Taking Back Your Power: Pregnancy, Birth, and Navigating Scary Headlines
Another day, another scary birthy headline.
If you’re pregnant right now, your algorithm probably knows it and you’ll be being exposed to all the same clickbait headlines I am as a birth worker.
Pregnancy and birth are making the headlines at a rate I’ve never witnessed before. And the media have not been painting a lovely picture over the past few weeks.
If I’m going to be honest (which I always am…) the picture ISN’T very rosy in maternity care. But I’m not about to go down that rabbit hole now. With my doula clients we spend quality time to unpicking all you need to actually know there, and it needs more time and care. It definitely deserves more nuance than these provocative news articles are presenting.
As a pregnant person, the onslaught of clickbait headlines isn’t really what you need right now. If you’re feeling overwhelmed, anxious and worried about what’s going on, you’re absolutely not alone.
But let’s take back the power here. You can make a choice about what you need and focus on that.
Focus on What You Can Control
You can’t control the headlines—but you can control your breath, your choices, and your exposure.
Your breath is your anchor.
Start at the beginning. Notice what you are feeling when these headlines pop up, unsolicited. Name that feeling. “I am noticing anxiety”. Notice where you feel it too. You might notice mental chatter in your head. You might feel physical symptoms, like a racing heart or shallow breathing.
And then let’s get back in your body.
Take a deeper breath in.
Take a longer, slower breath out.
Do that again. And again.
Don’t underestimate the power of your own breath. This simple practice is going to get you away from those racing thoughts and back in to your body. It’s going to calm those physical sensations that might be being activated. A slower breathing pattern will slow your heart rate. A slower heartrate won’t feel like anxiety anymore. You can move that feeling on. It’ll bring you back in to this present moment – where all is well – rather than letting you jump in to the ‘What ifs’ that lie in some point in future.
Tip: Daily breathing exercises, pregnancy yoga, or guided relaxation can help you regulate stress as well as prepare for birth.
Control your exposure.
If headlines make you feel uneasy, consider taking steps to protect your mental space:
- Consider not reading the news. Yes it’s important to be an informed and active member of society at times, but this phase of life is unique. Zoom in to what serves you.
- Consider switching off social media. Do you really need it? Or at least limit your consumption. One headline often leads to another…have a timer so you don’t end up doom scrolling all day.
- Consider taking a cull of the accounts you follow. Keep the ones that support or empower you, mute or unfollow the rest.
You’re being constantly bombarded with information, and that information will always be out there. But you CAN control what comes in to your zone of awareness.
Consider your birth choices.
If the headlines are making you question your birth choices, go ahead and question them! Remember you are the expert in your pregnancy, your baby and your body.
- Get the information that helps you make the right decisions for you. Ask annoying questions and expect a decent answer from your caregivers!
- Learn about what actually supports birth, and create a birth plan that draws on as many of those things as possible. Birth plans are not pointless or a nice to have. They’re an essential communication tool. The work you put in to creating one is never wasted.
- Spend some time working out what really matters to you and make this your guiding light. Don’t be distracted with what others are doing in their pregnancies, always come back to YOUR why.
You can make your own choices in your pregnancy and birth, that’s a legal right in the UK. You can tune in with what feels right to you – and choose to ignore it, or to follow it.
Explore your options.
If you’re wanting more for your birth and you’re prepared to go all in on making it happen, explore the alternatives.
There are always more options on the table that you might first realise.
- Consider home birth
- Consider an independent midwife
- Consider doula support
- If you’ve fallen under a ‘high risk’ label or your decisions are deemed ‘outside of guidance’, ask if your trust have a ‘Birth choices’ service where you can have more time unpicking your unique situation
There’s a culturally common way to birth (under the NHS in a hospital) but you can choose what parts work for you and what else you need to feel better supported. Letting go of typical NHS care and taking an alternative path is an option.
Remember the mantra: “I take control of what I can, I let go of what I can’t.”
- You can’t control headlines, but you can control your breath.
- You can’t control the headlines, but you can control your exposure.
- You can’t control the headlines, but you can control your own birth choices.
In my pregnancy yoga classes, you have a chance to reclaim your power and to listen to your own inner knowing. For more bespoke, 121 support navigating your pregnancy, birth and the maternity system, book a connection call to see how my doula support could work for you.
Pregnancy Yoga runs in Bristol:
Tuesdays 6.30-7.45pm at The Langton, St Anne’s/Brislington, BS4
Thursdays 6.30-7.45pm at Hanham Community Centre, Hanham, BS15
