Blood pressure? Check.
Weight? Check.
Temperature? Check.
Fundal height? Check.
Every doctor’s visit is the same routine.
When you have a high-risk pregnancy, you have more eyes looking more closely at you and your baby than someone with a typical pregnancy.
Everyone is invested in helping you stay pregnant as long as possible for a healthy baby to bring home at the end of this long, scary road.
But there is one question that no one is asking that could make the difference between delivering on time or delivering early:
“How are you coping?”
How are you taking care of yourself? How are YOU?
Not the incubator, the belly, the one who’s growing the baby.
How are YOU?
The woman whose life has stopped because of bed rest. The woman who stays up at night listening to the clock tick, breathing a little easier when another hour passes by.
The woman who feels completely responsible for every complication, which just adds to the guilt that builds with every day.
How are YOU?
This one question can make the difference between delivering on time or having a preemie.
Between NSTs, blood work and ultrasounds, your pregnancy can feel like it’s being whittled down to numbers and statistics.
Your focus shifts to learning as much about your pregnancy as possible, finding yourself spending hours on the internet looking for any answers about what to expect.
You may find that even you aren’t asking yourself this question.
That means that no one, including yourself, is monitoring your stress levels...
Research has shown that stress is a tremendous risk factor for preterm birth.
In fact, stress has been shown to be a bigger risk factor for delivering early than even PPROM or cervical insufficiency.
So even though you’re taking all of your medications and vitamins every day and you’re limiting your activity exactly how your doctor prescribed (or maybe even more so just to be safe), not checking in with how you are coping is leaving a gaping hole in your treatment plan. (Tweet that!)
With frequent check ins about how you’re handling your pregnancy complications and how you’re dealing with the ups and downs, you can figure out exactly what you need to manage the stress and anxiety.
What that means for you.
Even if your doctor isn’t checking in with you about how you’re feeling or if your friends have stopped asking you, this is something you need to do for yourself.
You can combat your helplessness by doing the one thing no one else is doing that can make a significant impact in how your pregnancy progresses. (Tweet that!)
Take time every day to ask yourself, “How am I coping today?”
And if you're ready to really crush this helplessness so you're back in control of your high-risk pregnancy, I invite you to schedule a Healthy High-Risk Pregnancy consultation so I can show you exactly what you need to do find some peace and hope during your pregnancy.
Managing a complicated pregnancy doesn’t mean the treatment has to be complex. (Tweet that!)
Sometimes simpler solutions can still make a powerful impact on your health, your baby’s health and the health of your pregnancy.
Your turn!
How are you doing? How are you coping with the ups and downs and the uncertainties of your pregnancy?
Leave a comment below. I would love to hear from you.