Pregnancy and birth are some of the biggest moments of life, it can feel like an emotional
roller coaster. Going through this process during a pandemic can make if feel so daunting. Don’t worry you are not alone, it is normal and lets talk about it!
Many women dread the prospect of giving birth, In fact while just about every woman feels some anxiety about birth around 10 percent of pregnant women suffer intense fear. This can manifest itself in symptoms like nightmares, heart palpitations, dizziness, shortness of breath, a racing pulse and difficulty concentrating.
The good news is that there are some ways of reducing fear, here are some of my recommendations:
1. Movement is key, it helps you build stamina and strength helping your body prepare for birth. With a little added bonus of helping to relieve aches and pains of pregnancy! Plus attending a class or even a online group you will connect with other women in the same stage of life as you. Connecting with other women in a supportive environment can help you feel more positive.
2. Knowledge is power, educate yourself around birth and your choices, how to manage pain and release fear. Choose a Birth education program to suit your needs, your wants and who is aligned with your values. Learning the facts around childbirth and delivery complications can help put your mind at rest.
3. Find something that calms you and build it into your routine, for some its walking for others yoga or meditation. Finding calm in a busy chaotic world can bring peace to an overwhelmed mind. Pregnancy yoga is the perfect solution to empower women and bring a sense of balance and calm.
4. Learn some calm breathing techniques to help those feelings of anxiety, try some supportive restorative yoga poses to help reset your parasympathetic nervous system. Try hypnobirthing for more calming techniques such as hypnosis’s and so much more.
5. Share your fears, talk to your partner, midwife or doctor, just talking about it may help and they may have ideas on how to reduce your anxiety.
6. Put your fears in writing, create a birth plan that includes your WANTS around pain relief, labour positions, fetal monitoring as well as honest explanations of your fears. Share this with your caregiver, knowing that your caregivers are aware of your concerns will help reassure you. Let’s face it, it’s hard to look after someone when you don’t know there wants!! Be clear and tell them.
7. Shut out negative stories, don’t watch scary tv shows about childbirth. Don’t listen to horror birth stories, shut that commentary down!!! Media dramatize birth in order to make tv interesting, and remember when women recount their horror birth story we don’t know the FULL story. Like how much education did she have around her birth choices beforehand, what medical complications impacted on her experience and what hospital policy contributed to her experience.
Don’t wait until labour day to start identifying and dealing with your fears. Address your anxiety at the beginning of pregnancy not the end!! Chances are your worries are deep seated and you will need time to get to the root of them. Anxiety tends to increase as a pregnancy progresses, becoming more intense as your due date approaches. Try to get ahead and address it now to source solutions early on.
New pregnancy yoga classes and hypnobirthing at our brand new studio is Silverdale or why not try an online program @home instead. Book Now on the website spaces are limited!!!
Donna x
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