Worrying about abnormality

You want to know whether your pregnancy is going to be alright. That's always at the back of your mind.

You may feel guilty at times. It's not just worrying about what you do and whether you'll damage or hurt the baby.

You may hear such a lot and read some in the newspapers about abnormal babies all the time. That may drive you mad. You can't help but wonder about your own.

Once you've felt it move and you've seen the scan picture, you may feel happier. Early on you have worried much more.

Everybody worries, at some time, that there may be something wrong with their baby. Some couples get over this by talking about it openly. For others this would just make the worry worse.

Some women find it especially difficult to live with this worry because they feel responsible for the baby. If something is wrong, they feel it will be due to their fault. It is specially so among some communities. If this is how you feel, it is important to remember that while you can increase your baby's chances of being normal and healthy, you can't make absolutely certain of it. There are some things which cannot be prevented. Either the causes are not known, or they are beyond anybody's control. It is not any body's fault. So while it is important to do whatever you can to cut down on any risks to your baby, (by not smoking, by eating healthily, and so on,) remember that you can't cut out the risk entirely.
