Fear Of Childbirth Research Articles

Impact of Midwife-Led Psychoeducation on Primigravida Mothers’ Knowledge of Childbirth Fear and Childbirth Efficiency: A Review

Childbirth, often known as labor and delivery, is the procedure that ends a pregnancy and takes place when one or more infants are delivered vaginally or through cesarean section from the mother’s body. Primigravidae experience several physical and emotional changes, which can make them nervous about the birthing process. The pathological fear of pregnancy known as “childbirth fear” is one factor that can contribute to a woman delaying her delivery. It has been found that a woman’s level of childbirth self-efficacy, which is also referred to as labor and delivery confidence, is a crucial indicator of how well she will be able to cope with the physical and emotional challenges that come with giving birth. Prenatal education, prenatal counseling, prenatal training, and role-playing are all examples of psychoeducational intervention techniques that have been shown to have a significant impact on a variety of psychological outcomes, including attitudes toward childbirth, fears associated with childbirth, depression, fear, and anxiety. Their expectations for the birth procedure were elevated as a result of solutionfocused counseling, midwife-supported psychotherapy, and a midwife-led integrated pre-birth training program.

Fear of Childbirth and some Related Factors in the COVID-19 Pandemic

We aimed to reveal fear of childbirth among primiparous women followed up in family health centers and related factors during the pandemic. We conducted this cross-sectional, epidemiological study between September and November 2020 with 117 women (95.1%) conveniently selected within the target population of primiparous women followed up in fifteen family health centers. In the data collection, we used an introductory information form for the pregnant and the Wijma Delivery Expectancy/Experience Questionnaire - Version A (W-DEQ-A). We utilized one-way analysis of variance and independent samples t-test to compare the group, and p < 0.05 was considered statistically significant. The findings revealed that about half of the participants (52.1%) were 18-25 years, and 43.6% had primary or secondary school education. We found the mean W-DEQ-A score to be 64.69±19.44. We concluded that those aged 34-41 years had significantly lower W-DEQ-A scores than those aged 18-25 and 26-33 years (p < 0.001). Overall, the participants had a moderate fear of childbirth. Besides, age, educational attainment, place of residence for the last six months, monthly household income, and pregnancy planning status were the variables associated with fear of childbirth.

Predictors and comorbidity patterns of maternal birth-related posttraumatic stress symptoms: A Latent Class Analysis

Birth-related posttraumatic stress symptoms (PTSS) place a significant burden on mothers and their families. The aim was to (1) identify differential profiles of maternal birth-related PTSS; (2) determine the predictive value of established risk factors; (3) examine comorbidity patterns related to depression and anxiety symptoms. As part of the Norwegian Ahus Birth Cohort, 2,088 (expectant) mothers completed self-report questionnaires from 17 weeks of gestation to 2 years postpartum. The Impact of Event Scale was used to assess PTSS 8 weeks after birth. Latent class analysis revealed four latent classes: a High birth-related PTSS class (4%), a Moderate birth-related PTSS class (16%) particularly characterized by endorsement of intrusion symptoms, a Mild birth-related PTSS class (47%), as well as a No birth-related PTSS class (33%). We found similar (younger age, worse subjective birth experience, higher fear of childbirth) and differential predictors (prior posttraumatic stress disorder, lower education, birth complications). Women classified with High, Moderate, or Mild birth-related PTSS showed higher depression and anxiety symptoms compared to women with No birth-related PTSS. A considerable number of mothers experienced birth-related PTSS, most on a subclinical level, but these women still showed signs of mental distress 2 years postpartum, calling for more universal prevention approaches.

