Emotions of expectant mothers

I never find questions such as yours irrelevant. They are among the most important questions because they deal with our deepest feelings. Many women are reluctant to talk with their GP about these inner feelings. All GPs are aware of the dramatic changes that occur during the weeks of and following your pregnancy. Very few women believe that they are good enough, organised enough, wealthy enough, supported enough. Many doubt their ability to be a good mother.

On top of this we mistakenly think that unless we are able to do it all and be all things to our partners, our other children, our extended family - Uncle Tom Cobley and all - we have failed in some way.

Pregnancy stretches every resource we have. The simplest job can assume monumental importance and take maximum effort. We have been led to believe that pregnancy should have little impact on our lives, relationships and bodies when actually, it strongly impacts on each of these.

Pregnancy requires an additional two hours’ sleep at night, frequent rest breaks, allotted time for exercise and eating healthy foods. That’s aside from visits to your antenatal clinic and time spent just on ‘you’.

The mother needs this time to contemplate her new role and consider how the baby will be accommodated into the family. She needs time and patience to nurture the other children in the home so they will gain the self-esteem that it requires to adapt to a new sibling.

She needs time alone with her partner to recommit to the marriage or partnership bond, to talk and relax together.

She needs to be ‘mothered’, respected, supported and pampered. At one time her own mother might have been a great mentor, but today that mother may be distant physically as well as emotionally.