When you become pregnant for the first time, it can be easy to go in with lots of preconceptions about how you "should" feel and act. Things may not go as planned, though, and you might find yourself having thoughts you never expected to have. Honestly, you're not alone, because there are plenty of things every new mom thinks about pregnancy that definitely don't (and won't) make you a bad mom.
I remember think back on my first pregnancy and remember how nervous I was about everything I did and thought. I had read studies about the impact that negative thinking can have on babies, and I was scared of the impact I might have on my baby, even before that baby was born. Like many new parents, I spent so much of my time considering the long term effects of every single choice I made and, as a consequence, lost myself along the way. By the time I (unexpectedly) became pregnant for the second time, I was so overwhelmed with my perinatal depression and anxiety (along with parenting a toddler deep in the throes of what can only be described as the terrible twos), that I couldn't wrap my head around any semblance of positive thinking. I was in pure survival mode. Turns out, my son is a happier, easier baby than my daughter ever was, so who the hell knows what the secret is?
Honestly, you shouldn't beat yourself up for having what people have arbitrarily described as "wayward" thoughts during your pregnancy. Your hormones are off-the-charts crazy, your body is going through this massive change, and you're live is slowly evolving into something completely new. Cut yourself some slack and understand that you are not alone. We've all been there. Here are 12 things every new mom thinks during pregnancy that don't make you a bad mom: