New Moms Fearful About Baby's Health
Many new mothers express anxieties surrounding their baby’s health, ranging from concerns about pregnancy-related issues like alcohol consumption and potential harm to worries about physical injuries during childbirth or accidents. There's also a significant amount of stress related to breastfeeding challenges, including nipple pain, milk supply issues, and infant feeding difficulties.
SOURCES (60)
“Looking for advice or similar experiences because I'm still pretty worried. My baby has been breathing harder than usual for the past few weeks. We've actually been admitted to the hospital twice in the last 3 weeks. The first time we stayed for two days,…”
“Okay so I need your opinion for a moment. Went to the midwife today for my first ultrasound. They naturally base my weeks on my last period and count from there. Now the thing is that my last period was due to stopping the pill, and I told them that as well. They assume that I am 7/8 weeks along. Today on the ultrasound, only this was visible (see photo). After having intercourse on July 25/26 (because my LH level peaked), I tracked everything. I tested positive on August 5th with the 6-days-ear”
“Hi hi, FTM here 18w3 days. Google and research gives me such different answers and I don’t go see my OB for another 2 days. For the past week now, a couple times a day I’ve been randomly feeling a ‘pressure’ in my tummy and when I go to touch it, it feels like a hard ball or something against my stomach. It’s not my whole stomach, just a very specific naval orange sized ball for a few seconds/minutes. The rest of my tummy is soft or just normal feeling. For context I am 5”6, and 123ish pounds so”
“Im 5wks pregnant and I just had a fall outside, where I went from standing to falling onto my hands (missed a step in front of me). The most impact was felt in my shoulder. I am worried I’ve hurt the baby? Is that even possible? I probably feel more shaken up than anything else. Anyone have any similar situations and been okay? submitted by /u/franklin10007 [link] [comments]”
“I feel like I need to share this because I’m still so shaken up and honestly traumatized from what happened. In the middle of the night, in a completely pitch-black room, I tripped over the Lovevery play gym while I was holding my 7-week-old baby. (Never thought this would ever happen as I walk this path so many times). I went down, and I immediately knew his head had hit something, but because it was so dark and everything happened so quickly, I have no idea exactly what he hit. I was absolutel”
“So, I’m 18 weeks pregnant. Everything was fine until about 12 weeks when I start spotting and bleeding. This is my first pregnancy. Ultrasounds look good, my midwife feels good but the bleeding keeps happening. Mind you, I don’t have cramps (at least any that are out of the ordinary) or pain with the bleeding and it only shows when I wipe. Fast forward to this past Monday where my midwife does a cervix check and sees what she says is a polyp. Great! I have an answer! But wait.. Wednesday, my hus”
“Had my 39th week appointment today and felt a leak the second i started walking downstairs. I went to my appointment and told them i think my water broke but unsure so she checked and she verified that i am ruptured. She wants me to go to hospital and have me progress since im not in active labor yet. I started crying because i havent set up the car seat lol or got my bag ready. Anyways running back home to grab baby stuff and a pair of extra clothes before going to hospital 😬 i suck at prepari”
“Hey all, looking for some advice and comfort, as silly as it sounds. I'm a first time mom, and on Friday, I got sick for the first time since I found out I was expecting. I wasn't feeling bad enough to go to the urgent care, I had a low grade fever and a postnasal drip. I've been combination feeding so I put on a mask, limited my amount of time with her, sanitized my hands and didn't give her any kisses while I was feeling ill. On Monday night, my baby wasn't acting her norma”
“those of you who experienced a first trimester bleeding incident.. especially if it was heavier...did you ever feel better or were you constantly scanning for blood/ wearing pads etc ? did you have any other bleeding incidents? for context, had a pretty big scare right around 12 weeks with heavy red bleeding and very large clots. Multiple ultrasounds have shown baby is fine and cannot find the source of bleeding (no hematoma seen etc) but I am so shaken and unsettled and I wonder if I will ever”
“Advise on how to cop with second trimester anxiety. I am 13 weeks pregnant today and this is my second pregnancy as my first one ended in an early miscarriage at 5.5 weeks. I generally am an anxious person and the first trimester felt like eternity. I also had a hematoma that caused a one off bright red bleeding at 8 weeks. I have done 4 scans so far and baby looked amazing at 12 week scan. I was hoping that I would relax after the 12 weeks scan which helped for a few days but now anxiety is bac”
“I have no real reason to think anything is wrong, but it’s hard not to internally freak out every time I feel a weird pain or stretching sensation in my pelvis. If I stand up, sneeze, move suddenly, and feel that stretching feeling, my brain immediately goes, what if something happened? I’ve even caught myself wondering if I could have miscarried without realizing it because the baby is still so tiny. Logically, I know that’s not how this works. I trust my healthcare providers, and I know my bod”