The Relationship between Fear of Childbirth and the Desire to Avoid Pregnancy among Young Unmarried Women

Objectives: This study was conducted to determine the relationship between fear of childbirth among young unmarried women and their desire to avoid pregnancy. Materials and Methods: The study was carried out using a web-based survey shared with young unmarried women through young unmarried women’s groups on social media and communication platforms (WhatsApp, Facebook Messenger, Instagram, etc.). The sample of the study consisted of 551 women who voluntarily agreed to fill out the survey. To collect the data, a Personal Information Form, the Desire to Avoid Pregnancy (DAP) Scale, and the Childbirth Fear - Prior to Pregnancy Scale (CF-PPS) were used. Results: According to the results of the study, there was a positive, weak, and statistically significant relationship between CF-PPS and DAP (p<0.001). It was found that the participants had moderate levels of fear of childbirth and moderate levels of desire to avoid pregnancy. Additionally, it was determined that the fear of childbirth and desire to avoid pregnancy levels of the participants who were not working and those who were at or over the age of 24 were the lowest, and the fear of childbirth and desire to avoid pregnancy levels of the participants who had not witnessed/watched childbirth before and those who did not envision their labor were high. Conclusions: Consequently, it was determined that women who experience the fear of childbirth may display behaviors of avoiding pregnancy. Accordingly, it may be argued that reducing the childbirth fear levels of young unmarried women is highly important for their experience of healthy pregnancies. Thus, it is recommended to provide effective counseling for young unmarried women regarding pregnancy and childbirth.

The Sense of Consistency, Perceived Stress and Fear of Childbirth in Pregnant Women

Giriş: Çalışma gebelerde tutarlılık duygusu, algılanan stres ve doğum korkusunu belirlemek amacıyla gerçekleştirilmiştir. Yöntem: Tanımlayıcı tipte olan bu çalışma 01 Ocak-31 Mart 2022 tarihleri arasında gerçekleştirilmiştir. Çalışmaya araştırma kriterlerine uyan İç Anadolu Bölgesi’nde yaşayan toplam 218 gebe dahil edilmiştir. Veriler 'Kişisel Bilgi Formu', 'Revize Edilmiş Duygusal Tutarlılık Ölçeği (REDTÖ)', 'Algılanan Stres Ölçeği (ASÖ)' ve 'Wijma Doğum Beklentisi/Deneyimi Ölçeği (W-DEQ) A versiyonu (WİJMA A)' kullanılarak çevrim içi toplanmıştır. Verilerin analizinde bağımsız gruplarda t testi kullanılmıştır. Bulgular: Gebelerin REDTÖ, ASÖ ve WİJMA A ölçek toplam puan ortalamaları sırasıyla 43,41±9,23, 22,73±5,35 ve 76,46±17,52 olarak bulunmuştur. Gebelerin tutarlılık ve doğum korku düzeylerinin yüksek, stres düzeylerinin de orta olduğu görülmektedir. Sosyal güvencesi olmayan ve isteyerek gebe kalmayanların stres ve doğum korku düzeyinin diğer gebelere oranla daha yüksek olduğu bulunmuştur (p<0,05). Araştırmadan elde edilen bir diğer önemli sonuç ise daha önce sezeryan ile doğum yapmış kadınların normal doğum yapanlara göre daha fazla doğum korkusu yaşadığının belirlenmesidir (p<0,05). Sonuç ve Öneriler: Araştırmadan elde edilen veriler önceki doğum şekli, gebeliği isteme ve sosyal güvence durumunun doğum korku düzeyi üzerinde olumsuz etkisi olduğunu göstermektedir. Doğum korkusunun uzun ve kısa vadede anne-çocuk sağlığı üzerinde etkileri düşünüldüğünde özellikle risk grubundaki kadınların doğum korku düzeyinin belirlenmesi ve bu düzeyin azaltılmasına yönelik stratejilerin geliştirilmesine ihtiyaç duyulmaktadır.

