Unhelpful Beliefs in Pregnancy/Postpartum
“I am over-reacting/dramatic/etc and can’t trust myself/my intuition” is a very common unhelpful thought/belief.
There are a variety of reasons this unhelpful belief is developed, including:
You parents often told you to “stop crying”, rather than tend to your needs
You had emotionally immature people in your life, such as your parents, who dismissed your experience because they didn’t agree/didn’t want it to be true
You were criticized for being in touch with your emotions and how deeply you felt them
This unhelpful belief is also VERY common in pregnancy.
When we are pregnant, we are in a constant tailspin of hormones, which don’t help with experiencing all the big feelings.
But another thing I have seen people experience during pregnancy, is feeling like they cannot trust their inner experience, or intuition.
All too often, I have seen people are quick to dismiss their internal experience, or intuition, including when:
The medical professional does not hear the pregnant person’s concerns, similar to how their own parents did not hear their feelings during childhood.
The pregnant person is labeled as anxious by medical professionals… Which perinatal anxiety could also, potentially, be present; BUT, their concerns are still valid and should be taken seriously
Friends and family try to ease the pregnant person’s worries, by quickly saying “I am sure everything is fine.”
“I am being dramatic/over-reacting” was a belief present during my first pregnancy.
When I got into my third trimester, I started to feel ‘off’.
I can’t explain it. It was visceral, but also intuitive.
My baby was also moving less and less. While that is normal because the baby is getting bigger and has less room to move in the womb, it didn’t feel normal for my baby.
I had multiple non-stress tests done throughout my third trimester, to assess the health of my baby. Everytime, while her results were ‘normal’, something didn’t feel quite right.
But the doctor told me I was ‘fine’, and that very old negative core belief I hold - “I am being dramatic and am over-reacting” - came up.
This very old belief has led me to question my intuition; to trust other people’s opinions and judgments over my own.
If only I had listened to that voice sooner, it could have prevented part of the birth trauma that ensued.
If you resonate with any of this, and you are interested in identifying, and changing, your own unhelpful thoughts or beliefs…
Click here to try my FREE eBook, What’s Holding You Back?: 10 Common Limiting Beliefs in Parenthood!