“I’m pregnant after getting positive tests and I’m just waiting for my ultrasound, but I’m constantly scared they’re going to tell me the pregnancy isn’t viable. I keep reading stories about missed miscarriages and it’s making my anxiety so much worse. My symptoms have been pretty mild, and every time I don’t feel pregnant I convince myself something is wrong. I know every pregnancy is different, but it’s so hard not to compare myself to others. If anyone has been through this anxiety, how did yo”
“FTM 35 weeks early labor scare. I had contractions on and off for two days straight and didn’t realize I thought they were Braxton hicks. I was in so much pain today at work that I was about to go home but I just so happen to be near the OB ER and mentioned that I was uncomfortable. They brought me straight back to a room hooked me up on a monitor and sure enough I was having contractions. They did a cervical exam (why did no one tell me that it hurts) and I thankfully was not dilated. I posted”
“Hi, I found out last week I was 7 weeks pregnant (yay)! We haven’t told anyone yet and our first midwife visit is at the end of the month so I’m seeking the advice of this community haha. I felt it finally explained why I was was having such an ”edgy” stomach the last two months, especially when I was eating. I wouldn‘t call it full blown nausea or morning sickness, but it some bites feel torturous and my anxiety is spiking the whole time. The only thing I am actually craving these days is kale”
“So I'm 3.5 months pp and just went to wash things out thoroughly last night and now I'm freaking out. I have had almost no pelvic floor strain and have done a yoga course focused on building back my pelvic floor strength. My tummy muscles are reengaging. My hooha felt shockingly normal and healthy the first time I did an inspection about a month after birth. My midwives were happy. I've already had what I assumed was my period about 6 weeks after birth and I've had menstrual-esqu”
“I just hate myself and life right now. I do not know a more careful (and anxious!) parent than me. I am so vigilant about safety. Three days ago my 7 month old rolled off our bed during a diaper change after I stepped away for one second because my 3 year old fell and cried out (he’s fine). Our bed is very low, only 14 inches off the ground, and yes I just measured it. But he fell on a rug over a hardwood floor. He didn’t fall directly on his head, cried immediately, was easily comforted and 3 m”
“First pregnancy. 6 weeks today. I've told my coworkers since I've been sick but haven't told the world yet or our parents. When did you guys feel like the pregnancy was viable or felt safe to tell the world? Is there a time in to feel relaxed like you aren't going to lose the pregnancy? submitted by /u/Ok-Visual-6675 [link] [comments]”
“Hi everyone, I am 7 1/2 weeks post partum and have been dealing with some anxiety around my Babis health and making sure we do things correctly. I went out with some friends last night and had about 1 and a half 16 oz 7% abv beers. When I got home my baby was upset and I nursed her to calm her. It had only been about and hour and a half since my last drink and I was still feeling some of the effects from it but still sober enough to drive. I’m feeling so guilty that I fed my baby after having st”
“Im pregnant, only 5 weeks along. I am having consistent ache, very period cramp like (not even pain) consistently on my right side. Its been on and off in my days for almost a week now. My quick history: I had my daughter with no issues in june 2021 Tried to get pregnant for 11 months, got pregnant with a cycle of letrozole and ended up with a rare form of ectopic pregnancy called "pregnancy of unknown origin." Then 3 months late with another round of letrozole and trigger shot conceiv”
“I’m almost 25 weeks pregnant and had a follow up ultrasound to my anatomy scan today because last time they weren’t able to fully see her spine. (At about 21 weeks) Her spine looks great, but she dropped from 27th percentile to 13th. My doctor ordered another growth scan in a month to check on her. I’m worried now though. My son who is a toddler now was always big the whole pregnancy and was 85th+ percentile. submitted by /u/ashhekitty [link] [comments]”
“Okay so my boys head is in the 99th percentile and he was head down from 31 weeks to my ultrasound at 33 weeks and 5 days. I tripped and caught myself 33 weeks and 6 days and that night he flipped breech, had an ultrasound the next day at 34 weeks and turns out he's footling breech now 😭. Does anyone have any experience with baby turning at breech at 34 weeks and anything that was helpful to flip baby back? I am trying spinning babies and just got an exercise ball. submitted by”
“Hi, not sure if this is the right place to post but I'm 22 weeks pregnant and scared about abnormal anatomy scan results. I had my anatomy scan at 21 weeks and everything came back normal except for on my baby's right foot and right leg. The report said the Fibula and Tibia bone are severely shortened and the right foot is clubbed. My Ob was unable to give me anymore info except refer me to an MFM. I have the MFM appointment Monday. Has anyone gotten an abnormal ultrasound and have it be”
“I’m 34w today, I’m a FTM and I want to make sure I’m prepared in some way. I’m also absolutely miserable because baby is head down and has been since around 14weeks. The nursery is finished, baby shower happened already, everything is organized and I have washed all premise-0/3 month clothes and organized them. I’m planning on waiting to wash and organize the 3/6+ clothes till a little later. We have packed the hospital bags aside from pillow and blanket and snacks. I’m considered high risk so I”
“It might be. Its true to say that the baby is more likely to have complications and disabilities because of her age, though.”
