i have been counseling women with infertilty for more than 25 years, so the last thing you would expect is for me to be writing about the challenges of being pregnant. But to be honest, no matter how much a woman may want to conceive, being pregnant can be a lot more challenging than one would expect. This has led me to start work on a new book, my first in about five years, called The Stress Bump, along with my co-author Alice Lesch Kelly.  

Since we conceived the idea (sorry, I couldn’t resist) last year, I have been paying even more attention to what my pregnant patients tell me. Their complaints, observations, and stories have led me to believe that we are really onto something with the idea that being pregnant can be truly stressful, no matter how much you might want to be a mom. There is this immense social expectation that to be pregnant is to have achieved nirvana. You are supposed to glow, to be radiant, to anticipate impending motherhood with serenity and bliss.But my own experience and that of most of my patients tells a far dfferent story. Pregnancy can be hard.

Thus, as of today this blog is going to focus on the ups and downs of pregnancy. I will tell stories from my patients, give advice on how to feel better physically and psychologically during pregnancy, but I am going to be realistic about what to expect (sorry, couldn’t resist that either).

I welcome your examples, questions, and complaints.

Ali