All my life I have feared that being pregnant is something so medical and uncomfortable. Thus, I have always taken this topic very negatively and I have tried to avoid it for all my life. I really thought that this is not for me as I have several phobias:
- Hemophobia/hematophobia – fear of blood
- Trypanophobia – fear of injections
- Nosocomephobia – fear of hospitals
All my life I have fainted when giving blood, get vaccinated or accidentally hit myself. Fainting is usually caused by a lack of oxygen in the brain. Doctors made some medical research on me when I was a child and concluded that it is a psychological issue.
What is a phobia? A phobia is a type of anxiety disorder that causes an individual to experience extreme, irrational fear about a situation, living creature, place, or object. Despite individuals being aware that their phobia is irrational, they cannot control the fear reaction. (Medical News Today, 2017).
These phobias have become worse with several situations. For example, once I said to the nurse that I am afraid and started to cry a bit, she shouted at me: “What are you crying? How can you imagine to give birth and become a mother in a future?” This situation and these words haunted me for many years.
There was only one situation that was positive and when I didn’t faint. I had to give blood in order to analyze my food intolerances. It was allowed to use Xanax sedative, so I did. Of course, I didn’t watch the process but I was so relaxed and happy, that it was really nothing negative or difficult 🙂 However, I understood that I can’t use that drug for other blood tests…
Finally, as I decided to change my life and become a mother, I chose that it’s time to fight my fears. I knew that I had to give blood for many times during pregnancy, so I just tried to cope with my phobias.
how to overcome phobias?
TIP 1 – EFT TECHNIQUES
If you have any kind of fears, I would recommend trying EFT – Emotional Freedom Techniques. In addition to phobias, it should also help with headaches, depression etc.
“Often referred to as “Psychological acupressure”, the technique works by releasing blockages within the energy system which are the source of emotional intensity and discomfort. These blockages in our energy system, in addition to challenging us emotionally, often lead to limiting beliefs and behaviours and an inability to live life harmoniously. Resulting symptoms are either emotional and/ or physical and include lack of confidence and self-esteem, feeling stuck anxious or depressed, or the emergence of compulsive and addictive behaviours.” (The Energy Therapy Centre, 2018).
This is not something mystical! This is pure physics, biology, psychology. If you are Christian, then just google “EFT for Christians”, New Age and other people should be okay with every tutorial. Youtube is full of tutorials for everyone, the difference is in the words you have to tell. Basically, EFT works by tapping on specific points and releasing the pressure in your mind and body – these two are clearly connected. Surely, you should be very consistent with it!
EFT tutorial
TIP 2 – MUSIC
I had to give blood during the first trimester and it was something very difficult for me. I felt awful before, during and afterwards. My husband helped to guarantee that I could lay down, the nurse was informed about my fear and he supported me mentally. And surprisingly, something very rare happened – I cried a lot, but it was the first time in my life that I didn’t faint!!! Maybe it was caused by the pregnancy hormones? Also, what helped in my case, was music! Youtube is full of calming music against phobias and anxiety. Just choose your favourite. Here are my favourites that help:
TIP3 – THE POWER OF THINKING AND MIND-PROGRAMMING
I had to give blood again in the third trimester. This time I tried different tactics. I didn’t think for a second that this is something negative. I just thought that this is something very easy, okay, positive, even funny! The power of thinking is just so strong. It is a cliché but honestly, we often forget to do it! 
My kind of “humour” to stay positive and fight my phobia 😀
This time I was even better! I didn’t cry, I just suffered these nasty and painful moments and tried to stay positive and tried to breathe very deeply. Again I didn’t faint! Also, I have to thank this nurse – she was very professional and calming.
If you don’t have any phobias and you are reading this, it may seem funny and pseudo-problem. But phobias do really exist and they feel so real. It is important not make fun of these people and seriously deal with the problem.
If I could give some advice to hospitals and nurses, I would recommend these things:
- Bad, strong lights are not calming for people with phobias
- Cold and too strong colours are also not helping to calm down
- In the future, hospitals should make their atmosphere more calming, like in SPAs – quiet calming background music is not something difficult or expensive to implement 🙂
- If you are a doctor or nurse, please don’t undervalue or laugh at someone’s phobia – it makes it worse. Also, don’t overvalue the situation – it may create some extra pressure. I know your job is not easy, but people like me are very thankful if you try to understand.
In conclusion, I have developed a lot with this pregnancy. It has made me a fearless mother-lion! I believe that there is a mother-lion in every woman. So if you are reading this and you have the same kind of fears, don’t give up! Everyone can overcome fears and phobias. And don’t be afraid of pregnancy, it feels the most natural and normal thing as the pregnancy hormones are doing their job well!
A.K.