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)
“I decided to do tummy time on my LVP floor with a thin rug (stupid I know I should have got the mat out). Newborn is 7 weeks and had a thin pillow under his armpits because he hates it. Before I could even blink,…”
“Do clogs make anyone else feel extremely fatigued? I've got pregnancy level fatigue (but not pregnant!) where I make it to lunch and have to lay down. Which to me is different than my baby doesn't sleep zombie mode. No respiratory or GI symptoms so feeling like it is the clog and not another illness. Already been to the midwife and she says it is just a clog not mastitis and gave me some antibiotic nipple cream and told me to take more naps and sunflower lectin (which I discontinued 3 mo”
“I am currently 26 weeks first pregnancy. My little girl has been moving like crazy until yesterday she slowed down. I am a daycare teacher and move nonstop throughout the day and when I finally sit is when she goes crazy. But yesterday it’s she took a minute to wake up and I wasn’t getting her normal hard kicks and punches. They were there, just not as strong. I wanted to go to the hospital but I am feeling her so what if it was just a sleepy day for her. I absolutely hate going to the hospital”
“It is about 12am and I have no one to ask. Please HELP new mom a bit anxious. My 4mo had her appointment today and her leg has been super sore, not wanting to move it very much, fussy, etc. All things I expect. I decided before I go to sleep to check her temp and it came up at 101. She wears pjs and a sleep jacket to help with startling so I took the jacket off and unzipped her pjs to let her get some more air to see if it was the clothes. I’ve checked a ton more times and it’s still reading as”
“I’m almost 26 weeks pregnant. I’ve been in twice to labour ward triage for not feeling the baby move as much. The first time I was 23 weeks and they were super reassuring and said I did the right thing. This time they made me feel like I’m crazy / over the top (they didn’t say this but the tone was like this) and that you shouldn’t even notice a pattern till at least 30 weeks… but I normally feel the baby most of the day and today i didn’t for many hours. I’m crying now as I just feel so stupid”
“I'm confused on how the weeks calculation works for pregnancy. The app says I'm 5 weeks and 5 days based on my period, But I'm thinking we conceived about 3 weeks ago. Should I start feelinc symptoms now at 5-6 weeks since last period, or in a few more weeks based on when I think I ovulated and concieved. lol its confusing. Will my doc adjust the time based on conception or now? I feel like I cant find a straight answer online. submitted by /u/TraditionalSoup8091 [link] &”
“hi there! this is my first pregnancy so i obviously have no idea what i’m doing or what’s going on. i’m 6w5d and have had horrible nausea the entire time. i finally called my midwife to ask for something and she dispensed the b6 and unisom. it says i can take it 4x/d as needed and it just freaks me out to take the unisom during the day if it runs the risk of making me even more drowsy. i have seen a lot of people talk about this combo, but hadn’t come across anyone taking it 4x/d. just curious i”
“Desperate. Okay yall, LO is nearly 3 weeks so I know I’m deep in the trenches specially after a very traumatic emergency cesarean where I lost a ton of blood so I’m trying to give myself grace, but am I doing something wrong? I constantly see online people posting what they do during wake windows - go for walks, play on mat, but how am I supposed to do that when I feel like changing, feeding and then settling takes up the entire time? If I try then he’s just going to be overtired. Is it possible”
“Looking for some advice if you've been here before. I just found out I'm pregnant yesterday, my app says I'm 5 weeks amd 3 days. This is something we have not been preventing and sorta planning for. I was excited yesterday after taking the test, but since last night I feel like I'm in panic anxiety ocd spiral mode. I couldn't sleep and I called off work. I feel so scared I can't handle being pregnant. I've been shaky and anxious all day. I saw my therapist, and that h”
“13 weeks today with my first pregnancy. How do you stop noticing every single thing that feels different in your body? And how do you stop worrying? I’ve already called my OB’s nurse with worries and questions a few times and now I’m scared to bombard them with more if more questions come up. And don’t get me started on my questions for ChatGPT- endless. At what point did you start to trust your body and become confident that everything would be ok? If ever? submitted by /u/2low-key”
“See title. Just had two sips of red wine and then sat to feed my baby. Realizing now that I maybe should not have done that. Please tell me he’s going to be ok. Edit: thank you all 😭 submitted by /u/mrjustice7 [link] [comments]”
