Childbirth Without Fear

The title of this post is actually the title of a book that I have not read but is recommended by a lot of people.

There is so much unnecessary fear surrounding childbirth today. The last thing a first-time mother needs is the people around her to place fears in her mind, but that happens too often.

It used to be that men were the primary source of fear surrounding childbirth but that fear has been shifted to many women? Why? According to this article,
"This shift was caused by numerous changes in the environment of birth as well as in the attitudes and techniques of those attending it, which was largely brought on through the medicalization of childbirth. The fear can partially be attributed to external stressors, such as the unnatural setting in which birth normally takes place in current society, the inadequate level of support women are often provided with and the current lack of understanding and familiarity women have of the process."

Our culture sends the message that birth is dangerous, birth is painful, your body is broken, and interventions are always needed. Negative messages such as these have disempowered women for far too long.  It's time to start trusting our bodies and ourselves as women. Birth is a normal, natural event. Our bodies are made for birth and babies are made to be birthed through those bodies.

What are some things we can do to cause a shift? To re-empower women and to remove all the fear surrounding birth?

1. Stop feeding off of the media that says that birth is fearful and a medical event- often a medical emergency.

•  This includes watching shows like "A Baby Story" and "Birth Day." Those shows are all about the hype and drama surrounding birth. It's reality tv, after all. A normal, natural birth would be quite boring to watch. Dads, doulas, midwives/doctors are often bored in normal, uncomplicated births. But that's a good thing! 
• Read this article for more on birth and tv shows like "I Didn't Know I Was Pregnant."
• "We have to push back against TV shows and movies that treat birth as entertainment — that portray birth as an illness or an emergency,” says birth activist Karen Brody, creator of Birth: The Play and the Fear to Freedom Birth Facilitator Training Program. “And we have to keep putting out the opposing image — the image of birth as normal."
• Here's another great article about the media and birth called "Kill Your Television; Birth your Baby."
• "Go find people who are not afraid of labor.  Find people who have had labors they feel good about, and find out what they know.  Soak up their wisdom, and turn off the TV!"

I haven't seen this movie, but it looks like it could be interesting:

• This also includes not reading books like "What to Expect When You're Expecting."  Yes, almost every pregnant woman gets their hands on a copy of the book, but it is one of the worst fear-producing reads out there. Women might not even realize their being influenced by it, but they're filling their minds with story after story and question after question of everything that could go wrong with the pregnancy and/or baby. 
• Read this article for more: http://www.slate.com/articles/arts/books/2012/03/the_mean_girl_advice_of_what_to_expect_when_you_re_expecting_.html 

• What Not to Read: http://wonderfullymadebelliesandbabies.blogspot.com/2009/09/what-not-to-read_4036.html

2. Read: fill your mind with empowering information that encourages births as a normal event.
Some suggested books:

• The Pregnancy Book by Dr. Sears
• The Complete Book of Pregnancy and Childbirth by Sheila Kitzinger
• The Birth Book- Everything You Need to Know to Have a Safe and Satisfying Birth by Dr. Sears
• Ina May's Guide to Childbirth by Ina May Gaskin
• Childbirth Without Fear: The Principles and Practice of Natural Childbirth by Grantley Dick-Read
• The Thinking Woman's Guide to a Better Birth by Henci Goer
• Birth: The Surprising History of How We Are Born by Tina Cassidy

•  Hypnobirthing: The Mongan Method: a Natural Approach to a Safe, Easy, More Comfortable Birth
• I strongly recommend this book even if you don't want to use hypnobirthing during the labor/birth. There are a lot of fear-reducing methods in here. The book explains things well and covers a wide range of things surrounding childbirth.

3. Watch videos that promote safe, gentle, normal births.

•  http://birthbuddy.wordpress.com/2007/02/22/birth-videos/
• http://birthwithoutfearblog.com/2012/01/23/2-naturally-supported-hospital-birth-videos/
• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8vcJtbdBN7o
• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tMtibFxubAY

For more information:

http://wonderfullymadebelliesandbabies.blogspot.com/p/local-and-online-resources.html
-Lots of resources on this link

http://www.midwiferytoday.com/articles/TheRoleOfFear.asp -excellent article on the role of fear in the U.S. birthing process

http://www.awelllivedlife.blogspot.com/ 
-A blogger's birth story

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/8284167/ns/health-pregnancy/t/pregnancy-panic-attack/?fb_ref=.T3tO9vcjCgM.like&fb_source=timeline#.T7uEsb_Y0y6
 -MSNBC article about fear in pregnancy

http://pregnancyawareness.com/2011/03/your-sacred-pregnancy-moving-from-fear-to-faith/
 -Pregnancy without fear

http://mamabirth.blogspot.com/p/birth-stories.html
-A blog with many birth stories