Switching Off the Fear of BirthOne quick and easy way to switch off the fear of birth is to focus on gratitude. I’m sure you’ve heard of the concept of gratitude before because it’s exploded into public awareness with the movie The Secret. But have you considered how this nifty little trick might impact your birth experience?
Here’s something to ponder. We know that the part of the brain that experiences gratitude is not the same part of the brain that experiences fear. When the part of the brain that experiences gratitude is switched on, then the part of the brain that experiences fear automatically switches off. And vice versa.
Here’s the thing about fear. Despite all your inner strength and determination it can be difficult to simply stop thinking fearful thoughts. The truth is, it’s much easier to start thinking grateful thoughts. The good news is when you start thinking grateful thoughts then the fear switch in your brain turns off causing the fearful thoughts to disappear. And that my dear friend is what can free you from the fearful thoughts that may be plaguing you about your upcoming birth.
In case you are not familiar with my work, I love experiments! So here’s an experiment for you: Every time you are stopped at a red light think of at least 10 things you are grateful for. Start off generally. This can be as simple as your heart beating, your lungs breathing, the sun shining, or the clouds raining. Once you’ve mastered this step, turn it up a notch and list all the things related to pregnancy and birth that you are grateful for. Things like your little munchkin’s soccer legs kicking your ribs (you know he’s strong!) or your midwife who’s kindness makes your heart tingle, or the hospital for offering you a tour so you can see their impressive array of technology.
As you exercise, your gratitude muscle it will become stronger and as it becomes stronger it will be something you know you can rely on if those fearful thoughts try to push their way into your mind.
The final step of this experiment is to exercise your gratitude muscle when fear is trying to sneak into your life. As soon as you feel the niggling sensation of a fear thought trying to make its way into your mind instantly reach for your gratitude thought and see what happens. And just like all good experiments take note of your results. If it works for you, great! If not, I’m sure I’ll come up with another experiment that might. Stay tuned.
-- Gemma Stone | 
