Stressful Pregnancy

Hi Mama to be
You said that you are sick of everyone making the pregnancy about them not you so from now make it your priority to think only of yourself and your baby.
Block out all this negativity and enjoy some bonding with this baby inside you that you clearly want.
Be kind to yourself and do the things that will make you feel better.
You do not need or deserve all this grief.
For the morning sickness,I feel you girl,I had it all the way through,hope yours will end soon and you will go into the second trimester,blooming phase.
I think as we get older we all start to choose our friends more wisely,maybe if these friends are not good for you,you might start thinking do you need these friendships in your life
Only have your mother involved as much as you choose to ,not what she decides.
As for your hubby I am not going to make much comment,you know your relationship best and what the future holds. Be honest with yourself and think what is best for you and baby in the long run and go with that.
Take your power back Mama and take care of yourself.
All the strength to you and congrats on your pregnancy
B.

Your husband has no right to be angry in my opinion. Pregnancy is always a possiblity and a baby has a right to life. I sincerly feel you will not regret your choice. A baby can bring joy and meaning to your life that you never imagined possible. I pray your husband changes his mind. I also pray that you will have people around you that can be supportive and caring. I am sorry for all you been through. God bless you
M.

I don't know why you two never wanted children. But I didn't want any either and that changed later on. So it is quite possible your husband will have a change of attitude. Though it really depends on why he doesn't want a child now.

You're right. Your baby is your priority right now. Do you have other friends or relatives you can turn to? If not, I can only suggest a local women's support group in your area. I am sure you can find one. You can even ask a local hospital.

As for your husband. Tell him how you feel. Tell him you love him and why you made that decision. In any partnership but especially a marriage, if one person decides on their own without consulting with the other, it is normal for the other person to feel disregarded. So it's important to keep talking with your husband and let him know that's not why you're keeping the baby. If you tell him simply what you told us here would he understand?

You know, if you had decided to not keep the baby just to make your husband happy, would not the situation be reversed (i.e. you feeling as though your choice was taken away, etc.)?

Eventually if your husband does not have a change of heart even after the baby is born, you may need to make a decision about your marriage, for your baby's sake as well as yours and your partner's. A
But for now, focus on your baby. Try to have happy thoughts. Read to your baby while you're pregnant. Look at pleasant images and listen to soothing music as much as you can.

Good luck and take care of yourself and your little one!

