Naturally, a lot of us are terrified of the idea of giving birth. Between Hollywood films, Mumsnet forums, social media and stories from mates, the image that has been conjured up for a lot of us contains a whole lot of bleeding and screaming. But is this fair?
One thing's for sure - it's probably better to have so much anecdotal evidence to make our own decisions about childbirth than to go back to the past, when people who give birth were told that it's a straight up walk in the park.
However, a debate has broken out about whether or not this is actually helpful, as discussion about child birth can apparently give rise to Tocophobia, a pathological fear or dread of childbirth that can lead to requests for cesarean sections.
Rates of the disorder have reportedly been rising since 2000. Catriona Jones, a lecturer in midwifery at the University of Hull, made headlines when she said that she believes social media is partly responsible for the phenomenon.
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"You just have to Google childbirth and you're met with a tsunami of horror stories" she said, adding, "if you go on to any of the Mumsnet forums, there are women telling their stories of childbirth - oh, it was terrible, it was a bloodbath, this and that happened. I think that can be quite frightening for women to engage with and read about."
Her comments have prompted many women to discuss whether or not it's a positive thing for women to have a forum to discuss their experiences. Justine Roberts, Mumsnet founder and CEO, has been made aware of the debate.
She told Pretty52, "we've seen a lot of discussion of this on Mumsnet, and a few things have come through loud and clear from our users. First, they feel strongly that women telling the truth about their experiences is not the same thing as scaremongering".
Justine says she feels strongly that women being able to share their experiences is a positive thing, saying "many have also said that they found a great deal of reassurance and positive birth stories on our childbirth and antenatal forums. And quite a few have said that when it came to their own experiences of traumatic births, being able to talk about it honestly (and anonymously) with other women was an important part of their recovery".
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While many do believe that sites like Mumsnet "can ruin your life" with their discussions of childbirth, Justine believes that, "if there's one thing this story has shown, it's that we need to talk about childbirth - the good and the bad - more, not less." Women having a forum and the freedom to discuss their own experiences freely is a positive, we just need to be aware and be careful not to only seek out stories that will terrify us.
Featured Image Credit: Unsplash