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In this short video our CEO, Karen Burgess, introduces a client who came to counselling for help with dealing with her antenatal anxieties:

Jenny says:  “I was referred to Petals by my midwife when it was established that I was suffering with prenatal anxiety.
Being pregnant I should have been thrilled and excited but instead I felt panicked and insecure.  I was so emotional and obsessed with a feeling of impending doom that my pregnancy was becoming a nightmare. Initially, the thought of going for counselling made me feel embarrassed and ashamed of myself. However, from the moment I spoke to Karen Burgess at Petals to book an appointment, I immediately felt much more at ease with the situation. Her words reassured me that what I was experiencing was common and she made me feel much more positive about the idea of attending some counselling sessions to help me cope.

At my first session I found it so easy to open up to Karen. It really helped to talk to someone about how I felt. She gave me reasons as to why I could be feeling certain ways, this helped me to understand and feel more in control of my emotions which meant I could deal with the upcoming weeks much easier.

I had put into action Karens suggestion and by the second session I was already beginning to feel a lot more positive. However I still had some concerns which Karen again helped me to understand and make sense of, giving me the reassurance I needed to cope with the stress and worry I was still suffering with.

I have just had my third session and it was the first time I went without knowing what I was going to talk about. With all the advice that Karen had given me and the strategies she had suggested I felt like a completely different person. I now only have excitement for my new arrival and only the usual “newborn baby” worries which I imagine any first time mum has. I am not completely free of the condition but thanks to petals and Karen I now know how to deal with it.

My last 3 sessions have been left open for me to use if I feel I need them at any point, even after the baby is born. Just knowing that the support is there as and when or even if I need it makes me feel much more comfortable.

Petals is an amazing charity which has given me the support I needed at a very vulnerable time in my life, at a time when I really thought nothing could make me feel better. I have been given the ability to realise that I can cope, to take everything one step at a time and to accept that there is no right or wrong way to feel whilst being pregnant.

I want to say a special thank you to Karen, who has without question been a complete blessing to me. Her professional experience and understanding of my condition along with her effective and sympathetic approach to each session leaves no doubt in my mind what a valuable person she is to counselling. I am extremely grateful to her.”

We would like to thank Jenny for sharing her story in the hope of helping others.

Petals would like to be able to support many more women who suffer similar anxieties across the UK.  Please help us to achieve this by taking this last chance to vote for us in the National Lottery Awards, follow this link, or phone 0844 836 9702 to vote before Wednesday 23rd July!  Thank you!