Almost every expectant mother is afraid of childbirth to one degree or another. We have identified the most common fears of pregnant women and learned from experts how to deal with them.
Fear: it will hurt
Perhaps this is one of the most common fears among expectant mothers. By nature, it is in us that pain signals danger, indicates that something is wrong with the body. Birth pain is inherently constructive and radically different from the one we experience during illness or injury. It is needed in order for a woman to mobilize to the maximum, prepare for the birth of a child and for taking care of him. Getting scared by reading stories on the Internet and listening to stories from friends is the worst thing you can do before giving birth. The stronger the panic, the more acute the pain: a lot of adrenaline enters the bloodstream. As a result, the muscles tense up, the vessels and nerves of the uterus are compressed – this is the main source of pain.
How to stop being afraid of childbirth
-Remember that in fact only 20-30% of labor pain is caused by muscle contractions. The rest is a consequence of mental stress and fear. If you control the situation and give birth consciously, then the discomfort will be much less intense. Therefore, find out everything about childbirth in advance – what and why will happen to you at each stage. Tune in to go towards the pain, and not run away from it, and you will find that it is quite bearable.
Master several methods of pain relief during childbirth at once: massage, breathing techniques, postures. Do not rely on the universality of one of them. The easiest way to relieve bodily clamps and tension is to shake yourself, move your shoulders, fingers, relax your facial muscles,”. “Breathe slowly and deeply.” It is very useful to learn proper breathing during contractions. It’s easy to do. Sit on the floor against the wall, lean against it, put a pillow under your back, spread your legs. Remember, the more relaxed you are, the better your cervix will open during labor. Start counting to yourself from one to seven. Inhale for a count of three and exhale for a count of seven. Breathe in through your nose while slowly inflating your belly. Release – through the mouth, pull the lips with a tube, slowly deflate the stomach. Breathe like this for one minute. Labor pains always go on increasing, the interval between them is reduced, and their duration increases, pain also intensifies. As the contractions build up, try using even deeper and slower breathing: inhale for a count of 5, exhale for a count of 10. Breathe like this for 1-2 minutes. Do not get out of the rhythm between contractions. Breathe calmly: inhale through your nose for a count of 2-3, exhale through your mouth for a count of 5-6. Breathe like this for 2-3 minutes, and again begin to gradually accelerate. inhale through the nose for a count of 2-3, exhale through the mouth for a count of 5-6. Breathe like this for 2-3 minutes, and again begin to gradually accelerate. inhale through the nose for a count of 2-3, exhale through the mouth for a count of 5-6. Breathe like this for 2-3 minutes, and again begin to gradually accelerate.
But throughout the whole process, keep in mind the idea that childbirth is finite. Take 12 hours as a guideline (that’s how long they last on average) and look at the dial more often. Every passing hour brings you closer to the cherished finale and the long-awaited meeting with your baby.
Fear: childbirth will not go as we would like
The mother-to-be is worried that something will go wrong. She is afraid that labor activity will suddenly have to be stimulated. Or the prospect of an episiotomy. Or that, for one reason or another, she will need an emergency C-section.
How to deal with fear of childbirth
Tell yourself that you have the strength and time to do so in order to minimize the risk of developing labor according to an unpleasant scenario for you. Try to collect as much reliable information as possible about the phenomenon that scares you the most. Read special literature, share your experiences with specialists. Find out which prevention methods are the most effective and start taking action. Are you afraid of premature birth? Quit smoking and try not to appear in smoky rooms: tobacco smoke increases the number of complications. Worried about an episiotomy? Start doing an oil massage on the perineum: this will make the muscles more elastic and help prevent tears.
To feel more confident and calm down, ask someone close to play horror stories with you. Let them say that what you fear the most is bound to happen. Your task is to convince the interlocutor by giving counterarguments. After a few discussions like this, fear and anxiety will subside, overwhelmed by your common sense.
Live your fear from beginning to end. Imagine the worst thing ever happened. Take your time, you need to see this event as detailed as possible, with all the details, tones and semitones. Think about how you will feel, what to do in this situation, who to contact for support. Having mentally experienced a frightening situation, you will feel how it lets you go, and the fear fades away.
Fear: the baby will suffer during childbirth
It also happens that the expectant mother is not so much afraid of childbirth as such, but worried about the child. It is believed that, when born, the baby experiences fear and physical suffering. During contractions, he has to endure oxygen deficiency and strong pressure from all sides, and ahead of him is an even more difficult test – passing through the birth canal, and then through the narrow bone ring of the pelvis.
How to deal with fear of childbirth
In fact, the baby is already quite prepared for the birth. For example, he gets used to the contraction and mild hypoxia that he will experience during contractions, even during pregnancy, when the uterus, while exercising, comes into tone. At the time of birth, they no longer scare the baby. Mom can help the baby by controlling breathing and thus providing the baby with enough oxygen. At the beginning and at the end of the fight, you need to breathe evenly and deeply, inhaling through your nose, exhaling through your mouth. At the peak of the fight – superficially and only with the mouth. If the period of contractions is completed successfully, the baby will safely pass through the birth canal. Thanks to the fontanelles, the head will shrink and easily squeeze through the bone ring of the pelvis. The task of the mother at this stage is to clearly follow the instructions of the doctors who are giving birth. Push and restrain attempts at the command of the obstetrician. Otherwise, the baby risks getting a birth injury.
As you can see, in order to get rid of fears and help your baby to be born quickly and painlessly, you need to prepare for childbirth as best as possible and behave correctly for it.
