Pregnancy

Have No Fear When Labor Is Near!
Preparation and Positive Influences Help Women Overcome Their Fear of Childbirth

WASHINGTON (July 13, 2006)— It’s not surprising that women fear birth. From books to television to the Internet, so much information on birth paints a picture of an experience fraught with danger and unbearable pain. But in fact, birth is a normal, natural and healthy process. Women who trust in their ability to give birth and surround themselves with supportive and encouraging family and caregivers are not afraid of and find great satisfaction in giving birth.

Fear of pain can overwhelm a woman during her pregnancy and often is the driving force behind scheduled epidurals and elective cesarean surgeries. However, pain plays an important role during birth—it protects a woman’s body, can be a guide to finding comfort and helps labor progress. Actively responding to the pain of contractions by using techniques, such as changing positions, massage and moaning, strengthens contractions, helps the baby settle into the pelvis and move through the birth canal, and reduce pain perception.

Research suggests that eliminating pain during birth completely can prolong labor, cause stress to the mother and baby, and increase the likelihood of cesarean surgery. Women who learn ways to work with pain, rather than eliminate it, increase their chances of having a complication-free, highly satisfying birth.

As perhaps one of the most effective teaching tools, childbirth education can help women work through their fears and become confident in their ability to give birth. In Lamaze classes, women and their birth partners learn proven ways to ease the pain of contractions and facilitate the progress of labor. Lamaze childbirth education assists women in making personal decisions that are right for them by providing evidence-based information, helping develop personal birth plans and encouraging women to choose a supportive care provider and place of birth.

The right care provider and birth site can mean the difference between a positive birth experience and a negative one. “A caregiver and birth site will significantly influence a woman’s labor and birth experience,” says Judith A. Lothian, RN, PhD, LCCE, FACCE, author of The Official Lamaze Guide: Giving Birth with Confidence. “Caregivers should make a woman feel secure, relieving her fear and reservations about birth.” The Official Lamaze Guide is a guide for expectant mothers, and covers pregnancy, birth and early parenthood.

Labor support is another powerful antidote to fear. Whether it is a spouse, birth assistant, such as a doula, or an attentive labor and delivery nurse, continuous labor support is vital to reducing a woman’s fear and helping her manage pain. “When [the pain] was really bad, my husband kept me calm,” said Katie Bowen, a mother who had her second child in June. “Having someone else there to offer comfort helped me so much; I couldn’t have done it alone.” Being surrounded by positive, supportive family and caregivers helps a woman remain calm and stay confident.

Women’s bodies are designed perfectly to labor and birth. Learning to trust in her body helps a woman overcome fear. Of her first birth experience, mother Krishell Bigger said, “I had to trust my instincts that everything would be ok and I could get through [birth]—that was key for me. I was able to stay extremely calm and relaxed throughout the entire process.”

To learn more about letting go of fear and developing confidence, finding comfort and easing pain in labor, and to find a Lamaze childbirth education class in your area, visit www.lamaze.org.