Tips For Coping With Tokophobia

If you really want to have a child that you give birth to, but are deathly afraid of childbirth, you might be struggling with tokophobia. Tokophobia is the irrational fear of pregnancy and childbirth. This is a problem that a surprising number of women have and can stem from the fact that you might be surrounded by family members that have horror stories to tell about giving birth and the potentially catastrophic changes that it causes to the body. You might feel that a 1% chance of being incontinent for life is too much of a chance to take, but you also truly want a child. Here are some tips for coping with your tokophobia so that you can get through pregnancy and the birth of your child.

1. Figure Out What Gives You a Sense of Control

Tokophobia sometimes stems from the fact that you feel as though you have no control over your body during pregnancy and childbirth. You can't directly affect the baby that is growing inside of you, which can be frustrating and can exacerbate your fear. You also have no real control over the child birth process, such as what direction the baby is facing when he or she comes out of you or how large the baby is going to be. You will need to increase the amount of control that you have over other parts of your life in order to deal with this fear. Consider locking into a routine throughout your pregnancy and deviating from it as little as possible. This can give you a sense of security that will allow you to get through the pregnancy.

2. Talk to Someone

Talk to a professional about this fear. There are pregnancy counselors that will give you coping strategies for while you are going through your pregnancy that will help take your mind off of it. Pregnancy counseling will also be able to help you prepare for the pregnancy and might even be able to recommend doctors that are more understanding of tokophobia and will be more willing to take an elective C-section into consideration. 

3. Practice Stress Relieving Actions

Finally, consider taking up yoga, meditation, or other mindfulness techniques that will allow you to manage your anxiety and ground you in the moment. There are special yoga classes for pregnant women once you start to get bigger.

For more information, talk to a company that specializes in pregnancy counseling.

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