Risk content: Pregnancy and childbirth are two of the most memorable and eventful times in a woman’s life that bring great joy. But in many cases, it can also bring stress and anxiety. Normal anxieties are common and can be dealt with by taking medical help and after discussing with the best gynaecologist. There are cases in which this fear can become pathological and severe. Take an appointment at Queen’s Gynecology to discuss your concerns with the best gynaecologist in Delhi. The experts here believe in handling pregnancy conditions with quality and care.
In this Article
What is Tokophobia?
Fear of pregnancy, or Tokophobia, in simple terms, means childbirth and pregnancy fear. Women with this kind of phobia fear giving birth and often avoid becoming pregnant. This fear can lead to avoiding pregnancy even if they wish to have children. In many cases, women also opt for a Caesarean section to avoid vaginal birth. However, there are two types of tokophobia: primary and secondary.
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Fear of pregnancy symptoms
Tokophobia affects about six to ten percent of adolescent and adult women; most experience anxiety and fear of giving birth. Women may become anxious and fearful, even thinking about or imagining childbirth, leading to panic. Some symptoms of tokophobia are :
- Women feel deep fear or anxiety about labour and delivery pain that worsens with time.
- Women experience repeated nightmares about delivery and labour.
- Women even think about ending pregnancy to avoid giving birth.
Cause of fear of pregnancy
If a woman has tokophobia, her fears or anxieties may also make it hard for them to go about her day normally, and they cannot even sleep well. Many factors can cause this pregnancy fear.
- Women with depression, anxiety, history, or neurological disorder.
- Women with past history of sexual abuse or trauma.
- Traumatic birth or pregnancy in the past
- After hearing about a family member or friend’s childbirth experience.
- Women who usually have poor health and are reading about difficult pregnancies can develop this fear.
List Of 15 fears of pregnancy and how to overcome them
There is some common fear of pregnancy that women experience, and some tips to overcome them :
- Fear of labour and delivery
This is the most common fear of women with tokophobia, which has more to do with the mother than the baby. This fear comes from hearing stories from friends or the internet.
How to overcome it?
Discussing your concern about the pain of labour and delivery with your gynaecologist is best to overcome this fear. You can read up about pain management techniques and also attend childbirth classes.
- Miscarriage
There are cases of miscarriage, the biggest fear of childbirth for pregnant women. It is also the most common fear, especially in the first trimester, as it is when women experience changes in the body along with morning sickness and nausea.
How to overcome it?
To overcome this fear, always remember most miscarriages happen within the first few weeks when women don’t know or realise what they are expecting. After a gynaecologist can see a heartbeat within six to eight weeks, the risk of miscarriage reduces.
- Lack of nutrition for the baby
This lack of nutrition fear comes to mind during the morning sickness phase, and this is because, during this, a pregnant woman cannot keep food down and think that the baby is not receiving vital enough nutrition for growth.
How to overcome it?
To deal with this fear, you must understand that morning sickness can be managed, as your gynaecologist will help you with it. Also, your baby will get vital nutrition from your reserves. You may feel hungry, but the baby is just doing fine.
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- Premature baby
Many women develop anxiety related to premature fear of childbirth; however, the record suggests that only about 1 percent of all babies are born prematurely.
How to overcome it?
To deal with this fear, you must go for regular checkups with your gynaecologist to know about any irregularities. You can lower the risk of premature delivery by avoiding smoke and drinking and taking prenatal supplements that your doctor might prescribe daily.
- Harming the baby
Women often feel stressed about harming their babies, especially after a super busy day at work. As per studies, the stress that your body is used to never harms your unborn baby. Acute or severe stress may harm but can also be handled gracefully.
How to overcome it?
Women feel their stress may harm babies, but reducing these stress levels is easy. You can join yoga and meditation classes under the recommendation of your gynaecologist. This will help you to manage your stress levels.
- Birth defect
Women often fear pregnancy, that is, a baby having any birth defect. During every prenatal test, parents hold their breath and hope the results are good and proof of a healthy baby.
How to overcome it?
Always keep in mind not to stress in terms of birth defects because most such conditions can be detected during routine checkups. Nowadays, there are many modern medicines, and there is not much that doctors cannot manage or rectify.
- Hurting the foetus
One common pregnancy fear is hurting the foetus by rolling over during sleep, having a fall, or if involved in any mishap.
How to overcome it?
You should know that the foetus is in the fluid termed amniotic fluid, which provides nutrition and acts as a shock absorber. You can discuss with your gynaecologist about the sleeping positions to have a comfortable sleep and proper rest.
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- Being a good mother
The biggest worry of not being a good enough mother is common as women worry about how they will manage and do things like feeding, changing nappies or taking care if the baby falls sick.
How to overcome it?
You can find help and advice from your friends and family to deal with this fear. You can also discuss with your gynaecologist and ask questions regarding your child’s health. You can read books during your pregnancy on motherhood to learn what to expect.
- Vaginal tearing
Almost all women will have at least one small vaginal tear after childbirth, the most common type of tear.
How to overcome it?
The best way to deal with this fear is to prepare your body, as perineal massage during pregnancy is considered the best way to reduce this risk.
- Delivery will be embarrassing.
There are many cases in which women poop on tables, curse their husbands, and vomit during childbirth and delivery. Owing to all these situations, women think that delivery will be embarrassing.
How to overcome it?
To deal with it, remember that doctors and nurses have delivered many babies and are used to all this.
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- Not getting your pre-baby body back.
Many women are concerned about their physical appearance, thinking they will no longer be attractive after childbirth.
How to overcome it?
Women must understand that it is vital to be kind to themselves and accept that it takes time to get their bodies back. With proper physical activity and diet, you can get back to normal with the help of your gynaecologist.
- Complications like gestational diabetes
Fear of pregnancy also includes the risk of developing complications like gestational diabetes, which is more common in women under 18 to 35 years of age.
How to deal with it?
This complication develops in about 5 to 8 percent of women, and your doctor keeps monitoring the patient closely from the beginning itself. Regular prenatal checkups can help you with this.
- Sex will never be the same as before
After delivering, many women think that sex will never be the same for them as well as their partner. There is nothing to worry about as everything will be the same after some time, once your body heals.
How to overcome it?
Your body will need time to heal, and as per statistics, women get their sex life back by six months after delivery. You can talk about this with your gynaecologist, and they will help you with this.
- Emergency C Section
Common childbirth fear is that what if there is a need for an emergency C-section? But it is not a common practice to get an emergency C-section unless there is a serious complication.
How to overcome it?
Women should know that last-minute rush is rare as C-sections are generally planned. If there is a need, your gynaecologist is well prepared for that.
- Not to make it to the hospital on time.
Women often think about what will happen if they cannot make it to the hospital on time. It can be when they read a story or listen to it about delivering a baby in a car.
How to overcome it?
It is better to have a chat with your gynaecologist regarding this. There is a time between your first contraction and delivery. It is not a worry as labour and delivery last about 12 to 21 hours.
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Conclusion
Getting pregnant is joyful but can also bring a lot of fears and concerns. The best way to deal with the above-listed fear of pregnancy is to talk to your gynaecologist about that. Book an appointment at Queen’s Gynecology, which has the best gynaecologist to help you out. They will help with every pregnancy condition and reassure or prepare you to deal with pregnancy fear.
FAQs
Childbirth fear or pregnancy fear is quite common, as about 30 percent of women will have it at some point in their lives.
Occasional crying will not harm your baby, but severe depression does. It is advisable to maintain a schedule to take care of your physical and mental health.