Can we hit prenatal depression and anxiety through HIIT? The effectiveness of online high intensity interval training in pregnant women during the COVID-19 pandemic: a randomized controlled trial

BackgroundIn recent years high intensity interval training (HIIT) has grown in popularity. However, it rarely represents training interventions in experimental studies in pregnant populations. Therefore, in this study we aimed to assess changes in depressive symptoms, fear of childbirth, fear of Covid-19 and quality of life after an 8-week supervised online HIIT program, compared to an educational (self-performed physical activity) program.MethodsWe conducted a randomized control trial among 54 Caucasian women in uncomplicated, singleton pregnancy (age 32 ± 4 years, 22 ± 4 week of gestation; mean ± SD). There were 34 women in the experimental group, who participated in an 8-week high intensity interval training program (HIIT group). The comparative group was constituted of 20 pregnant women who attended 8-week educational program (EDU group).ResultsThe most important finding was that mental health improved somewhat in both groups after the intervention, but only the HIIT group improved statistically significantly. The positive trends in lowering the severity of depressive symptoms, fear of childbirth, and fear of Covid-19 were observed in both groups. However, the positive response to the intervention was stronger in the EDU group. As a secondary outcome, there was a significant decrease in cardiorespiratory fitness level in the EDU group, while the HIIT group maintained unchanged level of maximal oxygen uptake.ConclusionsHIIT seems to be beneficial for women with uncomplicated pregnancies to maintain adequate quality of life and mental health. However, more research is needed to determine the effectiveness of prenatal HIIT in pregnant women in various psychological conditions.Trial registration: We conducted this study in Poland, in 2021. It was approved by the Bioethics Commission at the District Medical Chamber in Gdansk (KB-8/21). The full study protocol was registered in ClinicalTrials.gov (NCT05009433).

Storytelling in Pregnancy and Childbirth: An Integrative Review of the Literature.

An integrative review of the literature was conducted, including peer-reviewed articles published between 2001 and 2022. The following databases were used to search for relevant studies: PubMed, CINAHL, PsycINFO, Web of Science, Ovid, Google Scholar, ScienceDirect, Cochrane Library, Magiran, Irandoc, and SID. A process of thematic synthesis was used to make sense of the data extracted. Whilst 21 studies were retrieved, only 12 were relevant and thus met the inclusion criteria set. Two themes were identified from our thematic synthesis: (1) effects of childbirth storytelling on the storyteller and (2) effects of childbirth storytelling on the listener of the story. Subthemes included "reducing fear of childbirth," "transferring information and raising awareness in line with community culture," and "adjusting expectations." The use of storytelling can be used as an effective method in educational interventions during pregnancy and childbirth. Due to limited high-quality intervention studies in this field, future studies could usefully be more robustly designed and incorporate digital storytelling methods to inform future directions.

Associations among fear of childbirth, resilience and psychological distress in pregnant women: A response surface analysis and moderated mediation model.

Prenatal psychological distress is prevalent during pregnancy. This study aimed to estimate the associations among fear of childbirth, resilience and psychological distress. A total of 1,060 Chinese pregnant women were enrolled from Be Resilient to Postpartum Depression (ChiCTR2100048465) and the following instruments were administered to them: Childbirth Attitudes Questionnaire, Connor-Davidson Resilience Scale, Perceived Social Support Scale, General Self-Efficacy Scale, Adverse Childhood Experience scale and Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale. A dominance, a response surface analysis and a moderated mediation analysis were performed. In terms of psychological distress, resilience and fear of childbirth could explain 41.6% (0.148/0.356) and 33.1% (0.118/0.356), respectively. Pregnant women with high resilience-low fear of childbirth had significantly lower levels of psychological distress than those with low resilience-high fear of childbirth. The indirect effects of fear of childbirth on psychological distress through resilience was significantly (B = 0.054, 95% CI 0.038 to 0.070). The interactions between fear of childbirth and adverse childhood experiences (β = 0.114, 95% CI -0.002 to 0.231, p = 0.054) and between resilience and adverse childhood experiences (β = -0.118, 95% CI -0.222 to -0.012, p < 0.05) were significant. Resilience, fear of childbirth and adverse childhood experiences may be three important factors to psychological distress in Chinese pregnant women.

