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Tokophobia - a fear of pregnancy...do you have it?

bwakeling

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Calling all mums!

I'm doing a bit of research on Tokophobia - a fear of childbirth and pregnancy. I was just wondering if you or anyone you knew had been diagnosed with it? How does it make you feel? What can you do to overcome your fears?

Please sign any replies with your name and where you're from so I can reference you in my article. If you want to remain anonymous, please get in touch via email - your emails will be kept in strictest confidence.

Thanks all!

Ben
 
Sorry this might sound stupid but.. if someone had an actual phobia of pregnancy/childbirth .. I doubt they would be sitting here in there third trimester LOL

Not to say people arent -scared- of childbirth, but theres a difference between possibly a fear of something, and a phobia.

A phobia by definition is a persistent, abnormal, and irrational fear of a specific thing or situation that compels one to avoid it, despite the awareness and reassurance that it is not dangerous.

Phobias are not generally diagnosed if they are not particularly distressing to the patient and if they are not frequently encountered. If a phobia is defined as "impairing to the individual", then it will be treated after being measured in context by the degree of severity. A large percent of the population is afraid of public speaking, which could range from mild discomfort, which would not be considered a phobia, to an intense anxiety that inhibits all social involvement.
 
Haha! No, I did think that, but some people are diagnosed with a phobia during pregnancy, which is why I thought I'd give this forum a shot!
 
A lady in my office at work found out she was pregnant unexpectadly and hated the fact that that there was 'something' alive in her body. She couldn't discuss it, think about it or even acknowledge it. At her scans she refused to look at the baby on the screen. Once she started to feel the baby move she would jump up and cry, sometimes she would vomit because it disgusted her and she hated it. She never spoke of the thing in her body as a baby, infact like i said earlier she rarely spoke about the pregnancy at all. I was heavily pregnant at the time and when people in the office felt my bump or i put a pen on my bump so people could see my baby kicking she couldn't look and often left the room. Eventually she was diagnosed with Tokophobia after she really frieked out when the midwife used the dopler on her and she heard 'IT's' heart beat. She was given councilling throughout the remainder of her pregnancy and the baby was delivered via c section under general anasthetic.

She always said she would come back to work 2 weeks after 'IT' was born as she didn't want to be a mother but once she woke up and held her baby girl in her arms she was in love. She has recently told work she will not be coming back as she wants to stay at home and raise her baby.

To tell you the truth i couldn't understand her and her way of thinking, i just couldn't relate to her. She suprised everyone with the way she adores her daughter, i went to visit her shortly after the birth and she clearly dotes on her baby. Despite this she said she will never EVER endure another pregnancy and is enquiring about being sterilized.

Hope this helps xx
 
Toonlass, that is brilliant, thank you! Do you think your colleague would be OK with me emailing her a few questions? If so, do you have her email address/Twitter/Facebook etc so I can contact her?

Thank you again xx
 
Oh what a shame that some people get this problem, pregnancy for me is the best thing ever ,and soo cool and clever that your creating this little life inside you, and i'm def not a gooey mumsie type either.

I think that's really horrible that some ladies don't get the chance to feel that way when they are pregnant and have to miss out necause of their phobia.

I wonder if anyone with this issue , has ever adopted instead of having to face the fears and be pregnant as that would be a lovely way round it.
 
Ben,

are you still researching this topic? I can see that the thread is dated in Nov last year but if you are still looking for information I have this condition and requested a C-section as I am in my third trimester.
 

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