minimising stress- help

[nelliesbelly]

hello everyone. just wanted to chat about minimising stress while pregnant.

I am still working full time in a mentally challenging job, we just sold our house and the house we wanted to buy isnt going well (back and forth between solicitors) and we have 5 weeks to find somewhere to live which is proving hard! We will be moving at 37 weeks. My job has come up for advertising so i also have to apply for it along with everyone else to have it when i get back, and I have to do the whole process at around 34 weeks pregnant (including panel interview and written tests).

My bp at 28 week checkup was 140/90 with plus1 protein in urine and I have been a bit swollen and experiencing palpitations when I feel exhausted. Also my resting heart rate is 110-130 and I feel it racing at night.

I am trying so hard to relax because my Mum had pre-eclampsia with me and was hospitsalised for 4 weeks and I came early due to this.

I only sleep 2-4 hours a night so I try to get rest when I can. Obviously my baby comes first so Im wondering if anyone has any tips.

I have not really told the ob all of this as I feel I am complaining but maybe I should to see if he can help me?

[LuluHB]

I've had a pretty stressful pregnancy too - we were building a house which had huge problems and then had our move into it. Then there was dealing with contractors etc for finishing house stuff that had issues too - to the point where for the first time in my life I actually screamed and swore at someone on the phone. My job was very stressful too but I have been sick the entire way through so I cut my hours right down. I was really lucky in that I could do that both financially and that my employers were very understanding of my situation.

Try and get as much rest as you can, and definitely get your DH taking on a bigger share of the workload. I felt pretty guilty about that at first, but my DH was more than happy to do it to keep me a little more sane and our baby safer. I would also tell your OB - you're not complaining - he should know all this sort of stuff and its his job to deal with it. Hope life settles down a bit for you soon.

[fionas]

Gee, it sounds like you've got an awful lot on your plate so don't feel like you're complaining. Apart from airy fairy "things usually work out for the best" advice that I could give you (which happens to be true but can be difficult to believe when you're in a bit of state) I think you have two options:

1. Work out your contingency plans eg. if you don't end up getting the job (and fingers crossed you will), what will happen? Will there be other positions within the same company coming up that you can apply for? Is it a showstopper if you don't get the job ie. were you banking on returning to work after a certain time etc. etc. Same with the house - can you move to family/friends if you can't actually find somewhere to live? I know that's not ideal but the baby won't give a hoot where you're living as long as he/she is fed and snuggly.

2. Delegate as much as you can. Now I know you can't do this re your job application and interviews but could you leave the majority of the house-hunting to your partner/family members or even a real estate agent?

I find that when I bottle up my worries by trying not to whinge, I can get myself into a complete flap but when I actually verbalise them to my partner, it is actually a problem halved so do share your concerns. If you work through things one step at a time things seem more manageable too so as much as possible, say to yourself, "OK today I'm going to concentrate on my job application and not even think about the house situation until tomorrow/whenever."

Go easy on yourself and good luck.

[Mother Goose]

Nellie.

When I was PG I suffered pretty bad stress too - work, home, family, volunteer work stuff, uni... Someone on BB sent me some relaxation CDs which really helped - especially when I put them on just before bed. I would be happy to send you a copy (email me at natashadATinternodeDOTonDOTnet if you would like them).

Some other good ways to alleviate and control stress are;
guided imagery
massage
regular gentle exercise (a 30 min walk 3 or 4 times a week)
keeping a journal or diary
talking it out with someone
deep breathing exercises
and here's one my midwife told me.... floating in a pool. I didn't fancy my chances of a peaceful float at my local pool so never tried it...

Defiantely have a chat to your Ob about it if it is a concern to you.

HTH and good luck with the job interview!

MG