Childbirth is a huge event in a woman’s life, one that’s filled with so many emotions from excitement, to anxiety, anticipation, and sometimes fear. It’s totally normal to feel a bit nervous about being in labour and giving birth, especially if you’re a first time mum (this was me 5 years ago when I was expecting my first baby and it's the main reason I signed up to a hypnobirthing course which transformed my whole view on birth!) But when fear takes over, it can actually have some pretty negative effects on both you and your baby. In this blog post, we’ll explore why fear during childbirth is such a big deal, how it can impact the birthing process, and how you can overcome these fears to have a more positive experience.
Why Are We So Afraid of Childbirth?
Fear during childbirth, sometimes called "tokophobia," can come from all sorts of places. Maybe you’re worried because you don’t know what to expect or how you’ll cope, or perhaps you’ve heard some scary birth stories from friends or seen dramatised versions on TV and films (best advice - steer clear of these!) Some women have had tough experiences in the past and are worried it could happen again. Or maybe you’ve had a positive experience already, and think I can’t possibly be so lucky to have that again?! Additionally, the fear of pain, losing control, or things going wrong medically can also contribute to heightened anxiety levels.
How Fear Affects the Body
When we’re scared or feel stressed, our bodies react by releasing stress hormones such as adrenaline and cortisol. These hormones trigger the "fight or flight" response, which can have a big impact on the birthing process, making it tougher, longer and leading to medical intervention. As well as physical impacts, fear in birth can also have big psychological and emotional effects too. Let’s have a look at the reasons why:
Reduced Blood Flow to the Uterus: The fight or flight response sends blood to your vital organs (heart, arms, legs) so you can run away or fight off danger. In this scenario your uterus isn’t seen as vital, so oxygenated blood is taken away from this key birthing muscle. This can slow down labour or make contractions less effective, making birth take longer and lead to more interventions.
Higher Pain Levels: When you are tense and scared, your body is less relaxed, which makes it harder to cope with contractions. This leads on to a cycle of fear, as you start to dread each contraction due to the pain, and then expect the next one to be even worse. The relaxation techniques I teach in my antenatal hypnobirthing courses will help keep your mind and body totally relaxed and calm, leading to a more enjoyable, shorter and more comfortable birth.
Less Oxytocin Production: Oxytocin, known as the "love hormone," is so important during labour because it helps with contractions and keeps you calm and connected. Stress hormones in your body stop the production of oxytocin, which can make labour take longer and increase the chances of needing medical interventions such as instrumental delivery or unplanned caesarean.
Negative Birth Experience: Fear can turn what should be one of the happiest days of your life into something traumatic. Many women who are fearful while giving birth feel like they’ve lost control or were powerless, which can stick with them for a long time, and lead to increased chance of developing postpartum depression.
Impact on Future Pregnancies: A traumatic or fear-filled birth experience can put women off wanting more children, or it can lead to more anxiety in future pregnancies, making the cycle of fear and trauma even worse.
Stress in the Womb: When you’re stressed, your baby can pick up on it. Stress hormones can cross the placenta and affect your baby’s stress response, potentially leading to fetal distress or an irregular heartbeat. A fearful / traumatic birth can also make it harder to bond with baby after they are born.
Overcoming Fear in Childbirth
Understanding where fear comes from and how it impacts you in birth is the first step towards overcoming it. The good news is there are loads of ways to manage and reduce fear before and during childbirth and I’m here to help you with that!
Get Educated: Knowledge is power! Doing an antenatal hypnobirthing course can help you understand what to expect during labour and birth, which reduces your fear of the unknown. Plus, you’ll learn some amazing practical tools and techniques for managing pain and stress. Hypnobirthing in particular is the missing piece of standard antenatal education, which really focuses on the huge impact your mind and your beliefs around birth have on your birth experience itself.
Practice Relaxation Techniques: Techniques like deep breathing, meditation and hypnobirthing can help you stay calm and focussed during labour. These methods can make a big difference in how you perceive pain and manage anxiety.
Build a Supportive Birth Team: Surrounding yourself with people who support you, whether that’s a partner, friend, doula or private midwife, can have a huge positive impact on your birth experience. Having a trusted, supportive birth team can provide emotional support, reassurance, security, advocacy and confidence, helping to create a safe and positive birthing environment.
Addressing Past Trauma: If you’ve had a tough or traumatic previous birth or have deep-seated fears, talking to a therapist or counsellor can help. Working through these fears with a professional can build your confidence and reduce anxiety.
Create a Birth Plan: I help all clients create a bespoke Birth Plan, detailing your ideal birth but also covering your preferences for other eventualities; birth can be unpredictable so I help you prepare for any twists and turns that might occur during labour. Having a birth plan can give you a sense of control over your experience. While it’s important to stay flexible, having a plan for things like pain management, interventions, and your environment can make you feel more empowered.
Final Thoughts
Fear in childbirth is so common, but you can’t just ignore it and hope it goes away - that’s probably the worst thing to do as it’ll rear it’s ugly head the day you go into labour! Fear can have a huge impact on both you and your baby, physically, mentally and emotionally. The key is to understand where your fears come from and take steps to reduce or remove them.
During the second session of my antenatal hypnobirthing course we discuss any fears, anxieties and worries you may have about the rest of pregnancy, labour/birth and the postnatal period too.
It’s really important that both the mum and birth partner have a chance to talk about their fears individually.
Birth partners can often feel like their fears are not as important as the mums, but they are still a huge part of my birth preparation course and often partners say they feel a lot better after discussing them. My husband felt so much calmer and more excited about our births after we did our hypnobirthing course, he actually knew what he could do to support and advocate for me. Head to the Birth Stories secction of my website to read our two incredibly positive birth stories!
By preparing yourself, building a supportive environment, and learning ways to stay calm and confident, you can turn fear into empowerment and have a positive, healthy birth experience.
Remember, giving birth is more than just a physical event—it’s an emotional and psychological journey that you will remember forever, and it’s one that you have the power to shape.
Thanks for reading, Fiona x
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