Effectiveness of a Nurse-led Program to Enhance Self-efficacy of Pregnant Adolescents and Reduce their Fear of Childbirth: A Randomized Controlled Trial

Fear of childbirth is a common feeling experienced by pregnant women, and it can occur before, during, or after childbirth. Intense fear has a detrimental effect on physical and psychological statuses of the pregnant women. The aim of this randomized controlled trial was to examine the effectiveness of a nurse-led program together with the mobile phone application to enhance pregnant adolescents’ childbirth self-efficacy and reduce their fear of childbirth. The sample was pregnant adolescents receiving antenatal care in a regional hospital in Southern Thailand. Using the minimization procedure, pregnant adolescents were assigned to either an experimental group receiving the program (n = 64) or a control group receiving routine care (n = 64). The instruments used for data collection consisted of a demographic characteristics form, the Fear of Childbirth in the Third Trimester Questionnaire, and the Thai Childbirth Self-Efficacy Inventory. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, paired t-test, and independent t-test. The results showed that after completion of the intervention program, the participants in the experimental group had a significantly higher mean score on childbirth self-efficacy and lower fear of childbirth than before the intervention. When comparing the two groups after completion of the program, results showed a significantly higher childbirth self-efficacy mean score, and lower fear of childbirth mean score in the experimental group than those in the control group. The results indicate that application of childbirth self-efficacy enhancement program can increase self-efficacy and reduce fear of childbirth in pregnant adolescents. Therefore, it is a promising program for caring pregnant adolescents but needs to be tested with other samples before implementation in practice.

Prevalence of Fear of Childbirth and its Effective Factors in Pregnant Women in Babol, Iran (2019- 2020): A Cross-sectional Study

Objectives: Fear of childbirth may be associated with increased anxiety, cesarean section, and delayed delivery. The study aimed to screen for fear of childbirth and the factors affecting it in pregnant women from 2019 to 2020 in Babol, Iran. Materials and Methods: In this cross-sectional study, a total of 600 pregnant women with gestation age &gt; 20 weeks referred to antenatal care clinics of Ayatollah Rouhani, Shahid Yahya Nejad Hospital, four health centers, and three private offices of obstetricians in Babol, Iran from 2019 to 2020 were surveyed using the Wijma Fear of Childbirth Questionnaire. Considering the cut-off point of 85, women with severe fear of childbirth were identified. Results: The fear of childbirth prevalence in pregnant women in this study was 29.2% (175/600). Fear of childbirth in women with postgraduate education was 3.27 times higher than in women with undergraduate education (P&lt;0.001). Pregnancy fears were 0.42 times higher in pregnant women with self-employed spouses than in employee spouses (P&lt;0.001). Also, women with a history of infertility were 2.73 times more likely to fear childbirth than women without a history of infertility (P=0.01). Women with a history of psychiatric disorders were 6.86 times more afraid of childbirth than women without a history of psychiatric disorders (P=0.02). Conclusions: Due to the high prevalence of fear of childbirth in pregnant women in Babol, Iran, the need for particular psychological interventions to reduce the fear of childbirth and identify risk factors is suggested.

Psychological impact of hypnosis for pregnancy and childbirth: A systematic review

BackgroundThe use of hypnosis as a complementary therapy in the perinatal field is expanding, however, there is little research for its impact on perinatal mental health. Here, we review studies that evaluate the effect of hypnosis on women's mental health and subjective experiences. MethodsA systematic review was conducted according to the PRISMA protocol for articles with experimental designs of hypnosis that measured their impact on several psychological variables, such as the presence of symptoms of anxiety, depression or fear of childbirth. Studies were evaluated according to the Critical Appraisal Skills Program Checklists (CASP), and analyzed for their designs and intervention themes. ResultsSeven studies were included and six themes emerged: preparation for birth and unexpected events; change in the perception and experience of pain; pregnant body as a natural process; connection with the baby during pregnancy; development of inner resources; and progressive relaxation and guided imagery. Although results were partly mitigated, most studies found positive effects of hypnosis in alleviating anxiety, depression, and fear towards birth, empowering women with a higher sense of confidence and improving the overall emotional experience. Two studies also indicate encouraging outcomes in postnatal wellbeing. ConclusionWhile it is still argued as to what extent hypnosis has positive effects on physical aspects of labor, the empowerment and the increase in confidence associated with hypnosis seem to bring a significant contribution to a more positive subjective experience of pregnancy and childbirth, and on women's overall wellbeing in the perinatal period.

