Women Fear Childbirth and We Need to Know Why

(originally aired Oct. 4, 2016) Guest: Lee Roosevelt, PhD, Clinical Assistant Professor in the School of Nursing, University of Michigan Some questions have an obvious answer. For example, ask a pregnant woman expecting her first baby if she’s at all afraid of how the childbirth will go and the answer is bound to be “yes.” Fear about something so dramatic is normal. But the follow-up questions: “How afraid are you?” “What are you most afraid of?” Those questions don’t get asked nearly enough, according to midwife and nursing professor Lee Roosevelt. As she began to ask those questions, she realized we know next to nothing about fear of childbirth in the US, which could have serious health consequences.