Scared to give birth? You’re not alone
But when is the fear so intense that it has a negative impact on the experience?It’s totally normal to feel some fear or stress before a pregnancy or birth. When this fear becomes extreme, we call it tokophobia. Tokophobia or FoC (Fear of Childbirth) occurs in around 7.5% of pregnant women.
Research* shows that this fear can have a negative impact on the course of the pregnancy, as well as on the transition into parenthood. Women+ can have such a bad case of tokophobia that they request a C-section because of their immense fear of having a vaginal birth. The fear can also be so intense that pregnancies are avoided, despite having a child-wish. Tokophobia increases the risk of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and postpartum depression. There is also a larger chance of a premature birth and a baby with a lower birth weight. That’s quite the list…
Linda suffered from postpartum depression
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There are two forms of tokophobi
Primary tokophobia. This is a fear of giving birth in women+ who haven’t experienced giving birth yet.
Secondary tokophobia. This is a fear of giving birth in women+ who have already experienced giving birth. This fear can have developed after an earlier traumatic experience while giving birth, after a miscarriage, after a terminated pregnancy, or after a stillbirth. Other negative experiences in your life can also lead to secondary tokophobia. This is all more common than you might think.
Causes of fearing giving birth
The fear of giving birth can express itself through extensive worrying about the birth, sleep- and concentration problems, a general feeling of unease, panic attacks, and nightmares about the birth. These fears tend to be avoided and denied at first and increase in intensity as time goes on. The cause of the fear can be found in many different factors. Earlier (birth-related) traumas, other people's stories, a lack of support from loved ones, or unsatisfactory coaching from midwives/gynecologists can cause or intensify birth-related fears. The fear of giving birth can be viewed as a vicious cycle. When a woman is afraid of giving birth, there’s a higher likelihood of her having a negative birth experience, which in turn causes more fear in a potential next pregnancy. It is incredibly important that enough attention is paid to this fear during pregnancy so that its effects can be reduced. That’s often forgotten. This leads to even more feelings of loneliness. .
What can you do if you have fears about giving birth?
Even though it occurs quite frequently, it’s a topic that’s still viewed as a sort of taboo. After all, you’re having a baby, and ‘you should be grateful for it’. Feelings of fear are something that people would rather not hear about, or struggle to deal with properly, resulting in silence about the topic.
Recent research* from, among others, the Obstetrics and Gynecology department of the OLVG hospital in Amsterdam (Netherlands) has investigated the relationship between EMDR therapy and tokophobia. EMDR therapy is a form of therapy that is usually used for the processing of traumas and troubling experiences from one's past. This turns out to be an effective treatment for post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).
A group of 141 women took part in this research. All of them were between 8 and 20 weeks pregnant and had previously been diagnosed with tokophobia. The research showed that EMDR therapy is completely safe to be carried out on pregnant women and that this treatment method is certainly effective in reducing the symptoms of tokophobia. This research has taken a much-needed step in the right direction toward bringing this common issue to light.
What can you do to get a grip on your fear of giving birth?
Are you pregnant and afraid of giving birth? Talk about it with your loved ones, midwife, and gynecologist. That way, you can find out together what’s causing this fear and you can look into what method you can best use to make your birth experience as positive as possible. Making a birth plan can also help to make you feel more prepared for the birth. If necessary, the midwife can help you look for psychological help when it turns out that the fears are so severe that you’re dealing with them daily.
Do you suffer from nightmares, anxiety, and/or gloominess? Be sure to talk about it. Either with your friends, your partner, and/or your family. These things happen a lot and aren’t something you should feel ashamed about. Are things not getting better? Look for professional help. For example from a psychologist or a psychotherapist.
Cycle organized a webinar on traumatic birth with Dutch psychotherapist Cobie Lutters. You can watch this back for free.
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