Guide to Coping with the Fear of Birth*

Guide to Coping with the Fear of Birth*

Anxiety and fear about childbirth and postpartum period in last trimester and its relation to childbirth pain

Objective: This study aimed to determine the fear and anxiety related to childbirth and postpartum period in last trimester for pregnant women, and its relation to childbirth pain. Methods: This study was conducted in a training and research hospital’s obstetric clinic in Turkey. Totally, 104 pregnant women admitted to the hospital during the last trimester and they were followed up to delivery, which occurred in the same hospital. Data were gathered with an Information Form, Fear of Childbirth and Postpartum Anxiety Scale (FCPAS), Spielberger State and Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI) and Visual Analogue Scale (VAS). Results: The mean FCPAS score of the women was 4.87±1.25. The highest scores were for the FCPAS subscales of fears about breastfeeding, behavior of the health staff at childbirth, and the possibility of Cesarean section. Labor pain had a significant positive weak relation with fear about childbirth and the total STAI-State score (r=0.281, p=0.041; r=0.327, p=0.017), respectively. Conclusion: It is important to determine the fear and anxieties about childbirth and postpartum period experienced during last trimester, in terms of planning prenatal education and counseling services, and supporting women to cope effectively.

Fear of childbirth: validation of the Kiswahili version of Wijma delivery expectancy/experience questionnaire versions A and B in Tanzania

BackgroundFear of childbirth is common both before and after childbirth, often leading to complications in mother and new-born. The Wijma Delivery Expectancy/Experience Questionnaires (W-DEQ) are commonly used to measure fear of childbirth among women before (version A) and after childbirth (version B). The tools are not yet validated in the Tanzanian context. This study aimed to validate the reliability, validity, and factorial structure of their Kiswahili translations.MethodsA longitudinal study was conducted in six public health facilities in the Pwani region, Tanzania. In all, 694 pregnant and 625 postnatal women were concurrently selected and responded to W-DEQ-A and W-DEQ-B. Validation involved: translating the English questionnaires into Kiswahili; expert rating of the relevancy of the Kiswahili versions’ items; computing content validity ratio; piloting the tools; data collection; statistical analysis with reliability evaluated using Cronbach’s alpha and the intraclass correlation coefficient. Tool validity was assessed using factor analysis, convergent and discriminant validity. Exploratory factor analysis and confirmatory factor analysis were conducted on data collected using W-DEQ-A and W-DEQ-B, respectively.ResultsExploratory factor analysis revealed seven factors contributing to 50% of the total variation. Four items did not load to any factor and were deleted. The factors identified were: fear; lack of self-efficacy; lack of positive anticipation; isolation; concerns for the baby; negative emotions; lack of positive behaviour. The factors correlated differently with each other and with the total scores. Both Kiswahili versions with 33 items had good internal consistency, with Cronbach’s alphas of .83 and .85, respectively. The concerns for the baby factor showed both convergent and discriminant validity. The other six factors showed some problems with convergent validity. The final model from the confirmatory factor analysis yielded 29 items with good psychometric properties (χ2/df = 2.26, p = < .001, RMSEA = .045, CFI = .90 and TLI = .81).ConclusionsThe Kiswahili W-DEQ-A-Revised and W-DEQ-B-Revised are reliable tools and measure fear of childbirth with a multifactorial structure, encompassing seven factors with 29 items. They are recommended for measuring fear of childbirth among pregnant and postnatal Tanzanian women. Further studies are needed to address the inconsistent convergent validity in the revised versions and assess the psychometric properties of W-DEQ-A among pregnant women across gestational ages.

