Fact:

Cultural values and learned behaviors influence perception and response to acute pain. Women's expectations about labor pain often are confirmed by their experience of childbirth.

Slade P, MacPherson SA, Hume A, Maresh M. Expectations, experiences and satisfaction with labour. Br J Clin Psychol 1993;32:469-83. Extract available here.

Waldenström U. Experience of labor and birth in 1111 women. J Psychosom Res 1999;47:471-82. Extract available here.

Childbirth Expectations of Women in Australia

Research has shown that many women willingly and knowingly choose or expect childbirth to be a medical event. Influences on a woman's formation of belief surrounding birth were books, magazines, and the stories of mothers & sisters. Reference

If the majority of women in Australia are exposed to the medicalised model of childbirth through books, magazines, tv and the stories of women around them, it is not really surprising that many women have fears of childbirthing without the aid of drugs, assistance and experts on hand.

It is one thing to intellectually 'know' that childbirth is a natural event that women's bodies are capable of doing without assistance, and another thing altogether to feel this, and to know this from deep belief and expectation.

When women are exposed to this medical perception of birth, they are also exposed to more encounters of the risks and dangers associated with birth that are truly rare in true psychological births.

Even homebirthers and freebirthers are NOT immune to this cultural fear and expectation of childbirth.

A woman's real (not preconcieved) expectations are a strong predictor of what her actual experience will be. Women tend to get what they expect. Reference

Negative labour or birth expectations generally result in negative experiences with many women reporting predominantly bad memories of their birth experience. Reference

Laura Shanley, author of "Unassisted Childbirth" is one of many who say that real expectations and beliefs turn into actual experiences and personal realities.

It is a fine distinction that she makes between a real belief and a belief or preconceived notion that usually exists as a result of cultural belief or commonly held 'knowledge'.

There is a huge conflict of belief values in some women also where they say they believe in natural birth and the ability of women's bodies to give birth, yet they choose medicalised childbirth "just to be on the safe side". This speaks volumes about their belief structures either being in conflict - personal beliefs vs learned/acquired cultural beliefs, or that their true belief is that childbirth *is* a medical event that requires assistance or some form of medical care.

Here is a document of gathered research and evidence that shows how beliefs and expectations affect experiences and realities. Expectations & Experiences

Below is a quote from W.N Murray & Goethe that is very relevant to belief structures and experiences. Also, here is a document on others who have said the same age old wisdom in one form or another. Believing into Reality

…Until one is committed there is hesitancy, the chance to draw back, always ineffectiveness. Concerning all acts of initiative (and creation), there is one elementary truth, the ignorance of which kills countless ideas and splendid plans: that the moment one definitely commits oneself, then providence moves too.

All sorts of things occur to help one that would never otherwise have occurred. A whole stream of events issues from the decision, raising in ones favour all manner of unforeseen incidents and meetings and material assistance, which no man could have dreamt would have come his way.

I have learned a deep respect for one of Goethe's couplets:

"Whatever you can do, or dream you can, begin it.
Boldness has genius, power and magic in it.
Begin it now!"

W. N. Murray
The Scottish Himalayan Expedition
1951