<p>The aim of the present study was to gain a deeper understanding of the experiences of the contact with the ”fear of childbirth”-team (called Aurora-team) made by women who feared childbirth. Qualitative content analyses according to Graneheim and Lundman was used to analyse 91 womens own written notes made at the end of a questionnaire which (with a quantitative approach) evaluated the counseling made by the Aurora-team at a hospital in the south of Sweden. The following five categories developed during the analyses; experience of the conversation, not knowing creates fear, thoughts regarding mode of delivery, the importance of how the birth plan is managed and the personnel´s standpoint regarding fear of childbirth. These categories can be seen as parts of the themes of experiences which made the fear of childbirth easier or which made it worse. This study shows the importance of meeting the individual woman in the Aurora-consultation in order for the woman to feel respected by the midwife. In order to do so education in communicative techniques should be offered to the Aurora-midwives. It would benefit the feeling of security of the women if the personnel would treat and acknowledge fear of childbirth in the same way, ie from a uniform and professional standpoint. Most women wanted someone to talk to about the delivery experience. This show of the preventive role the postpartum-consultation could have of fear of childbirth.</p>

The aim of the present study was to gain a deeper understanding of the experiences of the contact with the ”fear of childbirth”-team (called Aurora-team) made by women who feared childbirth. Qualitative content analyses according to Graneheim and Lundman was used to analyse 91 womens own written notes made at the end of a questionnaire which (with a quantitative approach) evaluated the counseling made by the Aurora-team at a hospital in the south of Sweden. The following five categories developed during the analyses; experience of the conversation, not knowing creates fear, thoughts regarding mode of delivery, the importance of how the birth plan is managed and the personnel´s standpoint regarding fear of childbirth. These categories can be seen as parts of the themes of experiences which made the fear of childbirth easier or which made it worse. This study shows the importance of meeting the individual woman in the Aurora-consultation in order for the woman to feel respected by the midwife. In order to do so education in communicative techniques should be offered to the Aurora-midwives. It would benefit the feeling of security of the women if the personnel would treat and acknowledge fear of childbirth in the same way, ie from a uniform and professional standpoint. Most women wanted someone to talk to about the delivery experience. This show of the preventive role the postpartum-consultation could have of fear of childbirth.