Why Are Women Scared Of Labour During Pregnancy?

Ask any pregnant mom what she thinks about labour and some of the words that she will come up with are painful, scared, stressful, anxious etc. Why is it that women do not say - happy, birth, new beginning? One of the most important reasons behind this is the fear of the unknown. "It's the first time and I have never experienced this! Hence I am not sure what to expect from the process." The second is the stories that we hear related to labour and birth. Ever sat to ponder - no one shares a positive story. Everyone likes to share horror stories. Really the statement 'misery loves company' is so true.

Thirdly, the exposure to various forms of media makes it not-so-real. Our films and TV shows depict labour and birth but over just a few minutes. It's a film and hence has to be short and dramatic. They have just a few minutes and hence they will show a sequence where the woman is in a lot of pain and there is a dramatic flurry of activity around her. In reality, labour is much more longer - maybe a few hours, maybe a whole day. And all of it is not so tense and dramatic.

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(Also read: Pregnancy Guide: The Various Stages And Signs Of Labour)

Remember, pregnancy is a beautiful process of childbirth

Finally, the over exposure to the internet and explicit videos that are available for free online viewing. Many years ago when I would show a birth video in my prenatal class it would be a novelty. Today it makes no sense because every parent coming to my class has seen umpteen videos online. All of these may not be suitable for all audiences and parents end up creating visions of labour and birth which may be less than favourable.

Take a step back from all of this - change your perception. Birth is natural, birth is normal and marks a beautiful beginning. Women are designed to birth. Having a positive perception to birth will help alleviate all fears around labour.

So next time anytime tells you a horror story about labour, ask them what happened after it? How they felt with the baby in their arms!

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