An Innovative Intervention Method in the Treatment of Fear of Birth: Haptotherapy

Abstract

Fear of childbirth is an issue that should not be ignored because it can cause serious problems in terms of maternal and infant health. It is necessary to reduce the fear of birth of pregnant women who experience fear of childbirth at various levels, and to increase their motivation for normal vaginal delivery, their awareness of their skills and their self-efficacy. In our country, there is no standard application protocol for reducing the fear of childbirth in pregnant women. Haptotherapy is an intervention protocol that includes a birth simulation that changes the way of cognitive and perceptual interpretation of giving birth, allows the birth to be perceived as a more normal and positive event and ultimately reduces the fear of childbirth in the pregnant woman, enabling the formation and development of certain skills in the woman. Haptotherapy is effective in reducing the fear of childbirth by making pregnant women aware of their negative feelings and thoughts, increasing women's self-efficacy and directing their birth preferences to vaginal birth. Women's health also means baby, family and community health. The birth of healthy generations depends on the physical, social and psychological well-being of the pregnant woman and it is necessary for the woman to be prepared for pregnancy, birth after conception, and motherhood away from all kinds of fear, anxiety and stress. In this context, it is important to evaluate the effect of haptotherapy on fear of childbirth, which is not yet known, not applied and clinical studies have not been conducted in our country, and to examine the effects of haptotherapy's effect and importance on maternal and infant health in the light of the literature.

Keywords

• fear of childbirth
• haptotherapy
• haptotherapeutic intervention