What frightens you the most about giving birth? Is it pain? Is it the unknown? That you might poop in front of everyone? Do you worry that you will be good parent? Is it something else?

Fear has the possibility to make a stressful situation even more stressful. You may end up manifesting your fears in an effort to avoid what scares you. Dr. Grantly Dick- Read wrote an excellent book that I suggest to all of my doula clients and friends (pregnant or not) called "Childbirth Without Fear" about removing the Fear- Tension- Pain cycle. Dr. Dick- Read observed that when laboring mothers were afraid they would tense their body and muscles. The tension in turned resulted in pain. Pain created more fear and the cycle continued until some mothers were so worked up that they had difficulty birthing their baby and needed assistance.

To address your fears, it is helpful to journal. Just take a few minutes and write it out. Don't be concerned if it makes sense. Fears are often not rational so put it all out there. Once you've written out your fears, its time to go over the list and put your mind at ease. Research from reliable sources and speaking with your care provider and/or doula may help you to work though a number of these concerns. Other alternatives are hypnotherapy, talk therapy, meeting with support groups, and meditation. Whatever modality seems to most interesting to you, explore it. There's no one size fits all solution to your unique fears.

Gaining confidence over your birth experience is key to a satisfying birth.