Anxiety is an emotion experienced by most human
beings at some point in their lives. Feelings of uneasiness,
fear, or worry result from an obscure danger being sensed,
whether real or perceived. The cost related to frequent medical
care for alleviation of physical manifestations of anxiety is
roughly $22 billion per year (Halter, Varcarolis, & Shoemaker,
2010), which can be reduced with prevention and proper
psychiatric therapy. Childbirth educators especially must be
knowledgeable about anxiety and the effects it can have on a
woman during pregnancy, as the disorder is more complex to
treat at this time with potential effects on the unborn baby.