Scared

And if you have any questions about or regarding something, we're all here for you too, okay!

I think every parent feels that way after having their first baby. I thought the same when we came home with the baby: "Oh no, what do I do now?" It will be fine. Maternity care nurses will help you get everything in order. And you have your common sense and intuition. Don't forget that.

What might help is having someone in your circle who, for example, was present at the birth and comes to support you in those first hours. That way, you always have someone to rely on.

Here, it's like this: the hospital and the Red Cross also have the maternity care nurse meet you in the hospital even for outpatient births. So they already guide you when you go home.

Hi! I'm now 31 weeks pregnant with our first baby! Since this week, I've been feeling more and more anxious about the birth... and about what comes after. I guess it's kind of normal. The closer the date gets, the more questions you ask yourself... I find it all really exciting but I'm also looking forward to it immensely :-)

So relatable! Even though I'm not a single mom... at the end of my last pregnancy (our first one), I suddenly had fears too. Fear might be a big word, but I was scared that I wouldn't be able to handle it all or wouldn't understand it. Because how do you know if he's hungry? Or do I change that diaper? How does the bath work? What do I do if he cries? How do I know why he's crying? How do I know if he's still hungry? Or if he's too cold...or too warm? All these questions.

As mentioned above, maternity care help is so nice and helps you so much! Besides that, a lot of it really goes by intuition (and the big internet helps nowadays too ). I didn't believe that at first, that you actually know a lot with common sense. But it's really true! Mother's instincts are so strong. It will all work out fine, girl.

What a pity that your family lives so far away. I unfortunately have that too, but of course I'm not completely alone. Hopefully, you can always call or text your family or friends. Then they're still very close by I would probably ask someone to be there for the birth and to come home with you afterwards. That's probably the scariest part (I thought) + the first night... maybe that person could stay over for a night? I'm sure you'll think 'I can do this!' afterwards.

I’m luckily (for now??) not afraid of the birth or the time after. I have my husband, my parents living nearby, and good friends (with kids) I can rely on. And the postpartum care will definitely take away a lot of that uncertainty in the beginning by teaching you all sorts of things. But I’m convinced that you’ll instinctively do a lot of things right. I think being a mother is in your DNA.

And for that first night alone, I’d indeed look into asking someone to accompany you during the birth and that first night. I think that’ll make a big difference, especially now in those last weeks, having that sorted out will give you more peace of mind.

And you always have the forum at hand, so just ask away, I’d say!

Good luck, girl!

Hey Lydia,
I had never held a baby before either when I had my son, but it's something so natural that you don't need to worry about it in advance. Changing a diaper is also something you'll learn in no time.
I think the hardest part for you will be the exhaustion if you don't have a partner. Sometimes I even sleep just 2 hours while my husband takes care of the baby. Although not all fathers are present or involved...
Everything will work out, and you really shouldn't worry too much!
The beginning will be the most difficult, but after a few weeks, you'll get to know your child well (no mother knows right away what her baby is crying for), and they'll start laughing, and then it becomes absolutely fantastic!
Good luck!!

Hi everyone, I'm also 27 weeks pregnant. I'm also scared of my eating, and I'm really afraid of the epidural—I hear it hurts.

Why are you afraid of an epidural? As long as you don't have a C-section, nothing is mandatory.
And you'll be numbed first before you get the epidural.

But I don't know, they're numbing me here, Belgium.