“My husband and I are first time parents and both run extremely anxious. Our 9 week old had a fever last night of 100.9 and was spitting out the Tylenol, barely eating and breathing rapidly. He just got his two month vaccines earlier that day. We decided to take him to the er just to be safe because he was super hot. After waiting 3 hours, I put him down into the car seat because I was afraid I’d drop him out of the chair since I was getting really tired. He’s already 2ft and 15lbs. A few minutes”
“I spiked a fever of 103 tonight and I’m so terrified my baby will, too. She’s only 8 weeks. I don’t need medical advice - it’s 3:45 AM where I live so there’s not much I can do right now but I have an appointment at the doctor’s as soon as they open. I know all the signs to look for in my baby and so far she seems okay. I’m just looking for comfort, solidarity, kind words. I’m so terrified. submitted by /u/Relevant_Lynx_5117 [link] [comments]”
“I’m 35+1 and have been having dull aches almost like period cramps in my stomach. Sometimes all over my bump but they’re mostly below my bump. I noticed the pain is worse when he’s moving around a lot. I was also told to go to l&d Saturday for lack of movement & the cramping but he’s perfectly healthy. Has anyone experienced anything similar?? If so any possibility of what could be causing the pain? submitted by /u/Coolladybrooke [link] [comments]”
“Today was a series of unfortunate events 🙃 In the middle of the night, my baby needed changed. I was half awake, and accidentally set him down too fast on his changing mat head first. I heard a thud and my heart literally sunk. Then, we go to the doctors. His car seat has been having a terrible time getting unmatched from the base. Like it unlatches towards the back of the car seat, but the front gets stuck. I had to keep pulling it out from the base, and if that didn’t work I had to put him ba”
“Just looking to get some feedback on the attached post! Kind of just want a sanity check because I feel like my experience is abnormal. submitted by /u/Holiday_Benefit_2101 [link] [comments]”
“I am literally so anxious right now. My new born who is only 9 days old has been having a very bloated belly since day 6. I got so worried, I took her to the children’s emergency room two days ago to do an xray. They said it was just gas. Last night, she threw up green. I asked ChatGPT and Gemini what that means. It said to take her to the ER asap and to not wait because she could have a twisted bowel. Has this happened to any of your babies before? This is the first time it’s happened. She has”
“How typical is cramping at five weeks? I’m not sure if it feels like period pains or trapped gas… it also hurts when I pee! But no spotting! I’ve had two miscarriages in the past so I’m concerned! submitted by /u/Classyhairball [link] [comments]”
“idk what to do. my 7 month old fell off bed. he didn’t pass out he cried immediately. he did spit up once he’s just fussing now idk if I should go to er urgenr care? watch for symptom!!? submitted by /u/Friendly-Start1455 [link] [comments]”
“hi everyone- i am 8w as of yesterday (got to see the heartbeat!!). i got pregnant way faster than i expected, and this is my first. i have had minimal symptoms- no real food aversions, nausea only if i wait too long to eat, no major GI disruption, getting decent enough sleep, and only a few headaches. overall i feel like i should be (and am) counting my blessings in this regard, and feel guilty for having any complaints at all. the thing i have been really struggling with is the fatigue. i guess”
“I'm 30 weeks pregnant and yesterday I was bending down at my job to pick up a drink. When I slightly started to slip but landed directly on my kneecap. I panicked and called my ob team and was told they felt comfortable with me monitoring at home to watch for any bleeding, contractions, or decreased fetal movement. My baby at least seems to be fine. He hit his normal kick counts and everything last night. And i havent had any fluid or bleeding. But one side of my belly felt a little”
“Just looking for advice or similar experience. My baby is only 4 days old but we’ve been through a lot already. She just got released from hospital today after I took her in for jaundice. I think part of the problem is I didn’t realize she wasn’t getting enough milk from me by breastfeeding. We saw lactation and I learned that she was not, so now I have been pumping (my milk is still coming in) and supplementing the rest with formula. I want to breastfeed but I am so exhausted getting up every 2”
“My baby is 3 1/2 months and I also went back to work this week. On top of a big change in schedule since being on maternity leave I feel like I just constantly have discomfort or pain either while feeding or between feedings in my breasts. I’m not sure why but baby has sometimes developed a shallow latch all of a sudden and that seriously make me want to stop bc I feel like I have just been uncomfortable in my body for a year straight now. I love the convenience of breast feeding and especially”
