Women either get to know about pregnancy and childbirth from others&rsquo; experiences that usually ...

Tokophobia is an extreme fear of childbirth which can cause some women to avoid pregnancy and others to dread being pregnant. Read on to know how to manage tokophobia.

How to Manage Tokophobia (Fear of Childbirth)?

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Tokophobia: How to Manage Your Phobia of Pregnancy & Childbirth

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Find out all about phobias in children and what can you do as a parent 

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Never miss these crucial warning signs of emotional development problems in your baby. Read this article to know the emotional development milestones in your baby. 

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Never Miss These Crucial Warning Signs of Emotional Development Problems in Your Baby

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Feeling overwhelmed after childbirth? Read on to know about common concerns new mothers experience after childbirth and how you can overcome them.

What are the Top Worries and Fears After Childbirth and How to Overcome Them

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Six simple but effective tips to get rid of all your pregnancy related fears 

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Top 6 Fears during Pregnancy and Why you shouldn't worry about them?

The beautiful phase of pregnancy brings a lot of physical, mental, and emotional changes along with it. There will be a lot going on in your mind and body at the same time. Soon after the confirmed positive news of your pregnancy, you will start collecting all the required information about the changes that will come into your life in the next nine months. With all the excitement, you also get anxious and nervous about the journey. Below mentioned are some common fearful thoughts that will strike your mind and you must stay calm to combat all those fears: 

<ul>
	<li>
	Miscarriage- The most common fear that&rsquo;ll haunt you in the first trimester is what if your pregnancy results in a miscarriage? A lot of physical and mental changes like nausea, morning sickness, fatigue, and stress will occur at the beginning of the pregnancy. You can discuss your concerns with an expert or the doctor and by having a healthy diet and supplements, you can deal with this fear. Although there is no sure-shot way to stop a miscarriage; still, you can lower the risk by avoiding unhealthy foods, alcohol, smoking, caffeine, etc. 
	</li>
	<li>
	Birth defect in the baby- Your doctor will recommend you numerous screening tests and ultrasounds. Just ensure that you don&rsquo;t get lazy and skip those. You might get anxious during every single prenatal test but it is the only way and also the best way to diagnose the problem. This is so because diagnosis at an early stage will help you decide what&rsquo;s best for you and your baby. The best way to protect your baby&rsquo;s health is to eat multivitamins along with folic acid. 
	</li>
	<li>
	Preterm labor- You might worry a lot about your unborn child and about labor and delivery. Your baby&rsquo;s growth and development are perfectly happening in the womb during the entire course of pregnancy. The risk of serious complications or developmental issues is less if the baby is born on the scheduled due date as recommended by your doctor. You must not miss your scheduled prenatal check-ups and adapt to a healthy lifestyle. 
	</li>
</ul>

<ul>
	<li>
	Physical intimacy and relationship with your partner- You must be wondering that your relationship with your partner will change forever but it&rsquo;s not like that. Once the baby is home, you and your partner&rsquo;s priorities will change. You just have to give some time to your body to heal internally post-delivery. After a few months, you will snap back and will crave more sex. Your sex-life will be more satisfying than before and your relationship will also become stronger. 
	</li>
	<li>
	Labor/Delivery- From the first week of your pregnancy, you&rsquo;ll start wondering about your delivery and labor. Most women wonder whether they&rsquo;ll have a C-section or a normal vaginal delivery. All you have to do is keep visiting your doctor regularly and openly discuss all your fears with the doctor. The gynecologist will inform you in advance about your due date and the procedure of delivery. 
	</li>
	<li>
	Chances of developing gestational diabetes or preeclampsia- From the first day, your doctor must have advised you to eat healthily, go for a walk and say goodbye to stress. This helps in preventing your body from such ailments. 
	</li>
</ul>

Worrying affects your and baby&rsquo;s health adversely so just take care of yourselves and enjoy your pregnancy!

