The answer is simple, you just do.

Well, actually you really, really don’t.  That’s the freakin’ problem.

Following my own hospital visit and illness experience over the last two weeks (post: here!) I feel that this is an important post to write.

You really don’t KNOW that something is wrong, all you really know is, that everything isn’t ok, and that there’s a possibility (no matter how slight) of something being wrong.

That, essentially, is really all you need to know.

That IS enough.

In my texting back and forth with my friend (about whether to 1.  Call the OBGYN, 2.  Call my GP and 3.  Go to the ER), she said to trust my motherly instinct.  Which, considering I’ve not yet given birth, I wasn’t convinced I actually had.

When I got pregnant, especially after trying for so long, I, and some of my closest friends made the assumption that I’d be an utter hypochondriac.  Freaking out at the slightest ache and pain.  But, once you fall pregnant, you quickly realise that that’s the entirety of pregnancy.  It’s one weird pain, symptom or circumstance, after the other.  You spend your entire pregnancy worrying and scared, but it becomes ‘the norm’.

I’m quite proud of the fact that I wasn’t one of those first-time mums who spend hours on end to their OBGYN’s office, I truly thought I would be.  But when this pain struck in my chest, I was really torn.  So torn, in fact, that I left it THREE days before I called my OBGYN.

Knowing now, that the problem isn’t a serious one, leaving it three days wasn’t such a big deal.  But, had it been any of the issues they thought it was when I first walked in to the ER – well, that could have been another story.

Don’t use the internet to self-diagnose.  You’ll get a list of ‘symptoms not to ignore while pregnant’ – however, even if you don’t see your symptom(s) on this list, it’s better to err on the side of caution and make that call than to agonize for hours, wondering whether you’ve gone into preterm labour, or just pulled a ligament.

Don’t second guess yourself.

Don’t assume that just because a bunch of people on Google say it’s normal and it happened to them – that it IS normal.

Don’t let friends or family convince you that it’s normal, it’s ‘just pregnancy’ or that you’re over reacting.  They don’t know that.

Don’t suffer.  Don’t be a martyr.  If you’re in pain and suffering, it’s going to have an effect on every aspect of your life.  Sleeping, eating, resting, which all have a knock-on effect on your little one.

Trust your gut.  I categorically knew that my pain was NOT heartburn.  In spite of about twenty healthcare professionals suggesting it as a first diagnosis.  It’s a different pain, anti-heartburn meds weren’t working (tums and Gaviscon).  I was insistent and just kept repeating myself (calmly), turns out, I was right.

That old cliche keeps coming back, ‘Be safe, not sorry’, it’s never more true than in pregnancy.  Listen to your body, learn what is normal and what isn’t for your pregnancy and pay attention to the signs that may suggest something is ‘off’.

At the same time, though, try not to be consumed by every little twinge, it’ll make for a very long and stressful pregnancy – that you probably won’t enjoy all that much to be honest.

You got this!!