“HELP! So I came to labor and delivery 3 days ago for thoughts of pre term labor braxtion hicks. Currently 34 weeks but have a previous pregnancy that delivered at 26 weeks. Long story short they monitored me for about 24 hours and literally right when I went to get discharged baby had a heart dip on the monitor, so then they needed to see 12 hours on the monitor of no heart dipping. Basically that keeps getting reset every 8 hours because baby has a 2 min drop into the 60s, she gets her self out”
“I’m so scared, I just came down with some kind of sickness and I have a 5 week old newborn. I’m so scared that he’ll get seriously sick. Idk exactly what it is, some kind of sinus thing but I can’t breathe through my nose and I’m so scared that if he gets it he just won’t be able to breathe. If anybody else has experienced this please share your experience. submitted by /u/AwareGuitar1051 [link] [comments]”
“My LO is almost two months old, which begins the period with highest SIDS risk (2-4 mos). I’m just so scared. I don’t know exactly what I’m looking for in this post. We’re doing all the things we can to prevent it - she’s in a crib with just a sheet, no blankets, in our room, temp set to 72°, with an owlet on, etc. so I don’t need advice on that kind of thing. Maybe just kind words, support, suggestions on how you handled your PPA during this time, all of the above? submitted by /u/R”
“This is probably my postpartum anxiety taking over, but I was pushing the stroller around at Costco with my little one who is two months old, we went down one of the aisles and a worker had one of those pallet jack loading up merchandise. I didn’t realize how loud they were, and as I walked around the guy loading it, it was super loud. It startled my baby, and it was even a little loud for me for a few seconds. Did I damage his hearing?? submitted by /u/anonymoususer249 [link]”
“Is drinking herbal tea at 8 weeks really that bad? I’ve looked it up and I know chamomile isn’t good so I haven’t been drinking straight chamomile tea. Mostly lemon balm and ginger, but the sleep tea I have has chamomile in it… Online it says that any herbal tea should be limited… is it actually that bad? It’s all that’s getting me through quitting smoking and I have been drinking a lot of tea. submitted by /u/Over_Organization527 [link] [comments]”
“the only symptoms I’ve had since I’ve found out is sore boobs cramping n low back pain since a few days but today I was making my bed and think of it like tug a war was pulling my pillow and accidently missed n my own hand went flying into left side of my belly I feel normal I am just terrified that i have hurt r missed up something it was hard enough I just flinched as soon as I done it and worried ever since am I okay submitted by /u/MethodReady8534 [link] [comments]”
“I’m currently 38+1 weeks pregnant with my second, and idk why, but I’m suddenly feeling really scared and anxious about delivering. My previous experience was not traumatic, but I was induced due to hypertension around 39 weeks. I’m not sure if it’s just the impending labour that’s causing me sudden anxiety, but I simultaneously feel scared to give birth, but also need this baby out. 😭 submitted by /u/Prestigious_Candle_4 [link] [comments]”
“30 weeks here. I go in for my routine appointment. Babys heartrate is a bit too high. It's in the 170s. They decide to play it safe and hook me to the monitors and stress test I guess. I sit there for 30 minutes doing everything they ask me to do. She comes back in the room, and says, "I feel comfortable sending you home, babys ok." And that's that. No further explanation, nothing. And I guess I'm just supposed to trust that. I was so mad I called the office back after I le”
“(Throwaway account for privacy purposes) I found out I was pregnant today because I went to the doctor for what I thought it was a UTI. They measured the gestational sac and embryo and I am 9w1d. I am a second time mom, but I’ve had multiple losses after my first baby. I have not been eating well at all, just junk food even sushi. Besides that I smoke weed. And because I have been feeling like shit and with no desire to do anything, I think I have been smoking & drinking more these past 2 we”
“Hey! I was holding my 10 week old while sitting on the couch and he flung himself backwards, his head hitting the couch arm - it’s padded/a fabric couch, but I heard a thump from his head making contact with the arm. He was in the sitting position, so it was essentially going from sitting to laying with a bit of force. He literally was unphased, smiling and giggling/cooing directly after the incident. I’m a FTM and not sure if my anxiety is wild and I should take him to emergency to get checked”
“First time mum here and also very emetephobic so doing my very best but slightly freaking out! Baby is 8 months old in a couple of days. Went down to bed tonight as normal, woke up at 12:30am projectile vomiting all over herself and her cot. Brought her into my bed and she seemed fine, all smiley. Then vomited again and was going bright red chocking on it, retching really loudly and projectile again. Shes now fell asleep on our bed. About 30 mins later I've started with an upset tummy. She h”
