For many women, becoming pregnant is a cause for joy. As the birth approaches, feelings of anxiety may set in. What will it be like to have my first  baby? How will it be to have a second baby? Will I be able to love it like the first onFear is a natural part of life. It signals that something new and previously unknown is on the horizon. What we feel capable of depends on how much self-confidence we have and on whether there are people who reassure us that we can master the new challenge.

We need companions like that. They make us feel that we are perfectly fine just as we are. Some women have a clear sense of which way through pregnancy and childbirth is right for them. Other women, without giving it much thought, follow the path that most people take. Still others grow through their experiences and find (against all odds) that, after three caesarean sections, they are able to give birth naturally. We want to encourage and empower women to find their own personal way. Fear must be taken seriously, and ways of managing it must be found. Nature gave you nine months to prepare for the birth of your child.

Imagine you wanted to take part in a marathon. You wouldn’t just jump straight into it based solely on what you’ve heard and read about it. Giving birth is like a marathon and requires thorough preparation on a mental, physical and social level. In sport, it’s common to hire a ‘personal trainer’. How would you feel if he focused solely on your body’s possible shortcomings?

Foto: Alex Lichtmalerei
There are also ‘personal trainers’ of sorts for pregnancy and childbirth: midwives who have mastered their craft, and doulas – supporting attendants with their own experience of childbirth. And there are therapists who can help you manage your fears. Find out what kind of support you’d like to treat yourself to, what does you good and gives you confidence in the natural processes of pregnancy and childbirth. Your body has the ability to give birth to a child. That is how nature intended it to be. If you have (at least) one person by your side who knows this and is able to strengthen your confidence in your own abilities, you can remain calm. And then you can choose who should be the expert during your birth: yourself, with the support of your own choosing, or a team of obstetricians and midwives who remain strangers to you and on whom you will be dependent from there on.

06/2026