lots of good advice so far, just wanted to add a little more. pregnancy, especially unexpected pregnancy, can be an amazing opportunity for a lot of soul searching, healing, growth, and transformation - could even be considered a blessing, a powerful force to move you (and your husband, if he is willing) through healing of past wounds at an exponential rate. pregnancy, birthing, and parenting can put you right up against your stuff, and if you are motivated enough and have enough support you can take advantage of this time to really work through stuff and move forward as the powerful, loving person you were always meant to be (and always have been, under the wounding). having a new life to consider (and put first, since this being is totally depending on you for nurturing and protection) can provide you with the strong motivation to really use this time. i would highly recommend seeing a good therapist (take your time, shop around, interview several till you find one that feels right to you), both individually yourself and with your husband. you may be able to find someone who will do both, or two therapists who might work together, or just a separate therapist for you and for your marriage (of course if your husband is willing to do individual therapy as well, that would be even better). if he's not willing to go to couples counseling, please see a counselor yourself. (i'm using the words counselor and therapist interchangeably here, but what i really mean is someone who will not only help you navigate the current situation ("counselor") but who will also help you explore and heal the roots in the past ("therapist"). the person may call themselves either, or even something else, like "shamanic healer." there are many paths and practitioners, the important thing is to find someone that your intuition tells you that you can work with.
regarding your husband - maybe you can use NVC (nonviolent communication) methods to really listen to him, listening beneath the anger he expresses to what his fears are, maybe even exploring into his childhood, what is being triggered in him. and maybe you will not be able to do that, or he won't be willing, in which case it might be better to simply not react to his comments, or remove yourself from the situation, to protect yourself and your baby (or as you have done before, ask him to leave). it could be good for him also to have some space where he can really begin to deal with his inner demons on his own (hopefully with some kind of support, therapy, etc). the most important thing for you is to protect and nurture yourself and your baby, getting as much positive support as you need and can find. it does sound like some of your "friends" and family are pretty self-centered and not able to give you the support you need, and i think it's good that you set boundaries with them and keep them at a distance if they aren't willing/able to be more supportive. perhaps you can help them tune into the baby and shift their "selfishness" to really focusing on this baby's needs. the baby is very aware already, and open to receive all kinds of good input. i would highly recommend that you talk with your baby often, several times a day. your baby gets your emotions directly. this is not to say you should always be happy or pretend to be happy, but rather that you should say things to baby like "we hadn't planned to have children, and when we discovered you were here, we were very scared, and your father is still very angry, and i imagine that must have been really scary for you too. but now i'm really really glad you are here, and i'm so looking forward to loving and nurturing and being with you throughout your life. any negative feelings your father or i or anyone else might have are absolutely not about you, but rather about us and our previous hurts. i will do my best to protect you from our fear and anger, and i will continue to seek out all the support i need in order to give you the best care possible." when you do feel scared or sad or get caught up in negative feelings yourself, you can reassure your baby, "i'm feeling scared right now, things feel really hard and i don't know what will happen, but these feelings are not about you. you are safe and loved and protected. i'm seeking out and getting whatever help i need in order to move through this, because i love you so much, and you are my first priority." things like that, in your own words of course. you can also tune in to the baby and listen for communications from him/her.
also please do what you can to eat as healthily as possible. it is wonderful that you stopped smoking! i don't know if you have explored or decided on a provider, but even if you have, i would highly recommend talking with several different midwives and consider giving birth at home or at a freestanding (not affiliated with hospital) birth center. midwives can help you with nutrition and other ways of preparing for a healthy, easy, wonderful birth. find yourself a good doula too. you might plan to go ahead with the birth on your own, and if your husband comes around before then he could be included as well, and maybe your mother. this could be a time that you and your mother could become closer, if she is able to face and admit the ways she hurt you. if not, it might be best to keep your distance, but try to understand her feelings too, it can be a tricky dance, so trust yourself. you might do some counseling with her as well, if she is open to that.
there are lots and lots of good books out now about pregnancy, birth, parenting, so you can inform yourself and get some support through reading as well (and videos/dvds too). and find a support group or class to attend. you will make many new friends with this transition in your life, and some of your old friends my stay, some may leave, some may transform, that is normal.
i really appreciate you reaching you to this forum. i imagine that all of us who have read your post are thinking of you and holding you and your baby in a circle of love. may you also find that support in actual face-to-face relationships in your life. please do keep us posted!

Hello, I'm sure you've already gotten tons of support from the Mama's out there, but I wanted to throw my two cents in there too. I want to firstly applaud you for putting yourself and therefore your baby first. I am pro choice so I'm not saying it's great you decided to keep the baby, I'm saying that now that you have decided to keep the baby, you are putting yourself and the child number 1. I also think it's great that you are setting boundaries with people (friends, husband) and hopefully with your mom regarding what you will and won't do/allow etc. Firstly, your husband needs counseling. If he isn't willing to do this to save your marriage or to work through whatever anger he is feeling about you keeping the child then you need to reassess whether or not it is worth struggling to work on something that he isn't. Secondly, I would strongly consider what kind of father he will be..what role models he had growing up and given that he doesn't want to be a dad if he would be abusive in anyway towards the baby/child. I don't want to be a downer, but it only takes one fit of anger and shaking a baby who won't stop crying to cause severe brain damage or even death. So please examine what life you will bring the child into if he continues to have the attitude he does. In regards to the morning sickness and tiredness...this WILL get better. It is amazing because at round 3 -4 months all of the sudden you will feel SO much better. So just hang in there. In regards to work... is there anything you can do to make it better? Do you have to work right now; or maybe work part time? I hate to encourage going onto public assistance but that is open to you too at this point. Things will get better in regards to the pregnancy. Try to get as much rest as you can. It sounds like you are making some really good decisions in a tough time. Good luck to you.

I would like to recommend a course that could be very life-changing with regard to both your future relationship with your baby and your husband's - and would also give you perspective on how you were parented growing up. It is called "Circles of Security" - it's about different attachment styles between parents and children - it's very helpful to understand how these things develop - both to give you perspective on your upbringing and to help you and your husband with your relationship with your baby (it's all inter-related!).
Good Luck,
D.

