What a blissful, joy-filled time pregnancy is in a woman’s life, right? For some, perhaps. For me? It was nerve-wracking, hand-wringing, symptom-googling agony. Don’t get me wrong—I was so thrilled to be pregnant. I happy-cried every time I thought about our little baby. But I also sad-cried every time I let my anxiety overrule what should have been some of the best days of my life.
My pregnancy anxiety was on high alert:
Something that isn’t unusual for pregnancy-after-loss parents. I found out I was pregnant because I just had that “feeling” and trusted my intuition. I also trusted a less-than-a-dollar pregnancy test to be correct, and it confirmed what I both longed for and feared: I was pregnant again. Again, with no baby to show for the first pregnancy. I told my husband in none of the ways I’d anticipated doing so on Pinterest: I’d already done that before and had decided I would do most things differently this time in the event something went awry.
Fast forward a year and some change later, and I’m proudly mothering the hell out of a 7-month-old fireball. She’s feisty and funny and freaking adorable. However, I find myself constantly waiting for the other shoe to drop. How can we be so lucky this time?
The “what ifs” dominate my mind:
What if she’s sick in a way that doesn’t have symptoms? Is this cough RSV (Respiratory Syncytial Virus)? What if she has a food allergy to this new thing I’ve introduced? I’m the mom hovering over her as she sleeps, placing a palm on her tiny chest as it rises and falls because I’m constantly thinking about SIDS. She’s not allowed a blanket and sleeps in an empty bassinet in our room. A run-of-the-mill diaper rash had me thrown over the side of my bed, Disney Princess style, convinced I was messing everything up.
I’m good friends with Dr. Google and her real-life doctor: they know my number when it pops up at their office by now, and we’re on a first-name basis with the after-hours nurse. I’ve only called about weird gas twice—something my dad had joked I would do. The anxiety of the “what-ifs” consumes me. And though I find myself relaxing with each passing day, I’m still gripping her with wide eyes and my phone ready to call on either doctor whom I pester so frequently.
Postpartum anxiety is common but goes undiagnosed more often than not, primarily due to the stigma attached to our society’s mental health issues.
I am thankful to have the support of friends and family, who gently nudge and encourage me to seek help. There’s absolutely no shame in it, I know, but it was something I denied having for quite some time in an attempt to seem strong. I’m fortunate: I’ve had no difficulty bonding with our girl (I might be too bonded—going back to work was a huge struggle for me, but the financial necessity and fears of debt also send me spiraling), as can happen with postpartum anxiety. My fears are most at bay when I’m with her in the little moments—playing on the floor, nursing her to sleep, and watching her imitate her dad’s funny faces. I breathe in deeply and blow out slowly. It’s something I googled that I should do, naturally.
The other night while eating a simple bagged salad (because we’re fancy like that), my husband laid a huge query at my feet. Between chewing radicchio, he says, “So, when should we have another?”
Another what? Another bagged salad? I get them all the time. I’m always worried he’ll tire of them and eventually me. Anxiety is omnipresent, y’all. He tells me he’s serious: when should we consider having another baby? Needless to say, a streetcar named anxiety revved its engine on me once more. How could such a tender question send me into overdrive? I wasn’t sure how to respond, so I changed the subject. My hope, though, is to be able to answer that question, and many others constantly swirling around in my head, very soon.