“You’re fine. I didn’t know I was pregnant for the first 2 months & drank a lot. My son was healthy & he’s grown into a wonderful man. You’re going to be great.”
“You’re fine Your baby is fine Drinking and smoking during pregnancy were incredibly common in times gone by, we all turned out mostly ok. TBH that’s not like you binge drank and got blackout drunk which a few days after conception your baby was a small collection of cells. If that worried see your doctor.”
“Please, I need advice! I accidentally drank alcohol at the beginning of my pregnancy and now I have serious anxiety. I didn't know I was pregnant and now I wonder if it’s smartest to have an abortion, to start from scratch. THE TIMELINE: Estimated conception around July 8-9 July 11: 1 glass of wine + 2 glasses of prosecco (Vacation) July 14: 1 glass of wine July 15: 1 glass of wine July 16: 3 glasses of wine July 17: 3 glasses of wine No alcohol after this and a positive test on July 25, whi”
“I am 6 weeks pp and wore baby for too long I think? I have really bad back pain in the middle of my back. The bad news is baby just hit 6 weeks and has recently become very fussy and is only soothed by walking around or bouncing on the yoga ball, both of which make my back pain worse. I don’t know how to soothe him now. I’ve tried the same bouncing motions while seated and he just screams and cries. I’ll walk and bounce him until I can’t bare the back pain anymore and continue the SAME EXACT bou”
“Baby is 8 months today! She’s my first baby and we had a long delivery where I needed a vacuum after pushing for 3 hours. A few weeks at home and I noticed she only looked to one side, and she was diagnosed with torticolis at one month. We did months of PT, repositioning her head, she’s hit all her milestones (early) et etc but we still couldn’t avoid the helmet. Her flat spot is moderate, and has made her ears uneven and a little facial asymmetry too. Made the choice to go ahead with the helmet”
“First of all i need you to know that i have my appointment booked in the next 2 hours , m simply scared and looking for reassurance. My baby was head down since 24 weeks , today m 38 weeks 4 days . I was laying in bed and felt her flip sideways . Now i can feel her all the way up right next to my stomach and the bottom part of my belly ( from the belly botton and down is empty?) I dont know what thia can mean submitted by /u/Ferdaouuseah [link] [comments]”
“Hi all. My period wasn’t even late today but i had a weird dream and inkling to take a test. Immediately was two lines. I’m terrified, i’m only 7 months pp and i was being careful. I took a plan B as well just in case and am on birth control. But i’m pregnant. I’ve been weighing the pros and cons. I’m scared what my family may say, my husband and I live with my mom, we contribute and pay bills of course, do our part, this is our first child as well so my mom truly helps me out so much and makes”
“Reassurance needed! Sooo my mom tripped and, while trying to catch herself from falling, her hand landed on the upper right quadrant of my pregnant abdomen. She put a moderate amount of weight through her hand briefly as she braced herself, but her full body did not land on my stomach. None of the following symptoms showed up: - significant pain at the time - abdominal tenderness - vaginal bleeding - leaking fluid - contractions - decrease in fetal movement I felt the baby move a few minutes aft”
“I’m 3 weeks and 1 day pregnant, and I just had light brownish pink spotting today and have been having light moving cramps on and off the last few days. Are these symptoms normal this early on? submitted by /u/Agile-Examination782 [link] [comments]”
“I’m finding my anxiety surrounding my baby is getting really bad following a short hospital stay with LO after a health scare that got pointed in the direction of epileptic seizures which ended up being thankfully severe reflux. But since we got home 5 nights ago I’ve been struggling to sleep worrying that something will happen overnight. I’m constantly checking breathing and getting very overwhelmed with thoughts of him being ill or something happening. Does anyone have any tips on how to calm”
“Constipation , sweating like i am taking a SHOWER!!!!!!Lighting crotch turned to a sever level that I cant even pee or walk or set or laying down . Sleep after each meal like a coma . I feel I been postpartum for 2 weeks+ .I am not even FTM but this is a first time experience What to do? To cope? How To mange? submitted by /u/Effective_Net_9145 [link] [comments]”
“However all my kids were born at 36 or 37 weeks. My ob thought it was due to stress of my job.”
