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Easing Expectant Fears

How to Relax and Enjoy Your Pregnancy

By Kendeyl Johansen

Most women can't help worrying. First we worry about conceiving. Then, after we get pregnant, we worry about the baby, body changes, labor pains and countless other things.

"Worrying can be healthy," says Dr. Shelia Bittle a nurse/psychotherapist practicing in Salt Lake City, Utah. "It leads us to pay attention to our body and conceive and ask questions." According to Dr. Bittle, first-time moms are especially prone to pregnancy anxiety because they're facing the unknown.

When Katie Gustafsson of Sweden became pregnant for the first time, she worried about miscarriage. It had taken her a long time to conceive, and while pregnant she suffered diabetes, bleeding and several other complications. "I coped by telling the bump in my stomach how much he was loved and wanted, and I prayed that God would keep him safe because the baby was already loved so much," she says. Baby Jake was safely delivered by Cesarean section at 35 weeks.

The most common causes of miscarriage are genetic defects or failure of the egg to implant properly in the uterus, things which women can't help. You can improve your baby's chances by not drinking or smoking. "A little spotting often occurs around the 6th week of pregnancy," Dr. Bittle says.

"It's normal, but many women are terrified that they're miscarrying." The risk of miscarriage decreases dramatically after the first trimester of pregnancy.

Miscarriage fears can be particularly debilitating to women who have suffered the loss of a previous baby. In 1995 Koni Coward of Powell, Tenn., suffered a miscarriage. "I didn't break down," she says. "I handled it fairly well, or so I thought." When Coward became pregnant again, she obsessed over miscarriage.

Want to see more?

• Hyperemisis Gravidarum: Surviving Extreme Morning Sickness
• Pregnant ... Again: Pregnancy After Miscarriage
• Easing Labor Pain: The Complete Guide to a More Comfortable and Rewarding Birth
• Talk about it!

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