One Woman’s Vulnerable Feelings About Family Planning During COVID-19

At Expectful, we have been inspired by the beautiful stories you have bravely shared with us over the last few weeks. During times of uncertainty, families preparing to conceive are balancing a myriad of emotions as they navigate the unknown.

To bring more light to our most vulnerable feelings, we are sharing the story of a hopeful mom and member of the Expectful community who reached out to us this week to share what was coming up for her.

“About 6 months ago, my husband and I really decided we want to start trying to conceive in April of this year. It’s probably not very common to specifically plan like this, but we wanted to reach certain financial and health goals before seriously trying.

In light of the current pandemic, there are so many fears, questions, and unknowns that undoubtedly create anxiety and unease for people who are already expecting and for those who are giving birth during these times.

I feel selfish, but I can’t stop thinking about how irresponsible and scary it is to even try and get pregnant right now because no one knows what the next nine months will even be like.

Just the thought of going to the doctor for checkups while pregnant seems risky to me right now, and it seems too risky to the baby because of the unknowns. So I feel a sense of loss (even though I never “had’ anything) because I was so ready to get pregnant.

Even as I type this, I feel shame for feeling this way because of the people actually experiencing loss of life and health right now. I’m realizing the feeling I’m experiencing is more like severe disappointment, but I guess that is valid too, right?

If anyone reads this, thank you. I really needed to get this off my chest.”

We realize that this time is bringing up a myriad of complicated and mixed feelings for all of us, and this time may be especially challenging for those of you that are thinking about conception. Let this post serve as a reminder that you’re not alone.