pregnancy and generalized anxiety disorder

[tdawgg123]

I have been diagnosed with generalized anxiety disorder along side panic disorder. I want to know what other ladies(moms) out there that have been diagnosed with this have dealt with pregnancy, birth and dealing with their children in general. Just the thought overwhelms me and the thought of pregnancy and not knowing how it may affect my anxiety, post partum, hospitals, birth..dying at birth, having an unhealthy child and EVERYTHING in general scares the sh*t out of me. I just turned 27 and this is a step that's fast approaching in my life that I'm worried I wont be able to deal with. So much that I'm thinking about not even having children, even though I know I have always wanted them... I need help and reassurance.

[Cwoods]

Are u expecting now?

[tdawgg123 in reply to Cwoods]

Oh god no. I'm absolutely terrified over it. Thinking about never having kids because of it!

[Cwoods in reply to tdawgg123]

Lolol dont say that i had my baby 8months ago and i was terrified that my anxiety would be at its highest but honestly it wasnt that bad the pregnancy went well the birth i tell u i gatta high 5 myself because i was sooo proud that i did it and the after im still coping with my lil one my anxiety flares up now mostly during my period or if im stressed and exhausted but otherwise ive been able to keep it under control.

[tdawgg123 in reply to Cwoods]

I'm glad to hear that! I dunno if I can do it though .. Just the thought sends me into panic mode. Haha but I'm glad to hear you had a positive experience. I work as a nanny now so I know how exhausting kids can be that's for sure

[Cwoods in reply to tdawgg123]

U can do it and oh yes veryyy exhausting but worth it.

[Hidden]

I just had a baby 8 months ago. And i want to be very Honest with you on MY experience with PtSD and panic disorder. This was my 3rd pregnancy before ive had very bad anxiety my other 2 pregnancies were good. But this preg ancy since i got to know Anxiety very well it hit me Hard. I would get bad panic attacks severe racing heart sweating. Bad dreams, etc. But not all women are the same. I thought the same thing right as i was getting closer to giving birth "Oh ill die from giving birth or what if something goes wrong to the baby etc you name it. I had it all from thinking i was going to die or not make it to birth or the baby would die from All my panic attacks i was passing on to him while in my Belly. but i did it and everything went Great! Only time my panic attacks strike now is when iam getting my period dont give up Hope it might be a great experience for you!

[SammieXo]

Im the same now that Im 29 im starting to question this....I have no hope for my future I cant honestly bring a child up with my anxiety surely thats not fair on a child. anxiety is the evil its stopping me from achieving everything in life!!

[Aazz]

I've had 2 kids and I had bad anxiety just for a few weeks at the start of the pregnancies and that was due to the fears you expressed just scared of the whole experience in general however let's say 2 months in it subsided and I tell you mood wise I was the happiest I had ever been in my life which I think was hormone related so that was the first pregnancy and after I was fine but with my second pregnancy I had the anxiety at the start and the rest was neutral but I got post partum anxiety 2 months after giving birth and now 2 years later still struggling but much better then I was. Kids are beautiful and a blessing I would hate to discourage you from having children but to be completely honest it is very hard to take care of kids when you have a mental disorder I really struggle and I feel very robbed of this precious time. If you get to a place where you feel good enough to take care of kids then definitely go for it but if your disorder is at a level where you are struggling with life daily and taking care of yourself is hard then I would be very cautious kids need a lot of you its demanding and the hardest job in the world but also the best. I wish you all the best :))

[tdawgg123 in reply to Aazz]

Thanks for your reply. I work as a nanny ( of three kids!!) and it gives me a bit of an idea of what it would be like. I do burn out very quickly. I only work part time but I think with my own kids it till be different. I worry so much about post partum depression and anxiety I've seen people get it bad ! I've always wanted kids so it really is discouraging and scary to think what if I couldn't do it. Anxiety doesn't stop me in my daily life but id say it is moderate to severe .. And much worse in the winter months.

[Aazz in reply to tdawgg123]

My anxiety is very physical a lot of day I just want to lay down and do nothing but with kids you can't do that. I also have depersonalisation which makes me feel like I'm on drugs. Loud noises bother me (kids cry , screech and wine a lot). So it really depends how functioning you are if you are a high functioning with your disorder you will most likely be ok.

[tdawgg123 in reply to Aazz]

I don't think I've experienced depersobalization much to be honest but with anxiety I too experience the constant physical symptoms .. Bright lights and loud noises also bother me especially if I'm tired