While pregnancy is a wonderful experience in a woman&rsquo;s life, it does have its share of ups and down. Being fearful and anxious about pregnancy is a common refrain among many women. Pregnancy brings along a lot of physical, emotional and mental changes which can have a significant impact on increasing these fears and worries. But such fear is very normal to have and you can overcome them by following these six tips. 

<ol start="1">
	<li>
	Most feelings of fear during pregnancy are centered on potential of harm to the baby such as accidently rolling over the belly during sleep, miscarriage, premature birth, baby&rsquo;s stunted development, childbirth complications, labor related issues etc. Just remember that these are very common worries to have and you should simply relax and not be overly worried about them as long as your pregnancy is carrying along smoothly. 
	</li>
</ol>

<ol start="2">
	<li>
	Talking and discussing with your husband, friends or family members about what is bothering you is an excellent way to get rid of pregnancy related anxieties. Expressing yourself can not only help you gain insights but also allows you to vent your feelings and not keep them bottled up inside you. 
	</li>
</ol>

<ol start="3">
	<li>
	Nothing beats fear like knowledge. So, go ahead and learn more about pregnancy and childbirth and you will realize it becomes easier for you to deal with your fear. You can tap into a variety of sources like your doctor, books, genuine websites and forums on internet and antenatal classes to enhance your pregnancy related knowledge. 
	</li>
</ol>

<ol start="4">
	<li>
	Regular exercise and activities like yoga, meditation, reading and music will help in reducing stress and anxiety and also keep your mind relaxed during the pregnancy. 
	</li>
</ol>

<ol start="5">
	<li>
	Learn and be aware about all child birth and pain management options much before your due date as a lot of fear is due to negative thoughts about pain during labor and birthing complications. Being prepared will make you confident and help you get rid of such fear. 
	</li>
</ol>

<ol start="6">
	<li>
	You should break down what you need during each stage of pregnancy and not just spend all your energy being stressed and scared about labor and delivery. This way you can easily deal with each pregnancy stage and any associated worries instead of getting consumed by fear and anxiety. 
	</li>
</ol>

And last but not the least, imagine your baby and how good it will be to have him in your life rather than just staying stressed about pregnancy and labor. 

You may also like: 

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Your child has stepped into a new world, and it&rsquo;s time for Emotional Development Milestones. As a parent, it is essential to watch out every perspective of the baby&#39;s growth. This helps parents shape the baby into a good human being. In that manner, Emotional Development in babies is an imperative factor. Remember to monitor and correct emotional aspects while babies grow. 

<h2>What is Emotional Development in a baby? </h2>

The baby&rsquo;s learning session of recognizing emotions, and controlling them through specific ways is termed emotional development. Though it&rsquo;s a continuance, the base for such a process initiates during the baby&rsquo;s first year. The baby is competent to manage feelings in this period with your relationship. 

<h2>Emotional Development Milestones in First Year </h2>

Every baby grows at their own pace but there are some common milestones you can expect them to reach by certain age groups. Here is an age-wise guide on what skills you can expect your little one to develop, things to do to encourage their development and signs of emotional development problems you should be wary of.

<h3>Birth-3 Months </h3>

Now that the baby is no longer alone in the womb, they will look for support and comfort from you. You should hold your baby, rock and cuddle them to create a bond. If your baby is fussy or crying, show them warmth and kindness. Within a few weeks, your baby will become more alert, make frequent eye contact and watch their surroundings. They will also learn about communication and expressions. At this stage, talk to your baby as much as you can.

<h3>4-6 Months </h3>

At this stage, your baby will respond to you, make silly faces and imitate your expressions. Your baby will become aware and notice things around them. Interact with your baby, respond to their reactions and babbles, read them books and laugh with them. These activities will help promote their social and emotional development.

<h3>7-9 Months </h3>

At this stage, your baby may be a little fearful of strangers, new environments or loud noises. They will also be curious, interactive and explorative. Offer your baby comfort and indulge them in games like peek-a-boo and reading to boost their interaction and emotional development.

