It's no secret that pregnant women–especially first-time moms–stress about a lot of different things throughout their pregnancies. I mean, it's a life-changing event, one that can make even the most laid-back lady turn into a worry wort before the pee stick is even dry. But the reality is, there are a lot of things about pregnancy and childbirth that we spend a lifetime building up in our minds, that are actually no big deal. Read on to discover which pregnancy-related fears you should stop worrying about right now.
Read more ¿Qué más?: 3 Exercises to get you through late pregnancy & make delivery a breeze
You'll have to stop doing things you enjoy. Aside from drinking alcohol, smoking cigarettes, and possibly eliminating some foods from your diet (this recommendation depends on the doctor), there is very little you have to stop doing when you become pregnant. You can have sex, maintain your exercise routine, travel. As long as you take good care of yourself, your body will be more than capable of doing the vast majority of things you enjoy doing.
Your baby will be premature. A premature baby is one that is born before 37 weeks of gestation, something that only happens in 12 percent of pregnancies in the United States. Keep in mind that a portion of that percentage is babies that are born shortly before the 37 week mark, and are perfectly healthy and well-developed. Plus, there are certain lifestyle risks that play a part in pre-term labor, such as drug use, domestic abuse, high stress levels, and lack of pre-natal care. Even if your baby is born early, he will likely be just fine–doctors routinely save even babies born late in the second trimester.
Everything won't be ready in time. Guess what baby's need when they are first born? Somewhere to sleep, some sort of clothing, something to eat and love. That's it! Your newborn will not care if the nursery isn't painted, her closet isn't busting at the seams, or that you never picked up that $300 video monitor. And as for the basics, they take many forms. People have even been known to use dresser drawers as bassinets!
Labor will be too hard. Let me tell you, labor and delivery are very strenuous. But it is nothing that the average reasonably fit and healthy woman can't handle. In fact, our bodies were designed for just this purpose and most women get through it without any problems at all. And trust me, when you're in the moment, you are focused on the end goal and not thinking too much about anything else. Bottom line, that baby is coming, and your body will do what it needs to do. And on the off chance it doesn't, that's what doctors are for.
Your body will never bounce back. Again, if you take good care of yourself before, during and after pregnancy, your body will bounce back faster than you thought possible. Certain things will take a while, but when your little one's first birthday rolls around, I bet you'll be surprised at just how normal you feel. Your vagina (or C-section incision) will heal and shrink back down, stretch marks will probably never go away completely but they'll fade dramatically, your boobs will eventually get pretty close to what they used to be, and as long as you keep active and eat right, you'll lose all the weight.
Image via Thinkstock
