Scared to give birth? Here's what you should do | Chicago Birth Photographer Chicago Birth Doula
Birth doesn’t have to be scary. Sure, Sally down the road had a TERRIBLE experience, and Martha couldn’t WAIT to get the epidural to end her “agony”, but guess what? Just because this was their experience, doesn’t mean it will be yours! There are things you can do to help. Things you can do to prepare your mindset and to prepare your body to be the best birther you can possibly be.
Empower yourself with the knowledge on what the birth process entails
You are your best advocate, and the more you understand what goes on during labor, the more you are likely to give in to the whole process and not allow fear to wash over you. Taking a childbirth education class is a wonderful place to start. Comment below and I can send you a free labor guide and information on my upcoming sessions!
Hire a provider that has a low intervention rate
What does that mean? It means that they (the provider) are willing to trust that birth is a natural phenomenon and not a medical procedure that needs to be meddled with; someone who will help you to trust that your body knows what to do and can help you trust the process. Who you choose to be on your birth team will make a massive difference on your labor and delivery experience.
Hire a doula.
A doula is a wonderful source of emotional, information and physical support during your birth journey. Choosing the right doula to be on your team will be a wonderful thing that you, for sure, will not regret.
Work on your fears
Sit down with yourself, take pen to paper, and jot down what you are most worried about. Find a trusted birth professional (perhaps your doula, or your childbirth educator) that can help you walk through fear by fear so you can understand the roots of those fear, how you can work around them/accept them, heal any traumas associated with them and eventually unlock a new level of freedom in birth. If you are most worried about interventions, for example, it would be SO beneficial to understand the pros and cons of each intervention and understand that, perhaps, they are not always a bad thing to have to go through, and that, when they are medically necessary, it may be a great blessing to have access to them.
Listeni to powerful, affirmative and positive birth stories
This is your time to lean into the strength of millions of women before you who have navigated birth with strength and perseverance. While everybody’s birth story is valid, whether it was a good experience or a bad experience, now is the time to be selfish and to guard your heart, soul and ears and to not listen to any traumatizing birth stories. There are many places where you can find wonderful and affirmative birth stories, here are some of my favorites
About Salam Birth Services
Hey there, I'm Lana, the human behind Salam Birth Services! I'm a Chicago-based birth photographer, doula and childbirth educator covering mainly the Western, Northwestern and Southwestern suburbs, but feel free to reach out if you live outside those borders to enquire about my availability.
You can find me on Instagram , or you can get in touch here by sending a message!