Moms worry. It's just what we do. And any woman who has been pregnant will tell you that the anxiety begins long before delivery. For a lot of us, it starts from the moment we see that positive sign on the pregnancy test.
So I had to laugh when mom-to-be Vanessa Lachey recently revealed her biggest bump phobia: that her belly button will pop out. "My stylist was like, ‘You don’t want that to pop. That’s like having a third nipple’," she said during a sit-down on Bethenny. So now, ever time she sneezes, "I hold my belly button in,” she admitted. “For some reason, I think I’m going to sneeze it out.”
Well, sorry to tell you Vanessa, it may be unavoidable. The navel pops up like a turkey timer at the tail end of the second semester but not to worry. It goes back in a few months after delivery.
Here are six other wacky pregnancy fears:
"My morning sickness is keeping my baby from getting enough food." Relax. No matter what you eat or how much, your baby will suck all the nutrients out of it to get what it needs. Good thing is, the really bad bouts of nausea usually end by the second trimester. In general try to eat healthy meals, stay hydrated and take your prenatal vitamins and you both should be fine.
"The baby knows when we are having sex." I am sure you have a future genius in there but trust me, the baby is clueless about what's going on in the womb. All she feels is the rocking motion.
More from The Stir: Top Pregnancy Fears: Is Yours on the List?
"I'll poop during delivery." The thought may be horrifying but it's just a reality of vaginal delivery. With all that pushing and straining, it just happens sometimes. Don't fret. Doctors have seen it all and are rarely grossed out by anything. And I always think back to what my Granny Ethel Mae always says, "More room out than in."
"I won't make it to the hospital in time." We've all heard those freakish birth stories about delivering in a cab, plane or department store dressing room. In actuality, most women have time to shower, comb your hair, pack a bag and make a few calls. The typical labor lasts between 12 and 18 hours.
"Laying on my tummy will smush the baby." There's plenty of room and protective padding in there. The bigger question is if that position is comfy and as your belly grows, it may actually be impossible to do.
"My water will break in public and I will literally flood the area." Some woman make a big splash but for most it's more like a trickle. But don't worry too much about making a mess in line at the grocery store. Most amniotic sacs do not break until active labor and by then you will probably already be at the hospital.
What are your biggest pregnancy fears?
Image via Marcelo Cantarela/Flickr
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Comments 30
My water DID gush when it broke. Thankfully I was at home. I would have been really embarrased if that had happened to me at the supermarket or something. There were puddles all down my hall when my husband went to the house to grab some stuff.
I knew I was in labor, it started at 6:14 am... but I chilled on the couch for a few hours, took a shower, ATE, did some walking. I would have stayed home a lot longer, but I had an OB appt that day anyways, and my dr flipped when he checked and I was 5 cm. So I went to the hospital after that. They had to break my water right before I started pushing.
I was afraid of pooping, and I thought I was when she was coming out. I kept screaming at my husband "AM I POOPING?!?!?!" I never actually was, but I was on Staydol, and it made me high off my arse.
I think my biggest fear (other than making sure she came out healthy) was that the ultrasound was wrong. I was afraid that I was actually going to have a boy, after we had all girl stuff.
if i had waited for my water to break, i never would have made it with any one of mine. from water breaking to birth ..DS 20 minutes DD1 15 minutes and DD2 30minutes (and i was on meds to stop contractions). with DD2, i lived an hour from the hospital, so yeah.. i would have been screwed. not making it to the hospital in time is absolutley a valid fear. .
I was scared to into preterm labor. I think that is a pretty normal fear, however I was so nervous about it that I was afraid to push when I used the toilet.
All the fears about pregnancy and birth are normal for first-time mothers, but they might sound funny to someone with more experience. Fear, by definition, is not usually rational.
My belly button never popped with my first pregnancy and I'm in my third trimester now and it isn't showing any signs of making an appearance. I've always though I had a really deep belly button though. It always seemed like it collected more lint then your average button... so maybe in it's own way it is popping, just up to a normal level.
My biggest fear has always been that I will have the baby early. I have to work right up until the birth and there's tons of things I have to get into place to be out of the office for a couple weeks so I'm paranoid that the baby will come early and I'll have to deal with the stress of getting things at work done when I should just be enjoying time with my baby.