What to expect when expecting: The final days of WALB’s Jamie Worsely’s pregnancy

ALBANY, Ga. (WALB) - Over the past nine months, WALB News 10′s Jaime Worsley has gone through an incredible life change—becoming a new mom.

Worsley has prepped her nursery full of princess clothes and decor, taken every health precaution and even bought her baby’s first Christmas ornament just in time for her bundle of joy’s arrival.

“We’re getting close to Christmas and there’s a Christmas song that really resonates with me this year more than any. But it’s called “A Baby Changes Everything,” and I’m kind of soaking up these last few moments,” she said.

She was shocked to get the news of her pregnancy but has taken on the role gracefully and compassionately and is sharing her prenatal journey.

“One day, I’m walking through the newsroom and everyone’s lunches were being heated up and it smelled absolutely awful. Jim Wallace, he jokingly was like ‘you’re not pregnant are you?’, and I went home on my break, took a test and found out that I was pregnant,” she recalled.

Being a young expecting mom hasn’t always been easy for Worsely.

“In the beginning, I struggled. What a lot of people don’t know is that I actually started medication around the time that I found out I was pregnant. That kind of helped me as far as the mental health aspect of you know, accepting what was to come,” she said.

Worsley has completed 38 weeks of pregnancy and her 39th week started Friday. She’s been through about 12 OBGYN appointments throughout the nine months and has gotten plenty of advice from different providers.

“Your body has changed a lot over the last nine months,” said Sheena Favors, OBGYN at Albany Area Primary Health Care. “The more you get towards labor, the less you’re going to sleep because you’re going to be quite uncomfortable. If you’re already exercising, you already have a regular exercise regimen, continue that regimen as far as diet. Vegetables are always going to be your go-to (and) plenty of water. If the baby doesn’t come. We help the baby come.”

As she’s watched her daughter develop through ultrasounds, Worsley said she already loves her baby girl.

“I love her so much,” she said. “You’re never really truly prepared for when it’s time to load the hospital bags up and get in the car and go to labor and delivery but I trust my medical support team and my health team.”

Healthcare experts say they expect Worsely’s delivery to go smoothly but are prepared for any outcome.

“Once you get here, they’re going to get you registered and checked in, and then we’ll get you to the back and we’ll be able to go through all of the admitting process assessment process and kind of let you know what’s going on with you and we’ll go from there,” said Jennifer Heleski, director of women’s and children’s services at Phoebe Putney Memorial Hospital.

Lequana Vivens, labor and delivery nurse manager at Phoebe, said any mom who comes to Phoebe has the nursing staff’s support.

“We’re at your side through the whole process because every labor is tailored to you. Everybody is different,” she said.

For Worsley, the worst of her pregnancy symptoms have been pregnancy brain and body aches. She said the most important thing for any expecting mothers to learn during their pregnancy is to give themselves some grace.

“I’ve been so lucky and so blessed through this whole thing to work somewhere that has been so accommodating to have people around me that are so supportive. But that’s not the reality for everyone. It definitely changes the way that you think about what other women in my position go through, and so I think the main thing that I just really kind of wanted to shine a light on through doing this story is that it’s an individual journey for everyone,” she said.

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