High Risk Pregnancy Anxiety: Coping with Uncertainty During Pregnancy
Understanding High-Risk Pregnancy
A high-risk pregnancy refers to a pregnancy in which there are increased medical considerations for you, your baby, or both.
This may include:
preexisting health conditions
pregnancy complications
advanced maternal age
a history of infertility or pregnancy loss
carrying multiples
While high-risk pregnancy is often discussed medically, the emotional experience is just as significant.
Many individuals find themselves navigating ongoing uncertainty, increased monitoring, and a heightened awareness of potential outcomes.
If this is your experience:
Nothing about your response is “too much.” It makes sense in context.
The Emotional Impact of High-Risk Pregnancy
High-risk pregnancy is often associated with increased anxiety during pregnancy, including:
persistent “what if” thoughts
fear before or after medical appointments
difficulty trusting your body
hypervigilance to physical symptoms
emotional distancing from the pregnancy
grief for the experience you expected
These responses are not a sign that something is wrong with you.
They are often protective responses to uncertainty and prior experiences.
Why Anxiety Can Feel So Intense
During pregnancy—especially a high-risk pregnancy—your brain is naturally more attuned to potential threat.
This can lead to:
increased scanning for danger
difficulty feeling reassured
thoughts that feel repetitive or “stuck”
Many people try to cope by:
seeking reassurance
researching excessively
trying to control their thoughts
emotionally shutting down
While understandable, these strategies can sometimes increase anxiety over time.
How to Cope with High-Risk Pregnancy Anxiety
1. Allow Anxiety to Be Present
From an Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) perspective, the goal is not to eliminate anxiety.
It is to change your relationship to it.
Instead of:
“I shouldn’t feel this way”
“I need to calm down”
You might practice:
noticing the feeling
naming it (“this is anxiety”)
allowing it to be present without immediately trying to change it
This can reduce the additional layer of suffering that comes from fighting your experience.
2. Notice Thoughts Without Getting Stuck in Them
High-risk pregnancy often brings intrusive or repetitive thoughts, such as:
“What if something is wrong?”
“What if I lose the baby?”
Rather than trying to stop these thoughts, you can practice:
“I’m having the thought that something might go wrong”
“My mind is trying to protect me”
This creates space between you and the thought, so it has less control over your actions.
3. Focus on What Is Within Your Control
A difficult reality of pregnancy is that many outcomes are outside of your control.
At the same time, there are areas where you do have agency:
attending medical appointments
following medical recommendations
supporting your physical health
caring for your emotional well-being
Shifting your focus toward what is within your control can reduce overwhelm.
4. Allow Both Hope and Fear
One of the most challenging parts of high-risk pregnancy is holding uncertainty.
You may feel:
hopeful and afraid
connected and guarded
grateful and grieving
These experiences are not contradictory.
They are part of the same experience.
You do not need to eliminate fear in order to feel hope.
5. Stay Connected to What Matters
Even in uncertainty, you can still move toward what matters.
This might include:
allowing moments of connection with your pregnancy
letting others support you
engaging in meaningful routines
caring for your body with compassion
You don’t have to feel certain to take meaningful steps.
When to Seek Additional Support
If anxiety during pregnancy begins to interfere with:
sleep
daily functioning
relationships
your ability to feel present
It may be helpful to seek additional support.
Working with a perinatal therapist in California can help you:
navigate uncertainty
reduce anxiety
process prior experiences
stay connected to your values
You Don’t Have to Navigate This Alone
If you are feeling overwhelmed, anxious, or consumed by uncertainty during your pregnancy:
You don’t have to navigate this alone.
Healing is possible—even in the midst of uncertainty—with the right support.
I offer perinatal therapy in California, both online and in-person in Pasadena, specializing in high risk pregnancy, postpartum mental health, infertility, and reproductive loss.
I invite you to reach out through my contact page to learn more about working together.
I’m Dr. Carissa Gustafson; licensed clinical psychologist based in Los Angeles
Using evidence-based therapy, I can help you bring presence to pain and find peace on your pregnancy and postpartum journey.