Regardless of whether you knew pregnancy would be a challenge or the struggle is a sudden gut-punch, overwhelm will strike. The weight of the unknown can drag you under the waves of questions until you think you might drown. Let yourself. Instead of striving with terrified force against the current, let go. Allow your emotions to throw their tantrum. They will stop and when they do, you can look at your situation and yourself with empathy. Once your emotions have exhausted themselves, you can more clearly take in the situation, one item at a time.
Break everything down to build back up. Start with the big picture: The goal is a healthy baby. A healthy baby needs a healthy pregnancy. A healthy pregnancy needs a healthy uterus, egg and a healthy sperm. That’s it. For the sake of combating overwhelm, keep it this simple. Overwhelm loves to attack with complicated. To diffuse this attack, go back to basics. Simplify your focus -a healthy baby starts with a healthy me. Intuitively, you and your body know what to do to be healthy. Start with the question – is what I’m doing/eating/thinking/watching/listening to moving me towards a baby or away? If the answer is towards, great! Keep it going. If the answer is away, stop doing it. Simple. As you build this habit it will build confidence that you are doing what you can to reach your goal. This is building back up. Small choices add up to a big difference.

Don’t beat yourself up and practice grace. It’s OK to feel weak, it’s OK to cry and melt down. It’s OK to not make every perfect decision every time. Do your best as you can. Break down then rebuild stronger. One (or several) less than perfect choices will not erase your progress or disqualify you from future success.
Remind yourself of all the difficulties you have overcome before – keep a list to refer back to when it feels too hard. You’ve survived before and you will again. Take time to breathe. Long deep breaths. Get fresh air (no matter the temperature). Get plenty of sleep, even if that means saying no to other commitments. Stay hydrated. Aim to drink your body weight in ounces every day and supplement with electrolytes. Laugh. Laugh hard and laugh often. As Proverbs 17:22 reminds us, “a cheerful heart is good medicine.” These seem too simple to be effective but I promise, it is the small steps that climb mountains.

You are not alone. Lean on your support system, lean on God. They are stronger than you think, just like you.

Take a deep breath, put your shoulders back and lift your head. You CAN handle this.