Two couples attend a childbirth class. They appear happy.
Attending a childbirth class could help you overcome fear. (For Spectrum Health Beat)

If you see much online information about childbirth, it seems there’s always something in it that includes fear.

Do the two need to go together? No!

There’s a certain amount of anxiousness about birth that’s very normal, but hopefully we can help rid you of fear.

Fear is common among women having babies. Fear can be caused by the unknown, hearing stories that aren’t positive, and not knowing what to expect or how to deal with labor and delivery.

Unfortunately, women don’t often share the empowering experiences of birth, but rather the negative stories.

Why do we do this as women?

We should share how the experience, though not easy, is empowering. You learn to dig deep and find inner strength that you might not have known you have.

There’s often much medical intervention in the birth process. This alone can make it seem like a medical event.

I like to remind my new parents that others are in the hospital because they are sick, but the new parents are there to have a baby—not for a sickness issue. We do know from studies that women who are mentally prepared for birth are more likely to have a faster and easier birth.

If you are fearful, which is common, it is easier to be tense. This tenser you are, the more pain you feel. The more pain you feel, the more fear you have. This is the cycle we are trying, in childbirth classes, to help you overcome.

This vicious cycle can be broken, or stopped, by several things, including: relaxation, visualization, breathing, massage, hydrotherapy, music, education, position changes, and/or medication.

We also know that women who are fearful in labor are less likely to have a highly positive birth experience. Being confident in your body to complete the natural process of birth allows your body to relax and make progress. Instead of the fear-pain-tension cycle, you can replace it with relaxation, which leads to progress, which leads to confidence.

You can do this by attending a childbirth class.

Practice the different techniques that are taught. Hypnobirthing is another option. Learning how to relax is important during labor, and helps you to be less fearful. This is something that does take practice. Classes allow you to try many techniques to see if you think that particular one is something that will work for you.

How did you learn to get rid of the fear?