When you visit a new mother, especially if it’s her first child, you are more than likely to be assailed with horror stories about child delivery. The average woman would tell you that childbirth is a near-death experience. This usually drives fear into listeners who, in most cases, are women.
Of course, pregnancy and childbirth are not a cakewalk, even when the expectant mother has the best team of professionals to attend to her at delivery. As pregnancy progresses, a lot of issues crop up. In most cases, the expectant mother is able to carry the baby to term without much ado; others are not so lucky, as they may develop complications during the nine-month pregnancy duration.
In fact, experts say how a pregnancy period goes sometimes determines how the delivery would be. Hence, they advise expectant mothers to adhere to strict healthy habits to ensure safe delivery and sound health for the mother afterwards.
But then, the fact that no two pregnancies are the same is of utmost concern to mothers. Even those who have had babies before still nurse doubts about a new pregnancy. This fear factor is what physicians condemn among women because, as they say, it sometimes affects their response during childbirth.
This much was corroborated by a research published in BJOG: An International Journal of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, by Norwegian researchers who claim that labour takes 47 minutes longer for women who fear childbirth.
The scientists studied 2,206 women who were scheduled to give birth at a hospital in Norway between 2008 and 2010. Lead researcher, Dr. Samantha Adams, of Health Services Research Centre, Akershus University Hospital, University of Oslo, Norway, says her team discovered that the average duration of labour was eight hours for women with fear of childbirth, compared with six hours and 28 minutes for women who didn’t nurse any fear.
The study also found that women with fear of childbirth more often delivered by instrumental vaginal delivery (17.0 per cent versus 10.6 per cent) or emergency caesarean delivery (10.9 per cent versus 6.8 per cent), as compared to women without fear of childbirth.
Why are women afraid of a natural process they are cut out for? We dare ask. Consultant obstetrician, Dr. Paul Abisoye, says young maternal age, being a first-time mother, pre-existing psychological problems, lack of social support and a history of abuse or adverse obstetric events are some factors that may make a woman fearful as time of delivery approaches.
Psychologist, Dr. Mary Jude-Ogidan, notes that in psychology, such fear is called enfantaphobia, which, she says, may also border on some psychiatric issues that physicians must not wave off as “one of those things.
Again, the question: in particular, what do women fear about childbirth? A teacher, Mrs. Teni Abiodun, says as a first-time mom, she was extremely fearful as her Expected Date of Delivery drew near. Having witnessed the elongated episiotomy her older sister had during delivery, she says, she was afraid she would have the same experience.
She had a ‘normal’ delivery, though, and except for the usual labour pain, she and the baby were perfectly well.
Abisoye says episiotomy (surgical cut of the perineum) is usually done to hasten birth during an emergency when the baby or mother is becoming distressed or if the perineum is so tight that it is delaying the birth. “Hence, all expectant women should not think they will have it,” he assures.
Another mother, Mrs. Fatima Mojeed, says she feared losing her babies at birth. She never did, as all her five children are alive and well. Again, Abisoye says this fear is not abnormal. He says, “While it is absolutely normal for expectant mothers to be anxious, it should not be confused with premonition, which may even make them hypertensive or unable to cope with the instructions of midwives during delivery.”
The Norwegian researchers warn that anxiety and fear may increase blood concentrations of hormones called catecholamines (produced by the adrenal glands and released into the blood during times of physical or emotional stress). “This, in turn, may weaken the ability of the uterus to contract,” they say.
The biggest fear most respondents express is that of possibly undergoing Caesarean Section. In Nigeria, most women still view C-section with suspicion; and it is not unusual for pregnant women to be told by well-wishers, ‘They (doctors) will not use the scalpel to bring out your baby on the day of delivery.’
Jude-Ogidan says though this prayer appears good, it’s nothing short of psychological warfare, as the mom-to-be soon begins to picture someone in white overall, brandishing a scalpel (called knife, in Yoruba), and wanting to bring out the baby! “It’s not a good picture at all and expectant women should not dwell on it, especially if their doctor hasn’t told them they would have a C-section,” she warns.
The other big fear is the intensity of the pain that may attend labour. Again, Abisoye counters this with medical counsel. He says, “Remember that the pain of childbirth is not that of an injury or of an illness, as there is no damage being caused by the contractions. It is just muscles working really hard to stretch and open for a baby to come out.”
He cautions that even if you fear pain, discuss with your physician, as there are various methods of pain relief available for women who require them.
Abisoye also advises couples to be informed through reading and research. “These will help both the expectant woman and her spouse to deal with any unexpected events,” he says.
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