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Looking after ourselves

questionable
New Contributor

Antenatal Anxiety

Hi,

I'm nearly 33 weeks pregnant with my 3rd baby and I think I have antenatal anxiety.

 

I've experienced anxiety in the past but lately, things have become worse and I think I need some help. I am going to see my GP soon.

My main issue at the moment is feeling like I cannot cope. I am at home with my 2 other kids full time (one goes to school) and I should be enjoying this time with them. However instead I am finding it hard to keep on top of everything - housework, play and spend quality time with my kids, school requirements, provide my poor husband any time. I am worried how I will cope when my baby comes along.

 

Are there any good online resources, books, apps that I can try in the meanwhile to help? I have tried medication/calm apps in the past and didn't find them overly helpful. 

4 REPLIES 4

Re: Antenatal Anxiety

Hi @questionable and welcome to the forum.

 

Sorry to hear you are having a hard time at the moment. Pregnancy and raising little people can be so challenging. I think it's fairly normal to be worrying about and questioning how you might cope when you have a new one to look after though that worry can be really difficult to manage. I remember feeling concerned about the same kinds of issues with my third, especially towards the end of my pregnancy.

 

It's great to hear you recognise that you might need some extra support and you're seeing your GP soon. Another place you might like to try is PANDA (Perinatal Anxiety and Depression Australia). They have some really helpful resources on their website and also a helpline you can call.

 

If you're interested in reading about some strategies others use to cope during tough times, here is a thread that has heaps of ideas. 

 

Keep talking if it helps. Sometimes connecting with others and knowing you're not alone can be really helpful itself. 

Re: Antenatal Anxiety

Hi @questionable  - @CheerBear just beat me to it!

 

I am glad to hear that you've been able to reach out, both here and to plan a doctor's visit. I also recommend PANDA. They can be integral to linking people in and providing not only new and current mums with support but dads too (should they need it).

 

- Scout

Re: Antenatal Anxiety

Thank you so much for including the link! I will definitely have a look through it soon for some coping strategies. I also had a look at the PANDA website yesterday which is informative. I guess I just don't know where to start.

I think my biggest challenge has been identifying what could be normal 'hormones' and what could be something more.

I find it hard to tell people how I feel, so its something I definitely need to work on.

Thanks again for replying to my post. I truly appreciate it.

Re: Antenatal Anxiety

Hi again @questionable 🙂 It's good to see you again.

It's great to hear you had a look through the PANDA website. They're such a supportive and helpful organisation ❤

It can be so tricky to work out what is hormones and what is something more when you're not feeling great during pregnancy and the postnatal period. Even regular monthly hormones can have me scratching my head trying to figure out whether what I'm experiencing is that or something else!

Either way I think if we reach the point where it is becoming difficult to cope it's definitely a sign that we could use some support. What's your relationship with your GP like? Hopefully they'll be supportive when you see them. I'm not sure what type of maternity care you're receiving but another option is to speak with a midwife about it also.
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