Balance During Pregnancy
QUESTION
Dear Midwife,
I think I might be pregnant. If I am I will be constantly worrying because my first was a miscarriage. How can I prevent that.
Also, I feel very off balance. Sometimes if I walk too fast I feel like my body is catching up and I get a wave of light-headedness. Is this a pregnancy symptom? I have all the other symptoms.
ANSWER
First, let me say how sorry I am for your loss -- miscarriages can be really hard.
The best way to tell if you are pregnant is to take a pregnancy test if you have missed a period.
It is normal to worry, at least for the first few weeks, if you have had a miscarriage before. But I think the best thing to do is to just love your baby for as long as you have it, whether it be a short time or several decades.
There are no guarantees, of course, and no matter how long you have your baby, it is normal to worry -- it's just part of being a mom that you have to get used to. But to be a good mom, you can't let the worry dominate your life or your child's life.
Some women need professional help to deal with the anxiety, but I'm not hearing that you need it now in what you are saying to me so far. Just keep getting help in mind if the anxiety gets to be too much of a problem. Good luck!
-- Cynthia, CNM
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Cynthia Flynn
Cynthia Flynn, CNM. PhD, teaches in the College of Nursing at Seattle University and is President of the American Association of Birth Centers. She also practices midwifery at Valley Medical Center where she cares for pregnant and birthing women, and practices well-woman gynecology, family planning, and treatment of sexually transmitted diseases.
Cynthia founded Columbia Women's Clinic and Birth Center, where she took care of pregnant women and infants up to two weeks of age and attended both birth center and hospital births. Before Cynthia earned her CNM, she worked as a registered nurse in labor and delivery and postpartum and is a certified Doula and Doula trainer.
Cynthia hosts a monthly "Ask the midwife" chat as well as answers questions via our expert section.
Listen to Cynthia live on Pregnancy.org Live: Before, During and After.
