Strategy: Thoughts about pregnancy or parenting
We suggest a three-step strategy to deal with these thoughts:
- Observe and recognize the type of thought.
- Determine whether it is helpful or unhelpful.
- If unhelpful, replace the thought with a more objective or helpful one.
Exercise: Replacing unhelpful thoughts with objective or helpful ones
Click on the following examples of unhelpful thoughts to discover objective or beneficial alternative thoughts.
Objective thought: “Most deliveries go well.”
Helpful thought: “If I’m tired after the baby is born, it won’t be the end of the world.”
Helpful thought: “No mother is perfect. I will do my best and I will learn.”