Self-Care for Those Expecting

Newly Pregnant & Overthinking Everything

5 Practices to quiet the worry & live in the present

Katelyn Harris Lange
5 min readNov 24, 2020

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Photo by Dexter Chatuluka on Unsplash

I started this article five months into my first pregnancy; the first time I felt a consistent state of calm inside my body since finding out the news.

At steady-state, I’d characterize myself as a worrier. On a scale of 1 (don’t have a care in the world) to 10 (in a constant state of worry), I’d rate myself a 5-6, depending on the day. Naming myself a worrier, helps me remember to let it go. I hope there’s a time in the future where I can cast off the label, but something tells me motherhood won’t be the remedy. 🙃

Rumination isn’t enjoyable and there’s a definite opportunity cost for the time I spend mulling over worst-case scenarios.

As a first-time pregnant lady, I’ve learned that the joy in the process can be overshadowed by fears about the unknown and dread about being defective in some way.

I never utilized Google Search as frequently as I have while pregnant.

After two positive at-home pregnancy tests, Google search became a close advisor (of course I’m taking everything with a grain of salt). Below were some of my first search…

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Katelyn Harris Lange
Katelyn Harris Lange

Written by Katelyn Harris Lange

Here for economic justice and community. Philanthropist and power shifter writing about work, social impact & relationships.