When you become pregnant unexpectedly, it can be easy to feel depressed, anxious, and a whole range of negative emotions. You may feel guilty for getting pregnant without planning beforehand or ashamed if you are considering adoption. But it is important to stay positive and enjoy the pregnancy to the best of your ability, and here are some ideas on how you can do that.
- See a counselor.
I cannot recommend this enough. Finding an unbiased person to share your thoughts, fears, feelings, etc. with can help you to have a more positive perspective on what you are going through. If you keep all these things to yourself, it can have a truly negative effect on you and possibly even cause stress that can affect the pregnancy. If seeing a counselor isn’t a possibility for some reason, find a family member or friend you can trust to talk to.
- Self-care activities.
Take a bath. Read a book. Take evening walks around the block. Color in a coloring book. Take up a new hobby like knitting or painting. Taking the extra time to take care of you during your unexpected pregnancy can help to relieve some of the additional stress on your body and mind. Perhaps nothing on this list strikes your fancy, but the Internet is full of safe, fun activities to help relax and rejuvenate you.
- Give yourself permission to be excited.
Just because your pregnancy wasn’t planned or intended does not mean that you can’t find some joy in it. In my own unplanned pregnancy, I created an adoption plan. Because of that, I was afraid to be excited over ultrasound pictures or baby kicks or cute clothes. I didn’t want to bond with him and feel close to him for fear that it would make placing him harder. I regret that so much now. Adoption plan or parenting, it is okay to be excited. You are growing a human life. That’s an exciting event! No matter how this unborn child came to be, they deserve to have your excitement that they are coming into the world, no matter how much or the outcome.
Staying positive in an unexpected pregnancy can be a difficult task, but taking care of yourself, with things like talk therapy and self-care activities can make a positive difference. It is important to remember that you are not alone in this. I remember feeling alone, but the truth of the matter is, it’s one of the only times in your life you always have another person with you.
If you are unexpectedly pregnant, please consider adoption. Visit Adoption.com to view adoption profiles from hopeful adoptive parents. Visit Adoption.com/unplanned-pregnancy to find guidance with your unplanned pregnancy.