While many expectant mothers approach pregnancy without apprehension it is not the same for everyone. Having a baby is an emotional and trying time that is not without risk.
As their body changes to an unrecognisable state some mums can start to fear the impending labour, whether or not they have gone through it before.
However, it is not just first time mothers who can become anxious when they are expecting; experiencing a trauma can leave some mums worried about getting pregnant or being pregnant a second or third time.
The fear of pregnancy is known as Tokophobia which is broken down into two different categories: Primary tokophobia and tokophobia. Primary refers to women whose fear predates their pregnancy while tokophobia refers to women who are afraid after experiencing a traumatic labour.
Even if you are happy to be expecting your new arrival it does not mean that you won’t experience fear or anxiety. Unfortunately, many mums who fear childbirth are slow to share their feelings with loved ones or even their GP as they are told that pregnancy is meant to be a time of joy and happiness; they are often left with feelings of guilt or shame.
Fortunately, there are many steps that you can take if you suffer from tokophobia which include cognitive behavioural therapy and hypnobirthing. Cognitive behavioural therapy can help to reduce the anxiety while hypnobirthing allows women to gain positive visualisations throughout labour and try to avoid reading anything that relates to negative childbirth experiences.
However, while these will help, one of the best things that you can do is acknowledge the fear by saying it out loud. By voicing your fears you will be able to see them in perspective, so always tallk to a loved one you trust.