“At my 28 week appointment I was tested for iron levels and found out my hemoglobin was at 10.6. I later pushed to get my ferritin tested and that just came back at 15. Both of these numbers, as I understand, are considered low, and the ferritin number would be considered severe by some practitioners. Earlier, at my 11 week appointment, my hemoglobin was tested and was at 13, within the normal range. I do not have an earlier ferritin test for comparison. I am freaking out as I have been googling”
“FTM that’s sick and 8 month old baby is sick as well. First night of us being sick and she only just went down now at 2:40am. Before this she was asleep from 9-10pm, briefly woke, then fully woke up at 11:30pm with a low fever and runny nose. I gave her tylenol and cleared her nose out, but she wouldn’t go back to sleep. To add to it, her preferred formula is out of stock everywhere so we had to switch to another one temporarily and she’s not taking to it well. She’s hungry but holding out on dr”
“Hi everyone.. I’m nervous and scared.. I’m 5 weeks and 5 days pregnant.. I’m praying so much for this baby. I am spotting since 4 weeks 6 days but no pain.. How is everyone else.. submitted by /u/Forsaken-Map8502 [link] [comments]”
“Currently 26 weeks pregnant with third. Have fresh 2 year old and almost 4 year old. I’m exhausted, uncomfortable, and so mentally drained from my almost 4yo. Someone please lie to me and tell me it’s easier to do this with a newborn vs when pregnant and exhausted. Thanks. submitted by /u/golden_floof12 [link] [comments]”
“Hello wonderful parents of baby bumps, I’m writing here because I guess I’d like to hear some good news stories. During my first pregnancy I was in a great shape, healthy etc and didn’t get sick at all and everything was perfect. Now, I have a toddler, we have a lot going on in our lives, I’m rather run down with all the daycare sicknesses with this flu season (we’re in Australia just coming out of winter). As we conceived our second baby, I had food poisoning for days. Now, at 4.5 weeks pregnan”
“-NOT looking for comments saying I should get an abortion because I am looking to better my daily habits. I’m 6 weeks along, and was a daily smoker prior to this. I found out a week and a half ago, quit cold turkey and ended up in the hospital, was a wreck mentally and physically. I feared I would miscarry the entire week because of the state I was in. I’ve picked it back up, but on a small scale and am wanting to COMPLETELY give it up. Did any other moms in this position have to wean off of it?”
“My baby just turned 7 weeks yesterday and she is me and boyfriend’s first child. A week ago he fell Asleep while holding her and we had to go to the emergency room and everything. She was fine, didn’t need imaging or anything. No bumps bruising or acting strange. Now, less than a week later and it happens to me! Same couch and everything except I had a fluffy blanked and some soft slippers that broke her fall. No bumps or bruises, she’s acting normal except not eating as much right now (just hap”
“I’m 16 weeks with my first pregnancy and have been having some cramping, burning/pressure in my pelvic area, and increased discharge. My doctor is checking me for a possible UTI, but I’m really nervous about cervical insufficiency after seeing stories of women finding out around 17–18 weeks. I’m scared to ask for a transvaginal ultrasound to check my cervical length because I’m worried they’ll just say it’s probably a UTI and that I don’t need one. I also don’t want to seem like I’m overreacting”
“First time parent here and had my baby girl nearly exactly 48 hours ago as I write this. Labour was very intense. I had my waters broken and almost instantly had 6-7 contractions every ten minutes and the pain was awful. Had Pitocin and then epidural but just felt so sleepy for hours and completely out of it. Temp spiked and baby girls heart rate was high so we ended up in surgery with an episiotomy and a forceps birth. We were both on antibiotics so only released a few hours ago today from the”
“Well, I fucked up. I fell asleep in my bed holding my 1 week old upright after a feeding and he fell onto the floor. He was immediately taken to the ER and everything is alright, thank God. I feel like shit. I know better. My husband is pissed as hell at me, and I get it. Only thing making me feel slightly better is the ER doctor assuring me that this happens more often than you think. submitted by /u/TheTaikatalvi [link] [comments]”
“Hey guys! PLEASE HELP! so my baby was born at 32 weeks, 7 weeks ago. he spent about a month in the Nicu, and has now been home for almost a month as well. Almost as soon as I had him, I was producing colostrum and by that night, I was pumping and have had a severe oversupply ever since. I was not the most consistent person in the world with my pumping, but everything was going really good. About two weeks ago, i started my period, ended it four days later, then I got mastitis in my left boob, an”