A preliminary investigation into testing a transdiagnostic cognitive model of fear of childbirth (FOC): a multiple indicators multiple causes (MIMIC) model

A preliminary investigation into testing a transdiagnostic cognitive model of fear of childbirth (FOC): a multiple indicators multiple causes (MIMIC) model

Multifactorial study of the relationship between fear of childbirth and mode of delivery

Objective. This study investigated the relationship between fear of childbirth (FOC) and mode of delivery and proposed a cut-off value of FOC for an unselected Turkish pregnant population. Materials and Methods. This cross-sectional study was conducted between March 2019 and February 2020 at Kirsehir Ahi Evran University Obstetrics and Gynecology Polyclinic. The Wijma Delivery Expectancy (WDEQ-A) Scale and General Information Form were used for data collection. Results. Social-media effect, concern for disorder in baby, education level, and fear of vaginal bleeding were significant risk factors for the study groups. A new cut-off value of FOC was proposed based on the distribution of FOC scores as 69 (fourth quartile) for an unselected Turkish pregnant population. Conclusions. Training programs regarding delivery and pregnancy processes were recommended to be organized to reduce FOC. Moreover, the newly proposed cut-off value of FOC was recommended to be utilized in clinics.

Correlation between Fear of Childbirth and Childbirth Self-Efficacy during Labor

Background: The research on fear of childbirth and childbirth self-efficacy of pregnant women in China mainly concentrates on the late pregnancy, and there is a lack of research on the psychology of women during labor. This study aimed to investigate the correlation between fear of childbirth and childbirth self-efficacy during labor. Methods: 378 pregnant women in labor were selected by convenience sampling. They were investigated using a self-designed questionnaire, the Chinese version of Childbirth Attitudes Questionnaire, and the Childbirth Self-Efficacy Inventory. Results: The total score of fear of childbirth during labor was 31.95 ± 9.01, and the total score of childbirth self-efficacy was 212.03 ± 59.64. The total score of fear of childbirth and the score of each dimension were significantly negatively correlated with those of childbirth self-efficacy (R2 = –0.354 to –0.155, p &lt; 0.01). Conclusions: Fear of childbirth during labor should arouse attention of medical staffs. It is necessary to enhance psychological support and childbirth self-efficacy during labor to reduce the fear of childbirth.

An educational programme based on salutogenesis theory on childbirth fear and delivery method among nulliparous women: A mixed methods research protocol.

Designing, executing and testing a training intervention based on enhanced concepts of salutogenesis theory for managing fear of childbirth and choice of delivery method among nulliparous women. A Sequential-Exploratory Mixed Methods Research. In the first phase (qualitative approach), the determinants of childbirth fear among nulliparous women will be explored. In the second phase (systematic review), the factors of childbirth fear among them will be summarized. In the third phase, the content of the educational intervention is developed based on the common factors of childbirth fear obtained from the previous two phases of the study. In the fourth phase (randomized controlled trial), two intervention and the control groups will be compared based on primary and secondary outcomes. Using salutogenesis theory in a few interventional studies on various health areas has produced promising results. Based on the evidence, women had less sense of coherence with a strong childbirth fear. Therefore, developing an effective intervention based on this theory can probably help manage childbirth fear and reduce the costs of any potential consequences.