<h3>9-12 Months </h3>

At this stage, your baby may start to recognise some words and try to express themselves. You should encourage them by talking to them and helping them to establish a connection between words and feelings. Your baby may have also developed preferences and favourites by now.

<h2>Signs of Emotional Development Problems in Babies </h2>

Have you noticed babies becoming overwhelmingly emotional? It&#39;s good and mandatory to handle feelings in life. But, for babies showing up intense emotional reactions in pleasant or happy scenarios, a pause is needed. This may be a sign of emotional development issue.

Here are a few crucial warnings about emotional development problems in babies:

<ul>
	<li>
	The baby may seem uneasy all time. They feel troubled, or tense resulting in feeding or sleep problems. 
	</li>
	<li>
	Babies feel fearful of new scenarios and unenthusiastic to try things by stepping out of their comfort zone. 
	</li>
	<li>
	They appear annoyed all the time and prompt to anger. 
	</li>
	<li>
	The baby is tearful to face new scenarios.
	</li>
	<li>
	Babies are unmotivated and exhausted to try new things. 
	</li>
	<li>
	They show under-response or over-response at times. 
	</li>
	<li>
	Babies face issues with feeding and sleeping.
	</li>
</ul>

<h2>Final Thoughts </h2>

The baby is ready to learn new ways of behaving by stepping out of their comfort zone. This happens after the baby feels safe and secure. The best advice is not to outburst while the baby outbreaks. Using facial expressions while playing and talking to the baby helps the baby learn emotions. From the onset, planning and concentrating on emotional development is crucial. Hope the information regarding emotional development is useful for new parents.

Childbirth is a happy culmination of a mother&rsquo;s pregnancy journey and a joyous and cherished moment awaited by every mom-to-be. But, along with all the happiness, becoming a mother can also be an overwhelming and worrying experience and it is not uncommon to feel anxious and worried after childbirth. Let&rsquo;s look at some common worries after childbirth and how you can face them.

<h2>Common Concerns After Childbirth</h2>

<h3>Worrying that the baby will die while asleep </h3>

A lot of mothers are scared that their baby may die by choking, rolling over or due to sudden infant death syndrome. Instead of being worried, take safety measures like having the baby sleep on his back, keeping his head uncovered and keeping him warm but not too hot.

<h3>Your feelings for the baby </h3>

It is quite common for mothers to feel that their bonding and love with the baby is missing something. It is a natural feeling and will go away with time. You just need to keep caring for and loving your baby. In an unlikely scenario that you feel disconnected from the baby for a lengthy duration, consult a doctor.

<h3>Fear of dropping the baby </h3>

Being constantly scared that you may drop the baby is a nagging worry for new mothers. Just relax and make sure you are holding the baby properly especially when walking around. For more safety &amp; comfort, you can use a <a href="https://mylofamily.com/store/product/206">baby carrier</a>.

<h3>Worries about baby&rsquo;s development </h3>

Many parents tend to compare their baby&rsquo;s development with other babies or based on what they may have read or heard and then get worried if the baby misses any developmental milestone even by a few days. You need to remember that each baby is different and develops at his own pace. Consult a doctor if you feel something is a miss instead of being worried.

Remember, there are many things parents can do to stimulate their baby&rsquo;s brain development. Take a look at: <a href="https://mylofamily.com/article/top-10-baby-brain-development-activities-171247">Top 10 Baby Brain Development Activities</a>

<h3>Worries about the baby&rsquo;s diet and sleep </h3>

Don&rsquo;t fret unnecessarily about whether your baby is feeding and sleeping properly. Consult with your doctor about the feeding schedule and right amount of sleep for the baby.

You may also like: <a href="https://mylofamily.com/article/heres-everything-you-need-to-know-about-the-growt-13038">Here&#39;s everything you need to know about the growth and development of a 2-month-old baby. </a>

<h3>Financial worries </h3>

The increased expenses that are bound to come along often make the parents worried and stressed. You should do your homework and plan ahead about the additional money you will need to spend each month for the baby and figure out how to manage your finances.