Oh sweetie, I am sorry to hear your story but I seriously understand your frustration. Please know you are doing a wonderful thing and mommys instinct is a real thing. Just because daddy is not on board, so what. He may get on board, he may not, but please know that if he does leave you because of a baby (something the 2 of you created out of love) that is just fates way of guiding you to another path. God I sound like a hippy...and work.....it does suck. my job was ok and then once I had the baby I cant stand my work. ...so now I am looking for a good balance. I am sure you love your hubby. my advise is to ignore his comments. Don't fuel his fire. ANYTHING you say (good or bad) will fuel it. And anything you say will not change his mind about the way he feels (right now). Once the baby is here, he will pretty much jump in or out. either way its a good thing and then you know where you stand. I say surround yourself by people who care about you and your future. (possibly your parents or a sibling, an aunt?) Let them know the scoop of whats going on and what the possibilities are and they can give you options or guidance.
Also keep in mind those lovey pregnancy hormones go crazy at times and you can be SUPER sensative to everything...even a comment that was not intended to be mean
XOXO to you and that little one. You are going to be a GREAT mom.!!!

For morning sickness, try a protein drink first thing in the morning. Raspberry tea also helped me throughout the day. But, the protein drink was the key. I just bought a protein powder that is often for working out and it did wonders to help me start my day with only a little nausea rather than full out sickness.

Find some positive things in your life to focus on and just realize, you are being the adult here and your hubby and friends are acting like children. Just remind them that if they want to talk rationally, you are all for it, but if they want to throw tantrums, you'll get your fill later with the child.

Good luck to you and also try to get out and walk about 30 minutes per day. It doesn't have to be fast, just a stroll and you'll get some good fresh air and feel better about yourself.

Oh, mama. I wish I had some great, sage advice to give you. I've been married for 5 years, and have two kids (4 and 2). I'll turn 30 this year.

Introductions out of the way...I think you're doing the right thing to keep the baby. As for what your husband is saying...give it time. When I found out I was pregnant with my first, I cried - I was terrified. I thought I would be an awful Mom. Right now, the thought of having a third will break me out in a cold sweat.

BUT. When the babies come, and they're all sweet and cuddly and so completely helpless...I change. I guess what I'm saying is that your husband is probably scared. Having a baby changes EVERYTHING, and you won't know HOW it will change everything...until everything changes. haha And he probably has guessed that.

Also...and this will sound weird...in my mind, my husband is my priority. Not my kids. They will grow up, and have families of their own. My husband, however, I plan on keeping by my side for all eternity. Trust your husband to come around. It's not as if this child was a one-sided endeavor! He was there to. haha

Oh, and one more thing - just assume, for the duration of your pregnancy, that you're probably a little more crazy than sane. It's so hard to see when you're pregnant...but my twin sister is pregnant right now, and it's...easier to see in a sister. haha Not crazy in a bad way...it's just that things that seem like the end of the world right now won't seem so important in a few months.

Hang in there!!!! And the morning sickness will pass. Try nibbling on candied ginger. I always kept some small sour candies in my purse for when I got nauseous. Just a nibble of something sour seemed to calm my stomach down, especially in the car.

First, work is going to be exhausting and being sick totally sucks. I got pregnant around your age and felt like it was fate as well. I so hated talking and sharing pregnancy with anyone too so I feel ya. My hubby didn't say I ruined his like but he wasn't to excited.either. I wish I could tell you that everything will turn out lovely during your pregnancy but it might not.

That said, the baby will be the best thing you ever did. You will become a stronger woman because you made it through the pregnancy and because you are the mother. You haven't experience joy and love until your little one looks at ya. You will be taking on the majority of the care giving but you will love it.

As for work, if your job sucks, get a new one. You may not have a choice about it.You will probably quit and that's a good thing. I got a job that I hated when I was pregnant and ended up telling my then boss off and quitting. Normally I would have never done something like that but anything that adds undue stress to you and your child becomes fair game.

Keep in mind that this is your life, your child, your pregnancy and your time to amaze yourself. I know, you should share and repair relationships but think of yourself and your child, it is ok to do that. And time will help with everything else. Besides, you made it this far, you are stronger than you are giving yourself credit for.

Oh sweetie, I feel for you! I'm sorry you're going thru this on your own. I always said that I didn't want children....now I have 3 contemplating #4.
Don't listen to anyone who is negative....unless you solicit their advice and trust them. You can raise this child alone (or with supportive friends). A baby is a wonderful gift and hopefully your husband will come to realize this.
Take care of yourself and the baby, both emotionally and physically. I had very rough pregnancies and swore with each one that I wouldn't do it again but the moment I held them and heard them breathing in my ear, I was ready for another one (tee hee).
Good luck!