Mindfulness-based childbirth and parenting for pregnant women with high fear of childbirth and their partners: outcomes of a randomized controlled trial assessing short- and longer-term effects on psychological well-being, birth and pregnancy experience

ObjectivesMindfulness-Based Childbirth and Parenting (MBCP) reduces mothers’ anticipated fear of childbirth (FOC), nonurgent obstetric interventions during childbirth and may improve childbirth outcomes in women with high FOC (Veringa-Skiba et al, 2022). The aim of this study was to examine the short- and longer-term outcomes of MBCP on psychological well-being, pregnancy and birth experience, as compared to enhanced care-as-usual (ECAU), in pregnant women with high FOC and their partners. DesignParticipants were randomly assigned to MBCP or ECAU and completed questionnaires preintervention (T1), immediately after intervention (T2), two to four weeks after childbirth (T3) and 16-20 weeks after childbirth (T4). Both intention-to-treat and per-protocol analyses were conducted. SettingThe courses were provided by trained midwives. ParticipantsParticipants included 141 pregnant women and 120 partners. InterventionMBCP comprised a nine-weekly three-hour session mindfulness group course for pregnant couples; ECAU consisted of two 90-minute individual couple consultation sessions. MeasurementsMeasures of psychological well-being included measures like stress, depression, anxiety and fatigue. Measures of pregnancy and birth experience concerned experiencing uplifts during pregnancy, experienced fear of childbirth, labour pain and satisfaction with childbirth. FindingsNo differences between MBCP and ECAU in the total group of birthing women were found. However, women with (at least an onset of) labour that participated in MBCP reported a better birth experience compared to ECAU at T3. Concerning the total partner group only one difference between MBCP and ECAU was found at T4; MBCP partners reported an increase in fatigue. However, in the partner risk group (i.e., partners with lower psychological well-being before intervention) partners experienced better psychological well-being at T2 and T3 after MBCP than ECAU. Key conclusionsMBCP and ECAU demonstrate similar effects on psychological well-being, birth and pregnancy experience. However, MBCP appears superior to ECAU for labouring women in having a better childbirth experience and for partners at risk for psychological complaints in increasing their psychological well-being. Implications for practiceMBCP only positively affects the childbirth experience of those who experience (onset of) natural birth. It might be advisable to include partners at risk for psychological complaints in the MBCP.

Patterns and predictors of fear of childbirth and depressive symptoms over time in a cohort of women in the Pwani region, Tanzania.

Fear of childbirth (FoB) and depressive symptoms (DS) are experienced by many women and can negatively affect women during and after pregnancy. This study assessed patterns of FoB and DS over time and associations of postpartum FoB and DS with sociodemographic and obstetric characteristics. We conducted a longitudinal study at six health facilities in Tanzania in 2018-2019. Pregnant women were consecutively assessed for FoB and DS before and after childbirth using the Wijma Delivery Expectancy/Experience Questionnaire versions A & B and the Edinburgh antenatal and postnatal depressive scale. This paper is based on 625 women who completed participation. The prevalence rates of FoB and DS during pregnancy were 16% and 18.2%, respectively, and after childbirth, 13.9% and 8.5%. Some had FoB (6.4%) and DS (4.3%) at both timepoints. FoB was strongly associated with DS at both timepoints (p < 0.001). Both FoB (p = 0.246) and DS (p < 0.001) decreased after childbirth. Never having experienced obstetric complications decreased the odds of postpartum and persisting FoB (adjusted odds ratio (aOR) 0.44, 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.23-0.83). Giving birth by caesarean section (aOR 2.01, 95% CI 1.11-3.65) and having more than 12 hours pass between admission and childbirth increased the odds of postpartum FoB (aOR 2.07, 95% CI 1.03-4.16). Postpartum DS was more common in women with an ill child/stillbirth/early neonatal death (aOR 4.78, 95% CI 2.29-9.95). Persisting DS was more common in single (aOR 2.59, 95% CI 1.02-6.59) and women without social support from parents (aOR 0.28, 95% 0.11-0.69). FoB and DS coexist and decrease over time. Identifying predictors of both conditions will aid in recognising women at risk and planning for prevention and treatment. Screening for FoB and DS before and after childbirth and offering psychological support should be considered part of routine antenatal and postnatal care. Furthermore, supporting women with previous obstetric complications is crucial. Using interviews instead of a self-administered approach might have contributed to social desirability. Also, excluding women with previous caesarean sections could underestimate FoB and DS prevalence rates.