While pregnancy and labour should be considered as natural as eating and sleeping, there is always the underlying fear that something may go wrong. Here are some of the things women are found to fear the most when it comes to pregnancy and labour.
Premature birth
While this can be prevented in some cases if help is sought early enough, in other cases though, it is inevitable. There is no blame attached to your baby being born too early in any situation. Be reassured though, that premature infants can do very well in this day and age with the high quality neonatal intensive care facilities available in our country.
Pain
This highly unnecessary fear can be altered by simply remembering that the pain of childbirth is not the pain of injury. There is no damage being caused by the contractions, it is just muscles attempting to stretch and open for a baby to be born. Remember too, that pain relief options are always available should you choose to use them.
Cord around the baby’s neck
Many unborn babies have their cords loosely looped about somewhere around their bodies and it rarely causes any problems. On the occasion that it is so tight and poses a danger to the baby, the situation is normally detected and dealt with by your doctor, so, there is no real cause for worry.
Death of the baby during birth
Almost every mother has this fear at some time in her pregnancy. It is a normal apprehensive response to the unknown, in a situation beyond their control. However, it’s not wise to dwell on the fear or become obsessed with it that you create a negative, stressful mindset. If you need to, consult a psychologist to help put fears into perspective if they became overwhelming.
Episiotomy (surgical cut of the perineum)
An episiotomy is only usually done to hasten birth in an emergency. If the baby or mother is found to be in distress, or the perineum is so tight that it is delaying the birth, an episiotomy may be recommended. The procedure may hurt, but no more than labour itself and episiotomy stitches heal fairly quickly with proper care.
Loss of sexual enjoyment after childbirth
There does seem to be a high incidence of women who experience pain during intercourse for months following perineal trauma that may have required suturing. Consulting your Obstetrician, GP, or Midwife in the early period will be helpful for the longer the concern is left unaddressed, the harder it is to treat.
Forceps or other intervention
Sometimes consenting to intervention is a choice we must make. Be well informed and choose your caregiver carefully so that you’ll know what is happening during your pregnancy, labour, and birth. In any case, get acquainted with the BRAN technique early to help you decide which interventions to consent to. When an intervention is suggested to you, ask:
B – What are the Benefits of this procedure?
R – What are the Risks of this procedure?
A – What are the Alternatives to this treatment/procedure?
N – What will happen if I choose to do Nothing?
