[center]Tocophobia - Fear of pregnancy, Phobia of pregnancy, Fear of childbirth, Phobia of childbirth, Pregnancy fear, Pregnancy phobia, Childbirth fear, Childbirth phobia.

Tocophobia is an intense fear of pregnancy or childbirth in general. Tocophobics are afraid of giving birth and hate the thought of something growing inside them and feeding of their body. Some women with this phobia have been known to actually feel pregnant when they're now and experience symptoms connected with pregnancy such as kicking in their belly. Lots of women just hate the thought of the pain, the needles, the blood, the goop, the stretching and everything else associated with childbirth. Some women are afraid of what their body will look like afterwards and will their partner still like them.

Any one of us can be a Tocophobic. A Tocophobic woman may panic to find out that she is pregnant. The early signs of pregnancy, the actual experience of childbirth, a thought of labour pain and early period of motherhood can make a woman freak out. A Tocophobic woman is so unnerved that she will avoid being pregnant. She may have craving for bearing a child and being mother, but fear of childbirth will dismay her.

There are many aspects related to pregnancy which can make one feel fearful. Pain during labour, lack of emotional support from husband or loved one and death are some of the common aspects that could lead to tocophobia. Tocophobia is more of psychological fear rather that biological one.

The root cause of the fear of pregnancy can be related to your past experience. A trauma that faced in the past which is related to pregnancy, labour pain or child birth could lead you subconsciously to the fear of childbirth.

Some Tocophobics even plan for c-section delivery to avoid the vaginal birth. Complications in the previous childbirth can also make a woman fearful towards pregnancy and childbirth. But in most of the cases tocophobia is due to fear of pain during labour.

Many who suffer from tocophobia think that they are alone in this quest to battle against this less heard type of phobia. You have to understand that tocophobia is an in depth fear which does not have any actual danger for mother or her child. Following are the common symptoms of tocophobia.

Breathlessness
Too much sweating
Vomiting
Dehydrated mouth
Feeling unwell
Excessive shivering
Excessive heart palpitations
Lack of ability to speak or think clearly
Fear of mortality
Fear of losing control
Panic attack
Feeling irrational and detached from reality

Treatment for tocophobia

Of course there is a hope for those who are suffering from tocophobia. Getting to know all your thoughts regarding childbirth, pregnancy, parenting, labor pain, delivery, motherhood and raising a child would help you to know your fears better. Once you identify all the concerns then you can overcome them in better ways.

Speaking to an expert like gynecologist, midwife, obstetrician or birth counselor can help you a lot to fight back the fear. Communicating your fear to experts will help you to calm down a lot.

May be, knowing the fact that woman's body is designed to give birth to a baby would soothe your fear somewhat. Browse through science journals and learn all the facts about pregnancy and babies. You will come across some facts that would fix your misconceptions about childbirth. Hypnotherapy makes use of hypnotism to let you handle the fear of childbirth. Adequate prenatal care, massage techniques and proper positioning during labour help to reduce the labour pain.

Getting emotional support of partner in the labour room will help reduce the anxiety. Talk to your gynecologist if you are experiencing excessive fear or depression about being pregnant and giving birth. Though it may take time, you will surely get over your fear.

If motherhood has struck on your door, if you are all set to welcome your baby, if you are feeling your baby kicking, if you know that it is time and water has broke, do not panic. Experiencing motherhood is the wonderful experience. Overcoming your fear is not a big deal if you think of your baby. Love has the power to subside all fears.

Source: India Parenting Pvt. Ltd.[/center]

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