. But my current naturopath says it's a great choice during pregnancy. The naturopath also had some homeopathic choices. I also often found a significant tie to low blood sugar or dehydration.

I hit a really awful patch one night last week, and it was so random it was clearly hormonal -- my midwife whipped up a tincture that helped a lot.

In each instance, the common thread was that I told my healthcare person right away and chose some small modification to address it.

Cognitive behavioral therapy teaches excellent skills for coping with anxious thoughts. You can get small doses without enrolling in therapy with a book called the Anxiety and Phobia Workbook.

Having a reduced lung capacity doesn't help; see if it helps to remind yourself, "My body is changing a lot; these sensations can create a feeling of anxiety, which can make normal thoughts into anxious ones."

Some other steps to picking apart the anxious thoughts are:
-- Write down the recurring thought
-- What things provoked this feeling/thought
-- What is the worst that can happen
-- What is the liklihood of this happening
-- How would I deal with it if it did
-- What is the more likely outcome
-- What is another way of interpreting what is going on
-- What would I advise a friend

In short: you need a tool for dealing with the anxious thoughts, and a tool for dealing with the anxious physical symptoms. If you can pull the plug on one it'll help kill the other.

[SumnerRain]

You ladies are the best!! I will have to write down what is going on around me when it happens because the last two days it was the same time of day. I would not be shocked to find some sort of trigger like fatigue, diet, dehydration, or a reoccouring thought.

I love the idea of "what is the worst that can happen" because really, there is no end of the world scenario.

I also love the reminder that this likely is situational, but if it happens when everything is back to normal, I will get a referal from my midwife or take her advice, from what I am hearing I am not the first going through this. My husband reminded me that I have done this in pregnancy before. *I* may have mom-nesia about all I go through in pregnancy, but he sure doesn't and has no problem talking me down and telling me I survived the last pregnancy.