Mindset during pregnancy & birth
Do you have a fear of uncertainty?
A fear of uncertainty comes up a lot in my work with my clients. This is because there is so much potential for uncertainty on the journey to pregnancy, birth and motherhood. From figuring out whether you actually want kids or not, to playing the waiting game until...
Pregnancy anxiety and COVID
Pregnancy anxiety and COVID is something we need to be paying more attention to. Pregnancy is a time where many women experience increased anxiety, but now that COVID is part of our lives, more and more people are suffering from anxiety and depression. Pregnancy...
Should I wait until I’m pregnant to address my fears?
A common question I get from those who suffer with strong fears or tokophobia is this: should I wait until I'm pregnant to address my fears? My answer to this is NO. And here's why. It could take longer than you think Uncovering and addressing our fears is not always...
When the thought of losing control terrifies you
The idea of losing control is terrifying for many. Deep down we believe that we need to be in control to survive so when our sense of control is threatens it can undermine our sense of safety and security. Many don't realise that a fear of flying is often linked to a...
Hate the thought of something growing inside?
The idea of something growing inside or having a baby move in the belly is the stuff of nightmares for many women. It’s not all angels singing and babies coo-ing when some women imagine pregnancy. For many it’s downright terrifying and this is often one of their...
The psychology of pain
Pain is interesting. At least I find it interesting. I guess that comes from my work in helping women prepare for pregnancy and birth, because pain comes up a lot! In fact it comes up too much in my opinion. More than it should do. And this is because a fear of pain...
Anxiety in pregnancy
Anxiety in pregnancy is currently estimated to affect around 15% of women. Through my work in supporting women in preparing for birth and pregnancy, anxiety is something that I see a lot and, dare I say, I think the numbers are probably higher. When women are feeling...
Thomas Verny, Father of Prenatal Psychology
Prenatal psychology is an area of psychology that looks at the psychological changes that women go through from conception to postpartum. If you're going to better understand your fears and anxieties during pregnancy then I think understanding prenatal psychology is...
The Maternal Brain, with Jodi Pawluski
Today's podcast is all about the maternal brain and the neuroscience of pregnancy, birth, postpartum and parenting. A few months back I shared an article about the maternal brain on my Facebook page and it went a bit nuts. It's since been shared over 40 times which is...
The 4 TRUE causes of fear of birth and pregnancy
There has been a lot of debate recently around fear of birth and tokophobia, the pathological fear of birth and pregnancy. Much of this debate has centred on the culprits that are being blamed for the rise in women experiencing fear of birth and these culprits have...