Recently, we heard that some 80% of pregnant women have fears and worries about childbirth. And so,
we said to each other: that’s way too much. We have to do something about that. Yes,
so in this video, we are going to address the 6 most common fears and worries that pregnant women
have about childbirth. We try to put those fears into perspective and we also tell you what you can
actively do to reduce the risk of a particular fear to come true. Yes. This is Nathalie, a
pregnancy and birth consultant and TCM therapist, and that’s Mathias a researcher and science geek
and on our channel, we help mommies and their babies naturally and science-based! So, what
are pregnant women so afraid of? Before we even talk about fears, it’s important to understand
why so many women are afraid of childbirth in the first place. While there can be many reasons,
very often, it is because a woman does not inform herself well enough about what is going to happen
during labor. Because then, she might come up with her own ideas about what’s gonna happen,
which, however, may have nothing to do with reality. Right. And the second source of their
fears and worries are negative news. I mean, you never read about any amazing birth stories,
you know, when healthy women give birth to healthy babies, unless that woman is Heidi Klum of course,
right? But most of the times, your read stories like “10 women died during birth”, or
“emergency C-sections on the rise” or “woman tearing all the way up to her breasts”. No,
the last one was a joke. But I think you know, where we are getting at. The reality is that every
minute, some 240 babies are born. That’s about 130 million babies a year. And the majority of
them is born without any complications whatsoever. But no one is talking about those. You only hear
stories about things that have gone wrong, right? Exactly. And so, the first step of dealing with your fears
and worries is to inform yourself about the labor process and to stay away from bad news. This is
the very basis before you even do anything else to manage your fears. With that said, let us now
look at the 6 most common fears that pregnant women develop based on what we just explained.
We are not gonna lie to you. Labor is painful. However, one thing that you should keep in mind is
that your body is made for childbirth. And so, if you go into labor spontaneously,
your body will support you with a cocktail of hormones to help you get through labor. And part
of that support is to make the pain more bearable because your body knows that a delivery requires
your active involvement. As a result, the right kind of hormones kick in just at the right time
during labor. In other words, the female body knows exactly what it is doing, if we let it,
right? Yeah, that’s the very reason why women give birth to babies not men. Men don’t have a
very high pain tolerance. I think if I was about to give birth to a baby, I would be like: alright,
I am gonna need two epidurals and a bottle of Schnaps. And then we can talk about childbirth.
And then the doctor would probably tell me: sorry buddy. But what you just felt was only a Braxton Hicks
contraction. Anyways, it’s important to understand that every woman experiences
labor pain in a different way. Regardless, your body will help you with the pain to
make it more bearable for you. Yes. And on top of that, there also natural treatments
for labor pain, such as acupressure, TENS machines, or auriculotherapy for instance. But more
about that in the description below this video. And of course, if it’s getting too much for you,
there is always the option of pharmaceutical pain relief, such as an epidural.
We all know a friend who knows a friend who knows a friend whose delivery took 48 hours, right?
Yes, unfortunately, a very long labor does happen to some women, however,
please note that those cases are really only just the exception. According to scientists,
“normally”, that phase of labor when you feel very strong contractions and dilate to 10cm
“only” lasts between 4 and 8 hours. And then the pushing phase “normally” takes like another
20 minutes to 2 hours. So you see, the average delivery does not really take that long, right? Exactly.
On top of that, please also keep in mind that there are many things that you can do to speed up
labor and birth. In fact, in the description below this video, you are going to find a
whole list of videos that will help you with that. So, go check them out after watching this video
If you are afraid of C-sections, either planned or emergency C-sections or both,
then let us first start by telling you that most C-sections are planned ones.
But unfortunately, it can always happen that there are complications during labor which is why some
women end up in emergency C-sections. Yes. And it’s very difficult to avoid those because there
are circumstances under which you just have to get that baby out quickly right? That said, scientists have
found that women who have continues support during labor, for example, from a doula,
are 26% less likely to have a C-section. On top of that, preparing your body and, in particular,
your cervix for labor may help you at least reduce the risk of C-sections. And of course,
it also helps if you know what to do when your labor stalls, right? You can find more information
about these topics in other videos which you can find in the description below this video.
So that’s emergency C-sections. Yes. Planned C-sections on the other hand,
are often difficult to avoid too. For example, the risk of a C-section is just much higher if a woman
suffers from complications such as pre-eclampsia. In such cases there is not much you can do.
If your baby is breech on the other hand, then at least there are a couple of things that you
can try to turn the baby. But more about that in the description below this video. Yes.
And if your doctor tells you that you do need a C-section, then you might wanna get a second
opinion. Scientists have found that hospitals which introduced a mandatory second opinion
were able to slightly reduce their C-sections rates. So for example, if your previous delivery
was a C-section and your doctor tells you that you need another C-section, just get a second opinion.
