phobia
Giving birth to a child is an amazing experience and you should be in awe of what you are about to do. Millions of babies are born every year and most births are straightforward
> Types of tokophobia Tere are two types of tokophobia: ‘primary’ tokophobia, which occurs in women who have never given birth, and ‘secondary’ tokophobia, which occurs in women whose previous birth experiences were so traumatic that they suffer from a form of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Secondary tokophobia can be so severe
that it has led to women experiencing severe panic attacks while visiting someone in the same hospital in which they gave birth – even years later! Typical symptoms of tokophobia include:
• feelings of dread or panic when the idea of childbirth or pregnancy arises • expressing a strong desire to have children, while also refusing to become pregnant • intense fear that childbirth will result in maternal death, stillbirth, miscarriage or birth defects
Physical symptoms of secondary tokophobia can oſten resemble those of PTSD and include: • rapid heartbeat or palpitations • flashbacks • sweating • visible shaking • choking sensation or lump in the throat • shortness of breath • nausea and vomiting
Causes
As with most irrational fears, the key to solving tokophobia is to work out the root cause of the problem. Te most common causes are:
• General anxiety: If you’re an anxious person in general, then the thought of
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giving birth and being responsible for another human being can simply heighten your existing anxiety. Speak to your GP about ways in which you can relieve stress.
• Trauma: If you’ve already had a traumatic birth experience, then it’s only natural that you will live in fear of the same thing happening again. Speaking to a counsellor or to your GP may help to allay your fears.
• Antenatal depression: If you’re pregnant and have found your fears over childbirth growing, speak to your GP or midwife to ascertain whether or not you’re suffering from general depression, which can be common in pregnancy. Tey will recognise the symptoms and be able to assess whether you are suffering from antenatal depression, or whether you’re actually experiencing tokophobia.
• A learned fear:Tere’s no doubt that horror birth stories are retold much more oſten than straight-forward ones! If you’re already suffering from anxiety at the thought of giving birth, such stories will simply reinforce your belief that giving birth is dangerous and will fan the flames of your worries. Tis can result in tokophobia.
Treatment
So, what can you do to help yourself ? Talk about how you’re feeling! As with
any anxiety, it’s always a good idea to talk to your partner, family or friends about how you feel. Don’t bottle things up because this will only make things worse. It’s particularly a good idea to talk to friends, who have given birth as this, in itself, can help to ease your fears. Talking things over with your midwife
will also help. Don’t forget – she will have been through many, many births and
deliveries and will have seen plenty of success stories! Joining an antenatal class will also help to
dispel some of your worries. In the class you’ll be surrounded by other pregnant women, many of whom will be experiencing the same type of anxiety, and you may find that talking about it as a group will be of benefit. Antenatal classes will also give you the opportunity to ask the professionals all of the questions that you would like answered. Tere are many uncertain aspects of childbirth, such as ‘how long will my labour last?’ Tese questions cannot be answered by anyone and sometimes it’s the uncertainty and the feeling of not being in control that can spark anxieties. Nevertheless, antenatal classes are the perfect place to help you feel more prepared and confident about childbirth. Read up on the choices available to you.
Some women find that if they opt for an elective Caesarean, this helps to remove the fear. You would, however, have to check this out with your GP or midwife, but it should be an option that’s open to you. Te good news is that, if you suffer from
tokophobia, you need to remember that you are not alone and that help is available. Keep telling yourself that you weren’t born with this fear. It has either been picked up through a previous birth experience, or you were conditioned to have this fear from your early years. Above all, think positively! Giving birth
to a child is an amazing experience and you should be in awe of what you are about to do. Millions of babies are born every year and most births are straightforward. Surround yourself with positive birth stories and turn a deaf ear to the horror-mongers! „
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