You are pregnant, not sick or broken. You are not contagious. You are not bad or “something” to avoid. You are you, just a little different now.
That being said you may feel sick, broken, or bad on some days, especially if you are hiding, keeping your pregnancy a secret, or if people are treating you differently, not associating with you, or forbidden by their parents to talk with you–just because you are pregnant. On other days, you might be bombarded with curious questions and fascination by other women who have never been pregnant. All of the above can create interesting, possibly distressing, reactions in your head, rather confusing at a time when everything about you is changing.
You are definitely still YOU, but you will discover that being pregnant changes you physically, emotionally, mentally, socially, and totally. And, you will NEVER “go back to the way things were before”. It is impossible.
You, your life as you know it, may seem to have many different aspects now. You have always had “parts”, more like pieces of a jigsaw puzzle. The pieces still make up the total picture of you, but an unplanned pregnancy brings everything to the surface, demanding your attention. You can look at it as a fascinating challenge or an overwhelming mess to try to fix. You will likely go between the two extremes, depending on the day and the impact of the hormones on your thinking and emotions. Most pregnant women do, regardless of age or circumstance.
The point is, you are not broken. Give yourself time to look at each piece of yourself and your life “puzzle” as you see them today. Then figure out how you can make each part fit in the big picture, how you can learn and grow and even relish each part of you.
Take each thought and emotion and respect it, even fear, confusion, doubt. Acknowledge that your life is what it is at this moment. When you are ready, you can ask yourself, “So, what do I want to do about it”.
As a coach, I have learned to listen and ask questions that promote even more exploration. Eventually, there is understanding. I encourage you to keep asking questions until you are clear.
