Britney Spears's Fears
Britney Spears's Fears
Like Brooke Shields brought post-partum depression to the forefront of America’s attention, Britney Spears has unwittingly become the celebrity poster-child for another childbirth-related issue: Lockiophobia, or fear of childbirth.
More specifically, she publicly spoke of how her mother’s tales of childbirth shaped her own fears and expectations of an excruciatingly difficult birth – and how she hoped to avoid that through surgery.
Spears’ son was born via C-section. Whether it was elective surgery was not announced publicly – but there has been speculation, related to the fact the birth occurred shortly after weekly tabloids were printed. Assuming that timing was more intentional than convenient, she certainly wouldn’t be the first celebrity to choose an elective Cesarean delivery.
But she is the first to illustrate so dramatically the effects of childbirth horror stories on expectant women. In Spears’ case, her mother reportedly told her that giving birth was the most excruciating thing she's ever gone through in her life.
This is the focus of the newly released book, Journey Into Motherhood: Inspirational Stories of Natural Birth. Author, hypnotherapist and childbirth educator Sheri Menelli studied the effect that birth stories had on expectant women. She concluded that childbirth “horror stories” – in television, movies, publications, and most notably, from other women – can have a profoundly negative effect on a woman’s experiences in labor and birth.
Menelli says, “It is so sad to see women deeply affected by these stories, thinking that major abdominal surgery would be a better route than vaginal birth. So many women like Britney Spears think they have only three options: horrible pain, drugs, or surgery! There are so many tools, techniques, and options that are available to women now – we’re way beyond Lamaze. But like they say, if you don’t know your options, you don’t have any.”
Many well-known celebrities are embracing natural birth and exploring the range of alternative labor-management options. Cindy Crawford, Madonna, and Reese Witherspoon have explored the power of prenatal yoga with instructor Gurmukh of Golden Bridge Yoga in Los Angeles.
“Journey into Motherhood is very informative,” says Gurmukh. “It has created an inspirational foundation, motivation and a deeper understanding of home birth and natural birth…. I highly recommend it.”
Written to empower women and counter the culture of fear surrounding childbirth, the book is a collection of 48 amazing birth stories, each told in the mother’s own voice. If Britney Spears grew up hearing a tale of her birth that included internal guidance, empowered choices, support, a carefully crafted environment, effective tools and a sense of safety, she may have anticipated a natural birth with excitement instead of terror.
Britney Spears's Fears
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