“I left my 4 week and 4 day old on the bed in her room for literally 3 minutes today - sent my sister a photo of her fast asleep in a cute position at 6:55. She was FAR from the edge, in the middle of a full sized bed. Went to go feed the cat and at 6:58, I heard a loud bang and then her crying. Called sister immediately and told her to come over so we could go to the ER or urgent care. My baby cried and fed a little bit, and then fell into a deep sleep as I was holding her - I moved her into her”
“Hello, this is my first time posting and English is not my first language so forgive me if I make any mistakes. I am now 36,4 weeks pregnant with my first baby, and yesterday we tried to turn my breached baby at the hospital for the second time. I was so hopeful and certain it would work with 2 people and a muscle relaxer. Just, lift him and turn to the side, right? Unfortunately it didn't work, his butt slipped back into my pelvis each time. Then they said I now was 'medical' (don&#”
“ok the good news is baby’s behaviour has been the same as before and after. and he didn’t cry during actual incident 2.5 weeks old he kind of flung himself off my chest when I was doing tummy time on the couch with him, he was not in danger of a fall but just reflex I tried to stop him rolling off and ended up kind of leaning my body weight on his head between my torso and the side of couch. the head seems to be the normal shape and he didn’t cry (he cried an hour later when I changed him and he”
“I have a 3 week old and this afternoon I started feeling snotty and my throat is hurting a little bit. Im hoping that it is just allergies, but as a FTM im freaking out that its something worse and im gonna give it to my baby. What do i do? Help! submitted by /u/Actual-Sprinkles-932 [link] [comments]”
“My baby is 6 weeks old and my husband mentioned some people coughing at work. We're scheduled to get the flu shot in a few days (and I breastfeed so baby will get some protection) but I'm so nervous since vaccines typically take about 2 weeks to be effective from what I've read and my baby won't get his first round of vaccines until 2 months old. My husband is being careful since he's worried he might have caught something, but I'm struggling with anxiety since my baby is”
“Hi! this is my 3rd pregnancy but this is my first one to last this long, i’m currently 6+4. a few days ago i had a tooth ache and by that same night i was in horrible pain, i went to the hospital due to swelling and was told i have a horrible infection and was put on antibiotics. i want to know if this is normal? and if so were you able to get real work done to help the issue cause i don’t believe medicine with fix this. thank you so much! submitted by /u/Dry_Personality5510 [link] &”
“Have any of y’all bled for multiple days and kept the baby? Or did anyone miscarry with very little pain? I’m 6 weeks 2 days and I’ve been bleeding consistently for the past 4 days. Nothing heavy and no cramping more than a 2. No big clots either. I went to the ER and to my ob and they both said there’s not much more to do but wait. I guess I’m just trying to either mentally prepare to lose my baby or ease my nerves. Sorry for soliciting stories, the last I found about this were old posts from y”
“I’m a second time mom and it’s shocking me how utterly scared I am of labor and delivery. First time I ended up going into labor naturally but afte 12 hours of labor and pushing 10 min was told k should do a c section because baby wasn’t moving down fast enough. Recovery was rough and I had pain for a solid 6 months after along my scar. Thid time I want 1. Healthy safe baby 2. Me = alive 3. Quick fast recovery. So I’ve been flip flopping between attempting TOLAC / VBAC and scheduled CS. Going th”
“FTM. I’m feeling so guilty and overwhelmed and scared. I was moving my sitting position while holding sleeping baby and quickly went to set my phone on the desk next to me, but I wasn’t paying enough attention and it missed and smacked the side of my baby’s head. She immediately woke and started crying. I consoled her and she nursed back to sleep a few minutes later. I feel so bad and I am so scared that I actually hurt her. I don’t see a bump and the way she’s sleeping doesn’t seem unusual. I’m”
“sorry i just saw the rules said no medical advice and that is not what i want, just wondering if anyone else has felt this before. this was extremely scary and i’m not sure if this was even postpartum related. my son was born night of the 16th. i wasn’t really told anything about leg swelling until near discharge where they said the normal stuff like keep an eye on it. today my legs got pretty achey just from being on my feet all day. it is my first full day home with the baby. i decided to put”