Worrying after childbirth or postpartum anxiety is a fairly prevalent issue among new mothers, but can be easily managed and taken care of by staying calm and proper planning. ​​​​​​

<h3>References</h3>

1. Nancy Mohrbacher. Worries About Foremilk and Hindmilk. breastfeedingusa.org

2. Nakić Rado&scaron; S, Tadinac M, Herman R. (2018). Anxiety During Pregnancy and Postpartum: Course, Predictors and Comorbidity with Postpartum Depression. NCBI

3. Ali E. (2018). Women&#39;s experiences with postpartum anxiety disorders: a narrative literature review. NCBI

One of the most worrying situations for parents is when their child is suffering from any kind of phobia as it could have detrimental effect both in the short and long term. Let us understand more about phobias in children and what can you do about it. 

What is phobia - A phobia is a medical condition where a person suffers from fear and anxiety of any object or situation for a significant duration of time. Phobias are a kind of anxiety disorders and can be faced by both children and adults. Some common phobias in children include: 

<ul>
	<li>
	Specific Phobia &ndash; The child feels anxiety or fear in a specific situation. Some such situations include flying, heights, water, animals, insects etc. 
	</li>
	<li>
	Panic disorder &ndash; A panic disorder induces a sudden feeling of fear, anxiety or nervousness and can lead to very quick increase in heartbeats. 
	</li>
</ul>

<ul>
	<li>
	Separation anxiety &ndash; In this condition, the child is severely scared and nervous of getting separated from the parents. 
	</li>
	<li>
	Selective mutism &ndash; A child suffering from selective mutism is nervous and afraid of speaking in a certain situation such as a large gathering or event. 
	</li>
	<li>
	Agoraphobia &ndash; Agoraphobia leads to fear of being alone in open spaces and can also lead to a panic attack in the child. 
	</li>
</ul>

Causes of phobia in children &ndash; There are different reasons and factors that cause phobia among children: 

<ul>
	<li>
	Mental disorders and conditions in the family especially parents and grandparents. 
	</li>
</ul>

<ul>
	<li>
	Negative, violent or traumatic experiences early in the childhood. 
	</li>
	<li>
	Some physical conditions or specific medicines can also cause phobias especially anxiety issues. 
	</li>
	<li>
	Genetic disorders can lead to specific phobias being passed on from the parents to the child. 
	</li>
	<li>
	The environment or the people around the child also play a key role in a child&rsquo;s mental development and anything negative can cause phobias. 
	</li>
</ul>

Can phobias be treated &ndash; Phobias or anxiety disorders in children are tough to diagnose and need comprehensive medical and psychiatric examination. The parents have to play a key role by observing and analyzing the presence of consistent feelings of anxiety of any phobia related behavior in the child since an early age. They can try to address it on their own or seek qualified medical help in case the child doesn&rsquo;t respond. A child can be helped and guided to recover from phobias by early diagnosis and treatment such as medicines or therapy but the parents need to be aware and on a constant vigilance.

Women either get to know about pregnancy and childbirth from others&rsquo; experiences that usually depict a tremendous amount of pain in the vaginal birth or from their own terrible experience of first pregnancy. Such experiences often trigger a deep fear about the very idea of bearing a child and vaginal birth. This deep-rooted fear leads to a condition called &ldquo;Tokophobia&rdquo; for many women and is explained by modern science as a pathological fear of pregnancy. It may even lead to the avoidance of childbirth completely in many women.

In this article, we will discuss tokophobia in detail and learn its types, symptoms, potential factors and its treatment and management.

You may also like to read : <a href="https://mylofamily.com/article/top-10-health-issues-related-to-women-179589?">Top 10 Health Issues Related To Women </a>

<h2 style="text-align:justify">Types of Tokophobia</h2>

Tokophobia has two types - primary and secondary.