It won’t hurt but it might help you get what you really want. Exactly. And finally, if there is really
no way for you around a c-section, please keep in mind that doctors do this every single day.
So trust that both you and your baby are gonna be absolutely fine!
When you are pushing, you are going to use every muscle that you have available down there to
push that baby out. And sometimes, it does happen that you also push out other things.
If this is what you are afraid of, then we can only ask you to trust us when we tell you this:
in the delivery room, you are the only one with that fear.
The medical staff have delivered lots of babies and they couldn’t care less. So,
please don’t worry about that. Yes, when Nathalie was pushing, there was a moment when I was
like: I can see the head! And then a second later, I was like: Naaa, that’s not the baby.
But hey, no one cared because believe me, when you push, it’s all about you and supporting you.
No one cares about anything else than that, right? Yes. Besides, women often naturally empty their
bowels during the days leading up to labor because most women suffer from diarrhea
during the days before labor. And this can be a good thing,
not only because obviously if your intestines are empty, then you don’t need to worry
about pooping during your delivery, right? Right! On top of that, your baby
has more room to move through your pelvis. Yes. For the same reason, many midwives recommend an
enema before you go into labor. By the way, you can find more information about things to avoid
during labor in one of our other videos which you can find in the description below this video.
It is true that in general contractions from a medical induction tend to be more painful. It is a bit
difficult to explain why but in short, it is has to do with the fact that when your body goes into
labor spontaneously, your body automatically releases the right kinds of hormones,
such as endorphins which help you to cope with the pain. When you have a medical induction,
they will give you Pitocin, for instance, which does not cross your blood-brain barrier.
And so, your brain doesn’t get the message to release endorphins.
As a result, your body will be less able to support you with the pain. Yes.
That said, we also know women who had both, a natural and an
induced labor. And some of them told us that both was equally bearable, right? Therefore, it is difficult
to say in general, that a medical induction always produces a more painful labor. It also depends
on how a woman experiences labor pain. But in general, if you are afraid of a medical induction,
then there are two things to keep in mind: First of all, scientific studies have found that there
are a lot of things that you can try that could help you at least reduce the risk of medical
inductions. In other words, those tools could help you increase your chances of a spontaneous labor.
More about those tools in the description below this video. Yes. Sometimes though,
there is just no way around a medical induction. When that’s the case please keep in mind that
medical inductions happen all the time and women still give birth to perfectly healthy babies.
On top of that, as already mentioned, there are many different natural ways to reduce
labor pain. And if it’s still getting too much for you, keep in mind that,
normally, there is always the option of pharmaceutical pain relief, such as an epidural.
Many women fear that their perineum, which is the area between their vagina and their anus tears
when the head of the baby is being delivered. But it’s important to note that there are
different degrees of tearing. The most common ones are first degree tears which only affect the
skin and second degree tears which also involve the perineal muscles and require stitches. Of course,
such tears can be unpleasant. However, it’s important to understand that these two kinds of
tearing will normally not affect you in the long run. Yes. Third and fourth degree tears on the
other hand also affect the anal sphincter muscles which often does cause long-term problems. But the
good news here is that there are things that you can do to reduce the risk of such severe tears
considerably. And according to scientists, the most important one of all, is a perineal massage
during the weeks before labor which we show you in one of our other videos. Yes. In fact,
a perineal massage could also help you reduce the risk of first and second degree tears,
but it’s at least equally important that you also follow the instructions
of your midwife once your baby crowns. Yes, and that's because
once your baby crowns, your midwife will help you deliver your baby step by step,
allowing your tissue to slowly stretch, in order to help you prevent tearing. So as you can see,
in general, there is no really need to be afraid of tearing. And there is also no need to apply 10
different tools to reduce the risk of tearing. You only need one or two science-based tools to
accomplish that. You can find more information about the most important science-based tools
in the description below this video. Right. So those were the 6 most common fears. Of course,
there can also be other fears, but those are the most common ones. Now, in order to
cope with fears, there are 4 things you can try. The first one is what we already mentioned.
Stay away from bad news! The second one is: talk about your fears. It can be sufficient to talk
with your partner or a good friend. But sometimes, it may also be required to talk with a therapist. The
third one is: take a childbirth class and watch the videos on our channel! Because if you know
what to expect during labor, then you will be much more relaxed and approach labor with less fear.
Fourth, actively prepare your body for labor in order to reduce the risk of the things to happen
that you are so afraid of. Yes. So, check out the description below this video for more information
on what you can do to increase your chances of a natural labor and birth. And finally,
if it is an option, then make sure that you have a birth partner by your side, or hire a doula.
Studies have shown that both can have a huge positive effect on labor in many ways. So,
consider this as an option! Right. If you have found this video helpful, we would be super
grateful if you could leave us a like or even a comment in the comment section below. Yes,
and if you want to see more videos about pregnancy and baby-related topics in the near future,
don’t hesitate to subscribe to our channel and to hit the bell!