EBB 373 - How to Confront Tokophobia and Clear Fears about Childbirth with Alexia Leachman, Author and Podcast Host of "Fear Free Childbirth"

Evidence Based Birth®

Rebecca Dekker

Pregnancy, Health & Fitness, Childbirth, Parenting, Birth, Medicine, Kids & Family, Doula, Obstetrician, Midwife

4.6 • 978 Ratings

🗓️ 1 October 2025

⏱️ 52 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

For some, the thought of pregnancy and birth fills them with a visceral panic they can't explain. In this episode, Dr. Rebecca Dekker's talking tokophobia—the fear of pregnancy and birth—with Alexia Leachman, founder of Fearless Birthing and host of the Fear Free Childbirth Podcast. Alexia shares her personal journey of discovering and healing her own tokophobia, how she developed her unique "Head Trash Clearance" method, and why tokophobia is often misunderstood as simple anxiety. She explains the root causes of this condition, including reproductive trauma and lack of control, and offers insight on how both expectant parents and healthcare providers can better recognize and respond to it.

Listening Note: As a head's up... this episode a bit different than our normal focus on the evidence. It's more focused on self help-- how to uncover blocks, find guidance and strength within, and heal past wounds. We also discuss the paradox of trying to feel in "control" in pregnancy/birth and how that relates to "letting go" and "surrending" in birth. If spirituality in birth is not your cup of tea, feel free to skip this episode! However, the topic of tokophobia is understudied, and we feel that listening to personal stories and wisdom from years of experience can be helpful.

Content Note: This episode includes discussion of miscarriage, pregnancy termination, and birth trauma. Please take care of yourself while listening.

(01:39) Alexia's experience with tokophobia

(04:05) Developing her own method to overcome fears and preparing for birth

(07:51) Discovering the root cause: birth trauma and early experiences

(10:28) How media, social media, and negative birth stories fuel fear in younger people

(13:40) Why the term tokophobia may be misleading

(19:05) The paradox of control in pregnancy and birth

(24:55) Common signs and symptoms of tokophobia

(29:31) Can partners experience tokophobia?

(30:50) The role of healthcare providers: language, attitudes, and trauma-informed care

(34:16) Steps for healing: support groups, timing, and making the decision to face fears

(41:07) Alexia's five-step process for clearing fears

Resources

Learn more about Fearless Birthing: fearless-birthing.com

Listen to Alexia's podcast, Fear Free Childbirth: fearfreechildbirth.com/podcast

For more information about Evidence Based Birth® and a crash course on evidence based care, visit www.ebbirth.com. Follow us on Instagram and YouTube! Ready to learn more? Grab an EBB Podcast Listening Guide or read Dr. Dekker's book, "Babies Are Not Pizzas: They're Born, Not Delivered!" If you want to get involved at EBB, join our Professional membership (scholarship options available) and get on the wait list for our EBB Instructor program. Find an EBB Instructor here, and click here to learn more about the EBB Childbirth Class.

Transcript

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0:00.0	Hi, everyone. On today's podcast, we're going to talk with Alexia Lechman about tokophobia,
0:06.1	the fear of childbirth.
0:11.1	Welcome to the evidence-based birth podcast. My name is Rebecca Decker, and I'm a nurse with my PhD
0:16.7	and the founder of evidence-based birth. Join me each week as we work together to get evidence-based information
0:23.5	into the hands of families and professionals around the world.
0:27.6	As a reminder, this information is not medical advice.
0:31.1	See eBbirth.com slash disclaimer for more details.
0:36.8	Hi, everyone, and welcome to you today's episode of the evidence-based birth podcast.
0:41.5	Today we are so excited to have Alexia Leachman with us.
0:46.2	Alexia is the founder of Head Trash and Fearless Burthing, two brands dedicated to helping
0:51.4	people clear deep-rooted fears and emotional blocks, especially around
0:55.9	pregnancy and birth. After overcoming her own tukophobia or fear of childbirth, Alexia
1:02.5	developed head trash clearance, a unique trauma-informed healing method that helps people heal
1:08.0	anxiety, OCD, and reproductive trauma often in just weeks.
1:13.2	Alexia is now working with women around the world to help heal tukophobia and reproductive
1:17.6	anxiety, and she trains perinatal professionals, midwives, doulas, and birth educators in her
1:23.0	fearless birthing approach.
1:25.0	Alexia is also a host of the popular fear-free childbirth podcast, and she's the
1:30.3	author of Fearless Burthing and Clear Your Head Trash. Originally from the United Kingdom, Alexia now lives in
1:36.0	France with her family. Alexia, welcome to the evidence-based birth podcast. Thank you so much for having me,
1:41.0	Rebecca. I'm thrilled to be here. So when we wanted to talk about
1:46.1	tocopophobia or the fear of childbirth on the podcast, you were the first person that, you know,
	...

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