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Pregnant Pause: Calming Your Concerns

You're pregnant. Congratulations! Whether you've wanted a baby for years, or got pregnant the first try, the news that you're actually carrying a child brings a flood of emotions, including: elated ("I've waited for this for years!"), triumphant ("We did it!"), anxious (Can I handle it?), and overwhelmed (I can't handle it!).

By Dana Sullivan for Your Baby Today

You're pregnant. Congratulations! Whether you've wanted a baby for years, or got pregnant the first try, the news that you're actually carrying a child brings a flood of emotions, including: elated ("I've waited for this for years!"), triumphant ("We did it!"), anxious (Can I handle it?), and overwhelmed (I can't handle it!).

"It's not unusual to have some conflicting feelings about pregnancy even if you're very happy with the news," says Jennifer Niebyl, M.D., a maternal-fetal medicine specialist at the University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics in Iowa City.

Here's some advice on dealing with the emotions that may have taken you by surprise:
• Feelings of ambivalence about pregnancy and motherhood. No doubt about it, motherhood will change your life like nothing else. You may be worried that you won't know how to be a good mother, especially if you haven't spent much time around babies. "You don't need know everything there is to know about parenting right now," says Dr. Niebyl. "But if you're really worried, start reading parenting books -- in nine months you can learn a lot," she adds.
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