Research shows: mindfulness helps against fear of childbirth
Research by the University of Amsterdam also shows that mindfulness means that women are less likely to ask for painkillers during childbirth.
Fear of childbirth
The group of researchers previously showed that Mindfulness-Based Childbirth and Parenting, a course for pregnant women with extreme fear of giving birth, reduces the chance of a medically unnecessary caesarean section by fifty percent. In addition, it doubles the chance of a natural birth. The mindfulness course had quite a few positive effects: the women were less anxious and they saw it all more positively. According to researcher Irene Veringa, taking such a course is an ‘accessible and affordable treatment’ against birth anxiety. “It empowers women, which is vital for the mental well-being of both mother and child.”
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Benefits of Meditation
Three factors mainly play a role in extreme fear of childbirth: emotion, cognition and quality of attention. “Emotion is about a decrease in fear of childbirth, cognition is about a decrease in catastrophic beliefs about labor pain, and quality of attention is about an increase in open awareness,” says Veringa. And that is exactly what the course responds to. Meditation also contributes to a good preparation and delivery. “The more the pregnant woman meditated, the more likely she was to have a natural birth without medical intervention and with less or no pain relief.”
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Threatening situation
In fear, your attention is completely focused on threat. And that is of course exactly what you want to avoid. In an ‘imminent’ situation – such as childbirth – a pregnant woman is therefore more likely to opt for painkillers or a caesarean section. Mindfulness teaches you not to immediately react to that fear, but to observe thoughts, emotions and sensations with an open attitude. A mindfulness course is not only pleasant for expectant mothers, caregivers are also happy with it. As a result, fewer necessary interventions are needed, which reduces the pressure on healthcare.
Source: Linda.nl
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