“I’m 33 weeks pregnant, and I have weekly NSTs for gestational diabetes. I had one today, and the lady said that I need to drink more water, because it was picking up contractions. I was kind of surprised, because I was not feeling a single thing, not even hardening of the abdomen that happens with Braxton hicks. I did cut down my water consumption by half lately due to carrying around a smaller water bottle (oops I guess). I drink a ton of water through the day still regardless, but maybe it was”
“I had a bad scare yesterday at 11 weeks pregnant. I had bleeding like day 2 period. I immediately freaked out thought I was losing the baby. Went to the ER and baby’s good but apparently I have an ovarian cyst that caused the bleeding. Has anyone gone through this? I’m on pelvic rest for now but it’s still scary as I’m still bleeding submitted by /u/Real_Airport_4108 [link] [comments]”
“I’m 36 weeks (I have a lot of time; I went to 41+0 with my first) but I can’t keep shaking the feeling that I’ll have this baby early. I can’t tell if it’s intuition or wishful thinking. Anyway. My baby dropped about a week ago (I didn’t have this at all with my first) and I’ve been having more intense braxton hicks that feel different (more painful and crampy, less of a hard tummy and more in my back and hips). I’ve been a couch potato all 3rd trimester until yesterday. I suddenly want to go fo”
“FTM here and I’m 39 weeks pregnant, I’ve had perfectly normal and healthy pregnancy so far. Baby measured 1 week ahead all up till 36 weeks when baby measured right on time, 37 weeks I measured 1 week behind(belly measurement), and 38 weeks I measured 4 weeks behind (belly measurement) and then did a growth ultrasound because of concern and baby was measuring 1 week behind but overall fine, 6lb 15oz, doctor was satisfied and okay with it. Fluid levels normal. Doctor said she would rather not hav”
“My 8 month was on a chair yesterday- I placed him there and gave him the remote to play with while I turned my back for a second to grab something out of the closet that is no less than 3 feet from the chair. It happened SO fast but he rolled off and fell onto the hardwood floor which was about 20 inches. I couldn’t see if he actually hit his head but I assume so because of the awful crash I heard. I am just beside myself and haven’t been able to stop crying since. We called the nurses line yest”
“I’m 17 weeks pregnant and have been taking zofran twice a day since like 10 weeks. It’s helped so much I was so sick. I was on Facebook and seen a reel of a woman saying her baby came out with heart defects because she took zofran in her pregnancy ….now im freaking out. Anybody take zofran their whole pregnancy and their baby come out healthy???. I just need some positivity.:) submitted by /u/Spicekitty578 [link] [comments]”
“I feel absolutely horrible right now. We live with my mom, my cousin and her husband, and one other young tenant. Well I usually let my son (will be 9 months in a week) crawl around in the living room while i make dinner (i am consistently checking up on him the whole time). Well I heard the side door open and then him screaming and when I ran to go check he was facedown outside (luckily there was a rubber mat so he didn’t fall directly onto the concrete but the mat is still pretty hard). I gues”
“I am 37 weeks as of today with baby #2. I have had "tightening" when standing for the past 2-3 weeks that have now turned into bad period like cramps. I wouldn't say very painful. Just very uncomfortable. But they don't come in waves. It's just this achy cramping just like if I was at the beginning of my period. The cramping moved down to my groin area yesterday and today it's sooo sore in the groin, between thighs and buttocks. As if I went horseback riding for hours o”
“I am currently 8 weeks pregnant and looking for some advice from other people. I am a groomer at a corporate salon and recently found out about my pregnancy. I have been doing some research and its my understanding that weight restrictions during pregnancy are fairly common in grooming, but now im feeling crazy after discussing with my doctors. I went to my first obgyn appointment last week and brought up that I was interested in getting a 65 lb weight restriction. now I want to say, I know I am”
“My sweet baby just celebrated one month on Monday. I’ve been pretty anxious my whole life, pregnancy, and postpartum so far, and I thought things had settled and I was getting into a groove, especially with sleep (I sleep when he sleeps). However now that I actually allow myself to sleep, I’m at the point where I’m having pretty regular nightmares about him, and they’re pretty realistic which makes things worse. Did anyone else experience this when they finally got the relief of being able to sl”
