Fear of childbirth and its contributing factor – An exploratory study at a tertiary care hospital

Background: Motherhood and pregnancy are cherished moments in a life and considered one of the most important events in a women's life. So, she does the best to maintain good health to bring into this world a healthy baby. The fear of pregnancy is called tocophobia and it is defined as an intense state of anxiety which leads to fear of childbirth. Fear of childbirth result in increased number of visits to the obstetrician and in frequent request for cesarean delivery. The study aimed to assess the fear of childbirth and factors contributing to fear of childbirth among primigravidae at a tertiary care teaching hospital. Methodology: Descriptive design with Quantitative approach was used and a sample of 269 primigravidae women by using consecutive sampling. Data was collected at Antenatal OPD, by using standardized tool Wijma delivery expectancy questionnaire Version – A and a checklist for factors contributing to fear of childbirth. Results: Level of fear of childbirth among primigravidae (24.4%) having severe level, (44.8%) high level and 24.1% having moderate level, 6.7% low level of fear of childbirth. Major contributing factor for fear of childbirth was Fear of labor pain (80.7%), and least common was disturbed self image and feeling of insecurity (27.9%). Conclusion: Majority of the primigravidae women face fear of childbirth, as contributed by various factors that affect fear of childbirth. Primigravidae women were counseled on one to one basis and they were made aware about the physiology of labor and what to expect during labor to alleviate their fear after the completion of the data collection process.