Girls, we often sell ourselves short. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve heard a woman express insecurities about her pregnancy, delivery or becoming a mom, and all I want to say is, “you will be great!” It’s time to give yourself a pep talk and face those fears head on. Here are some of the most common fears I’ve come across and reasons why you should throw them out the window and focus on the joy of meeting your baby instead.
I need at least nine house of sleep. How am I going to function with a newborn?
I have no science to back this one up, but I do have personal and anecdotal evidence. Something happens when you become a mother. Something physically changes and you discover a surplus of energy you never knew you had. You will reach the end of your rope and discover there is another rope hiding deep inside. No matter how tired you get, you will always have the energy to give one more kiss, make one more bottle, and sing one more lullaby. I just happens. Six hours of sleep will feel like twelve and somehow you will make it through the day. The sleepless nights are short-lived.
I can’t handle poop, pee or vomit.
Your baby’s bodily fluids may always seem gross to you, it’s true, but you will be able to handle them at least as well as you can handle your own. Just as your baby feels like a part of you now, she will feel like a part of you then. Taking care of her will feel like taking care of yourself. For that reason, nothing will seem as gross as you’d expect. It really is different when it’s your own child.
I’m terrified of pain. How am I going to give birth?
Pain is not just a physical experience. It is very much tied to your emotions. People actually feel less pain when they are distracted by someone they love. Likewise, when pain has a purpose, like it does during childbirth, it becomes something that you can control. Your mind is a powerful tool when it comes to managing pain. It is also important to remember that while we typically associate pain with injury, the pain of childbirth is not hurting you. If you keep telling yourself that, and you focus on the contractions as pressure rather than pain, you will significantly change the way you experience contractions. That being said, there is no guilt in accepting an epidural. Labor does not last forever. It will end. You will eventually forget much of the pain involved.