“I’m around 9 weeks pregnant, and one thing that has completely caught me off guard is how scary bleeding after sex can be. Before getting pregnant, I’d heard people casually mention that your cervix becomes more sensitive and that spotting can happen. I honestly imagined a tiny streak of pink when wiping (at most). Instead… seeing actual bright red blood (especially this second time, which was noticeably heavier than the first) was such an emotional shock. Even though it stopped, every instinct”
“I suppose I’m just venting a bit because I’m in such an awful limbo right now, and I am looking for positive outlooks on my current situation. I’m 6+5 weeks pregnant and on Friday I had a sudden twinge/cramp in my lower abdomen lasting maybe 5-10 seconds after an active day of gym and a long dog walk, and then saw a bit of light pink discharge/spotting later after I wiped. Over the weekend it sort of stopped/turned into light brown spotting and now it’s almost back to normal. I booked a doctors”
“I’m so ready to give up. I love seeing baby’s eyes looking into mine when I’m feeding but this last week has been so horrible. Baby is 1 month old and she’s now discovering that she can put her cat claws all around my chest and scratch me up 😭 I have insane scratches around both areolas that are so itchy and sting everytime I shower. My nipples also always feel like a let down is about to happen. Is this even normal? I’m so over it 😭 submitted by /u/Electrical_Relief327 [link]  ”
“1 week pp and feel so lost and lonely. My partner helps out but I feel emotional and like something will happen to baby. It’s so scary taking care of a newborn and the sun goes down and I feel so scared. What did you guys to do ease the feeling or help with anxiety? submitted by /u/Aggravating_Echo633 [link] [comments]”
“Hi guys , Been searching for some reassurance on Reddit because I’m 8 weeks pregnant and have literally NO symptoms. I had a miscarriage in Jan / Feb this year and that was a fairly symptomless pregnancy so I’m naturally quite worried I’ve looked at other posts and lots of women saying no symptom BUT Sore boobs , frequent urination etc which technically is a symptom so I’m confused ? 😭 I’m not having anything like that, no nausea , no sore boobs etc just feel as I did before finding out I was p”
“Im 37+3 and just had an ECV two days ago to move my breech baby into head down position. Yesterday during the day, she kicked the normal amount but last night? I felt like a character straight out of alien. I barely got a wink of sleep because it was like this girl wanted to break out of jail. I’ve never had movements that aggressive or intense before and honestly, I’m a little scared she managed to move back into breech with how big those rolls were. Did anyone have very intense activity in the”
“FTM to a 4 month old. I’ve had anxiety before baby so you can imagine it now. Went to the ER June 15th because baby kept stiffing up and kind of spasm like movements. Couldn’t catch it on camera but i was worried. Was referred from a pediatrician to go see the neurologist and they did zero tests and just sat down and said it’s probably sandifer syndrome and that they don’t want to waste an appointment in neurology for someone who actually doesn’t need it.Supposedly due to her reflux, but her ref”
“I had my baby yesterday and didn’t sleep the night before C-section and can’t sleep night one in hospital .. so going on 43 hours straight of no sleep. What should I do?? I’m scared of PPP submitted by /u/EconomicsReal545 [link] [comments]”
“I got kicked right in the cervix ( baby is breech, so yes KICKED) and it nearly made me hit the floor. IT HURT SO BAD submitted by /u/FancyQuiet6945 [link] [comments]”
“Hi! I’m about 10 days PP and have a “.5 degree tear” according to the OB who delivered baby. I’m in so much pain sitting down it just feels sore and bruised. I’ve been talking 500mg Tylenol, using ice packs once a day and every time I use bathroom I use witch hazel and peri bottle. The only relief I have is side lying but having a hard time with newborn being able to rest side lying. Any other pain relief tips? When does this get better 😩 submitted by /u/kwa124 [link] [comment”
“Ok, so I am 12 weeks today (yay!). My nose has been bloody for weeks. The worst was we were flying and I got the worst nosebleed I’ve ever had in my life. Blood pouring down my face and me and my husband scrambling to find napkins. Eventually found 2 and then used the overly strong United wipes they give you on my face. This was while we were taking off so couldn’t really get up for a while. So that was fun.. lol. That’s all, can anyone relate!? submitted by /u/xaygoat [link] [”