What Scared You The Most?

@kellys3ps (3723)
United States
December 21, 2010 1:14pm CST
We all have those parenting fears. What if I drop the baby? What if I don't hear them when they cry in the middle of the night? Will I raise them to be a good person? The list is practically endless! What scared you the most about becoming a parent?
2 responses
@Pitgull (1522)
• United States
21 Dec 10
I would like to start off by saying that I am not a mother--yet. However, I have been the eldest sibling and a babysitter for about 23 years now...and I know I want kids. However, I don't worry about the type of parent I will be, nor do I worry about the type of person they will become. Obviously, these are unrealistic concerns for me right now, but I do the best I possibly can and I think that is all that anyone can ask for. Honestly, my greatest fear has to do with giving birth and taking care of myself appropriately before my baby is born. To me, this is the most important time and an essential element of who my child will become. I have an intense fear of needles, and sometimes I cry myself to sleep with visions of pregnant women and amniocentesis. I don't want my baby to have abnormalities, but it's a scientific possibility. However, needles do not seem natural to me, and poking at a developing fetus does not seem right... Maybe someone out there can help me with this. As parents, maybe you all had these concerns too, and if something helped you get through it, I'd be eager to find out...
1 person likes this
@phyrre (2317)
• United States
26 Dec 10
Pitgull, I am currently going on 8 months pregnant and trust me, I had the same fear as you! Needles have always driven me absolutely bonkers. Even just getting a simple vaccination, before I got pregnant they had to use a butterfly needle and I couldn't look while they did it. Honestly? I think you kind of just get used to it while being pregnant. I have had my blood drawn so many times that not only am I OK with the idea of needles and having blood drawn, but I can even watch them draw my blood and carry on relaxed conversations and it doesn't fluster me at all like it used to. I think it's just something that you get used to when you realize that, really, it doesn't hurt at all. As for the amniocentesis, I wouldn't worry too much about that. It's something that scares me, too, but it's also something that's not really necessary in most pregnancies and you can opt out of it. A lot of the things they test for with an amniocentesis can actually be determined from the ultrasound, such as factors that suggest down syndrome, etc. Plus, you need to consider whether you really want the prenatal tests. We opted out of all prenatal testing because to us it didn't matter what disorder the baby turned up having, we were not going to abort the pregnancy nor was it ever a consideration. Plus, we're not a high-risk pregnancy and everything has come back normal so far, so we haven't really had reason to worry yet. In the end, I think if you're worried about those things, you should be more worried about labor and whether you're going all natural or getting an epidural. That's one needle that even I don't think I'm willing to tackle just yet. :)
@cicisnana (772)
• United States
22 Dec 10
Of course I worried about all these things you mentioned here, but I tried not to let my worry interfere with my parenting. I've raised 6 children and they are all very good adults. I am very proud of them all!