<h3 style="text-align:justify">1. Primary Tokophobia</h3>

Primary Tokophobia occurs in first-time mothers or women who have never been pregnant before. The contributing factors of primary tokophobia can be others&#39; traumatic or painful experiences.

<h3 style="text-align:justify">2. Secondary Tokophobia</h3>

Secondary tokophobia is seen in women who had a terrible first birthing experience that leaves them with an absolute fear of delivering a child again.

Now, let&rsquo;s know the other aspects of Tokophobia.

<h2 style="text-align:justify">Symptoms </h2>

Here are some of the most common symptoms of tokophobia:

<ol>
	<li style="text-align:justify">An irrational and unreasonable amount of fear about pregnancy and vaginal birth.</li>
	<li style="text-align:justify">Lack of emotional connection with the unborn child</li>
	<li style="text-align:justify">Lack of excitement about their pregnancy, trying to hide the news</li>
	<li style="text-align:justify">Sleeping disorder, panic attacks, and nightmares of birth defects or even maternal death.</li>
	<li style="text-align:justify">More insistence on the C section instead of vaginal delivery.</li>
	<li style="text-align:justify">Women are even seen to avoid sexual contact due to the fear of becoming pregnant.</li>
</ol>

You may also like to read : <a href="https://mylofamily.com/article/how-to-maintain-your-mental-health-during-pregnancy-193395?">How To Maintain Your Mental Health During Pregnancy</a>

<h2 style="text-align:justify">Causes of Tokophobia</h2>

Causes and potential factors that may contribute to the development of tokophobia in women include the following:

<ol>
	<li style="text-align:justify">Lack of trust in doctors, loss of control, and privacy.</li>
	<li style="text-align:justify">Fear of birth-related complications including death.</li>
	<li style="text-align:justify">Fear of pain and uncertainty associated with labor and birth process.</li>
	<li style="text-align:justify">An existing history of anxiety, depression, and childhood sexual abuse</li>
	<li style="text-align:justify">Hearing traumatic birth stories from others.</li>
	<li style="text-align:justify">Psychosocial factors such as lack of social/family support or poor finances.</li>
</ol>

<h2 style="text-align:justify">Treatment of Tokophobia</h2>

Before tokophobia can be treated, it&#39;s important to diagnose the condition. A doctor can help diagnose tokophobia by examining the mental health of the pregnant woman.

<h3 style="text-align:justify">Therapy and Counselling</h3>

In order to treat tokophobia, support from the obstetrician in coordination with mental health professionals is required to find out why the disorder has developed in the first place. A mix of counselling sessions to give reassurance, imparting education, and an appropriate health care regime can help tackle the fears associated with pregnancy and childbirth.

<h3 style="text-align:justify">Other Support Structure</h3>

Social or family support is highly comforting and plays a very crucial role for women dealing with tokophobia. One-on-one discussions and support groups equally serve as a strong support system. Some additional treatments for tokophobia include antidepressants, hypnotherapy and stress reduction techniques.

<h2 style="text-align:justify">How to cope with Tokophobia?</h2>

If you are dealing with this constant and significant fear affecting your life, you must:

<ol>
	<li style="text-align:justify">Discuss your fears and feelings with your partner, family members, friends or doctor or write them down in your journal.</li>
	<li style="text-align:justify">Think of a birth plan to minimize the pain, prepare yourself and discuss your plan with your doctor.</li>
	<li style="text-align:justify">Stay away from fear-triggering stories, shut out other people&#39;s negative experiences and avoid dwelling on negative thoughts.</li>
	<li style="text-align:justify">Join a good prenatal class to calm your fears, talk with fellow mothers who might be feeling the same and prepare for the journey ahead</li>
	<li style="text-align:justify">Practice stress reduction techniques like yoga, meditation, mindfulness and breathing exercises.</li>
</ol>

Tokophobia can take a toll on any expecting mother and her growing baby. By consulting a doctor and following coping techniques, you can manage tokophobia and enjoy your pregnancy. We wish you happy motherhood ahead!

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