Fear of Childbirth
Filed Under Mom Talk |
As a mom who has had one medicated birth followed by two natural births, I have always been amazed how fear is a leading factor in a woman’s ability to manage the birth experience.
I work with hundreds of women yearly, and incorporated into each “Fitmom 2 Be” fitness class is education on preparing for labor and delivery. Most responses are fear-based in nature, and I have found that most women consider preparing for childbirth an exercise in learning about all the drugs available to them. I try not to be extreme in my position on childbirth and most often use my own story as a learning tool.
The fact is that my first time around, I had thought about a drug-free delivery. But nothing I learned in my hospital-based childbirth education classes (12 hours in total, which is considered long) prepared me for labor. I arrived at the hospital completely unprepared and terrified. I was more than happy to hand my body over to the medical experts and participate in my birth experience as little as possible. A phrase I often hear when people talk of women who want to choose natural childbirth is, “Why be a hero?” That comment really gets under my skin. Is it implying that you are less than a hero if you do use drugs?
Here’s my opinion: as North American women, we are privileged to have access to emergency interventions, but often they are used in non-emergency cases. Such interventions can speed up the process and make things easier, but there are still side effects and risks associated with some interventions. The fact is that most women are so vulnerable and disempowered during childbirth that they are rarely making informed choices and are usually quite scared. Here are some questions I suggest women ask themselves to prepare for labor and delivery:
• What are your internalized messages about childbirth? Are they mostly positive or negative? Most women when asked are really blown away by the fact that most images they have of childbirth are media-driven images of women screaming out of control in stirrups.
• How many births has your birth partner or husband attended?
• Do you think partners can be prepared to be effective birth partners in less than six weeks (the usual length of childbirth education classes offered at hospitals)? Or would it be useful to have someone there who is trained in specific labor and delivery support techniques, like a doula or even a friend who has children?
• Are you aware of the birth practices at the hospital where you plan to give birth?
• Have you thought of confronting your fears surrounding childbirth and committing yourself to feeling very comfortable and fully educated?
If you are interested in planning for childbirth, I strongly recommend the book The Thinking Woman’s Guide to a Better Birth by Henci Goer. Unlike many books that tell you what to expect when you’re expecting by pouring over outcomes, The Thinking Woman’s Guide to a Better Birth focuses on “intervention prevention” by empowering women with knowledge regarding the natural changes and processes their bodies undergo during childbirth. It’s knowledge we are all meant to have and should have in order to be fully prepared for childbirth. Check out our labor and birth coach e-book at www.newmom101.com
Happy Birthing!
Andrea
