I have to go out of town to my daughter’s OB appointment today. I am so anxious I feel like I’m going to barf. I just know there’s going to be a horrible car crash. I hate going highway speeds. We could hit a deer or something. The tire could blow. I don’t know…
Second off there’s a really good chance that she will be induced because she’s past her due date and we live out of town and it’s hard to find rides to go and see the OB. So now I’m super anxious that something is going to go wrong with the delivery or that something will be wrong with the baby. Why am I torturing myself like this?
I hate anxiety. I hate my own brain. I just want to be normal for this one day.
My friend is a doula, and told me that 30-50% of natural births happen one week or more past the due date. He says that it frequently means the baby just wants more time to develop and is rarely a sign of any problem. He has been delivering perfectly healthy babies for years. Hopefully this is calming news to you.
As for driving, I know that can be stressful, but you can do it. You’re a good, safe driver and the other cars on the road are full of drivers who are actively trying to avoid accidents. Nobody can be 100% sure of safety in any activity, but your odds of getting into an accident on the highway are lower than your odds of getting into an accident on a side road.