Wow, what a difficult situation to be in!! I think you made the right decision to let go of the friends who were not treating you like friends.

I would think long and hard about the boundaries you want to set with your mother and talk to her about it before the baby is born. It is much easier to deal with that before the birth than after. We have grand parent issues on both sides, soI can say from experience that it may not be fun, but protect your munchkin from the crazyness rather than guarding their feelings. The adults in the situation have more coping mechanisams than the baby.

In regards to your husband, I would say that as difficult as it is, hear him out and let him express himself. If my husband pulled a 180 on me like that, I would be both shocked and have a hard time handling it. I know pregnancy is not fun (my due date was a couple days ago for this kid, and I am fully appreciating all the misery that is preganancy), but guys don't get how hard it is physically and he needs you to see it from his side of the fence if you are going to work this out. It sounds like your marriage is worth fighting for, and your baby will be better off with 2 committed parents than one committed parent. Invest the time in healing yor relationship even if you don't physically feel up to it . . . all three of you will be better off for it in the long run!

Good luck!!!!!!

First of all, congratulations on your pregnancy! It was meant to be, don't ever forget that. However, I want to stress that birth control, is not JUST a womans responsibility. Don't ever let him play that card, that YOU failed. If he does not want a child, or more after this baby, then HE needs to go get a vasectomy. Men can take a little responsibility too. I'm sick of this burden being on the woman in the relationship/marriage. I know alot of men don't like the idea of it, having their "manhood" cut, but I say tough! Don't want kids? Then take some responsibility and get cut.

I hope you two can work this out. I did not read all your responses, but skimmed a few, and yes I think counseling is a good idea. Best of wishes for you and your entire family.

It's probably the right time to seek out a marriage counselor. Preferably one that would meet with you and your husband seperately and also together.

Wow...sorry to hear that you are going through a rough time. I would definitely seek counseling...i know it is expensive but cheaper than a divorce. Maybe your church provides free counseling. Your husband needs to go as well. If he is being verbally abusive then you need to get him counseling or get out. It will only get worse when you have the baby. Babies are very stressful but I applaud your decision to keep the baby.

Your mother may be wanting a second chance..sometimes mothers who were not too great make wonderful grandparents (as long as she is not still abusive and has sought treatment for that).

Keep your job if possible you will need the insurance and pretty soon your job will not be defining who you are...being a mother will be defining who you are. Join a mom's club MOM's club international or some other club to get the support you will be needing.

Babies are a lot of work and you will need the help of your friends and if possible your family. Maybe your friends will have fun playing aunty with your child and this will be helpful to you.

Get counseling and good luck

btw....Zofran is amazing I had to take it with both girls and they turned out perfectly healthy I was soooo sick whole pregancy without the zofran I would have had more trips to emergency room for vomiting NON STOP

Have your husband watch the video to "there goes my life", by kenny Chesney. I bet after the baby is born, his heart will melt for the baby. He is being a jerk though, does he not know that it takes two to get pregnant, you didn't empregnate yourself, geez!

It sounds like you want the baby and are well on our way to being a good mom to this baby.
I don't really have much advice with your other relationships except give it time and keep communication open.
Find a way to talk with other moms or expectant moms. Some hospitals have groups for mom's expecting around the same time or even a general birth class may give you support. Find support somewhere for your health and the health of your baby.

Your husband is acting up as many men do when they find out they are going to be responsible for another human being.
This has been my motto my entire life. " It is easier to get a new man than it is to get a child."
I knew a woman years ago whose husband left her for getting pregnant 8 years into a marriage. You are in love with an emotionally abusive child and now you are having a real child.
Most women grow up when they have their first baby. His not doing so. Your mother has wiped out her memory of how badly she treated you. Ignore her. What you are feeling is very common in early pregnancy. Enroll in a childbirth class you will hear from other mothers to be what they are experiencing.
You are really all right you need support from other mothers not women who are inexperienced with birth and wishing they were pregnant.
Often after a baby is born you change friends as the ones who are childless are in a completely different stage in life.
Also for a woman what says you are an adult more than producing a baby? It could be true for your man if he stuck with you.
He says you took away his choice. Where was his condom. That was his choice not to participate in birth control. If you were to have an abortion to please him that would take away your choice. He can either get behind this pregnancy or get out. That is his current choice.
Go for walks, get into a pregnancy workout group so you can be fit to give birth. Fill your life up with things that will build your future.