How to overcome the fear of childbirth

Seek the advice of your gynecologist and learn pregnancy management techniques. Don't automatically choose a cesarean section to overcome your fear of childbirth.

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La fear of the delivery It's very common, but it's also a natural and human reaction, just like birth. of the baby. It can involve pain, loss of control, fear that something will go wrong for oneself or the baby, or past experiences or stories heard. For some people, it's manageable anxiety, while for others it becomes very intense (sometimes called tocophobia).
It is also important to remember that experiences vary greatly. Some women describe the delivery Some describe it as a truly arduous ordeal, others as an intense but manageable experience, and still others as positive. The experience depends on many factors: the course of the labor, the assistance received, the support of the people present, the expectations and also a component of chance.

There are several approaches that can help:

  • Get information from reliable sources. Understanding how labor occurs, what are the options for control of the pain and what to expect can reduce uncertainty.
  • Talk to your gynecologist or midwife about it. They can answer questions, explain available options (such as epidural analgesia or other techniques) and help prepare a plan of the delivery flexible.
  • Don't choose the delivery cesarean section as an automatic mechanism to get rid of, in one quick and single stroke, the fear of pregnancy.
  • Attend a childbirth preparation course. In addition to practical information, it allows you to learn strategies for dealing with labor and interact with other expectant mothers.
  • Learn anxiety management techniques. Breathing exercises, relaxation, mindfulness, or visualization can be helpful, especially if practiced during pregnancy. Even yoga during pregnancy It can be very useful to win the fear of the delivery.
  • Involve a trusted person. Know who will be present during the delivery and talking about your fears with that person can increase your sense of security.
  • If the fear it's very intense, consider a consultation with a psychologist experienced in pregnancy and perinatal care. Interventions such as cognitive-behavioral therapy can be effective in reducing anxiety related to delivery.
Over the last twenty years the fear of the delivery (fear of childbirth, FOC) has become an important field of research in obstetrics, perinatal psychology and psychiatry. One of the most solid conclusions is that there is no single cause: its genesis is considered multifactorial, that is, it arises from the interaction between biological, psychological, social and cultural factors. In a systemic review of the 2019 carried out by an international, but predominantly Swedish, research group led by Anna Dencker, of the University of Gothenburg, together with researchers from the universities of Gothenburg, Borås and other European institutions, the authors tried to answer two questions:
  1. What factors predispose to fear of the delivery?
  2. What consequences does it produce? fear of the delivery on pregnancy, on delivery and on psychological well-being?

The most important conclusion is that there is no single cause . Fear of childbirth arises from the interaction of several factors.

The authors group the predisposing factors into three main categories:

  • Emotional and psychological aspects: anxiety, depression, high levels of stress, psychological vulnerability and fear generalized are found to be associated in a fairly constant way with the fear of the delivery.
  • Social support: poor support of the partner or social network is associated with higher levels of fear.
  • Factors related to pregnancy and obstetric history: for example previous experiences of delivery Trauma, obstetric complications, or pregnancy characteristics may contribute, but results are less uniform than for psychological factors.

The review shows that a high fear of childbirth is associated with an increased likelihood of:

  • request a Caesarean section;
  • live the delivery in a more negative way;
  • presenting anxious or depressive symptoms in the perinatal period;
  • report an experience of delivery traumatic.
In a word: if not addressed, the fear of the delivery risks wasting one of the most beautiful moments in a woman's life.

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