Falling pregnant and navigating the wonders of pregnancy is a significant chapter in anyone’s life. No matter your age or how many children you are carrying, there is so much to learn about this part of your life story.
Understandably, some prospective mums out there are terrified about being pregnant, alongside all that it entails. After all, you are carrying another person, and keeping them safe and healthy is a challenging prospect.
While that might very well be the case, we feel confident in saying that prospective mothers and their partners are doing everything in their power to ensure the pregnancy runs smoothly.
Taking each day as it comes and navigating the obstacles thrown at you are the best means of doing so, but what obstacles should you expect to face? This might be a question you are asking yourself if this is your first-ever pregnancy and one that you can expect to find the answers for here.
Detailed below, we have gathered a list of potential obstacles that we felt new mums should be aware of. Knowing what they are and how best to overcome them will bring you some peace of mind; read on for more!
During Your Pregnancy
As is to be expected, you will experience a whole host of different things throughout your pregnancy. It is worth understanding that while there are overlapping side effects of pregnancy that will affect other expectant mothers, there are also individual factors to you.
Looking at your situation uniquely will enable you to understand just what you must do to navigate anything you are experiencing.
Fluctuating hormones and emotions are up there with something most, if not all, expectant mothers will experience. While you would likely feel elated at being pregnant and bringing life into the world, pregnancy can often feel like an isolating experience. Discussing these feelings with people who are not pregnant might feel like you have no one to relate to.
Instead, it would be worth finding a pregnancy support group or forum in your area and talking through these feelings with people who can directly relate to what you are going through. Building and developing this support network will provide you with the tools necessary to handle these feelings and provide you with a new group of friends to rely upon! What more could you want?
During And Post-Labour
This might be viewed as the biggest obstacle to overcome throughout your pregnancy and is certainly a significant point in your journey to parenthood. Enduring labour means that your baby has arrived and also signifies a shift in your life; you have a new little one to look after, which ultimately means some of your priorities change too.
While expectant mothers might not like to think about any potential complications relating to labour, it is something that you should be aware of. It is important not to get scared or worked up over these things; you will be in safe hands should they happen, with the needs of you and your baby put first. However, there is also a risk that you could pick up a birth injury from a potentially traumatic labour.
Understanding what you should do in the event of something like this is important and might not be something you have thought about until after it has happened. While some birth injuries are unavoidable, unfortunately, others come about due to medical negligence of some sort. If this is the case, you should consider chasing birth injury claims at Gasbywicks and other law firms. They will work alongside you to get compensation for what has happened to you and work to ensure this does not happen to anyone else.
Should you have picked up a birth injury, you will likely want to rest in the initial few weeks post-labour. Relying on friends and family to provide help and support might not be what you initially wanted, but it will make navigating this process a bit easier. This takes us to the final section of this piece
Initial Weeks of Parenthood
Another somewhat large obstacle facing new mums is the prospect of life adjusting following your child’s birth. While you can prepare as much as you can before your due date, you might still feel rather underprepared after bringing your child home.
As mentioned previously, relying on family members and friends for help and support during this time is important, especially if your labour was rather traumatic. At the same time, you will be learning everything there is to know about parenthood, from feeding times and regularity to changing nappies and cleaning.
You might also be faced with the prospect that your child is experiencing ill health. While this is not something any parent wants to endure, it is sadly a reality for thousands of families. Attending regular doctor’s appointments and hospital visits will become the norm, but you will be able to find a routine eventually. Seeking advice from those who have been through something similar will also help you navigate this process and provide you with the necessary support and information to get through this.
