How I remained drug-free during labour… and it honestly didn’t hurt that much!

Like thousands of mums-to-be up and down the country, Liz Neale was pretty anxious about her upcoming labour. Here she shares which techniques and gadgets she used to keep her calm and drug-free during the birth…

When I discovered I was pregnant one of the first questions I jumped to (after how would we name, look after and pay for our baby) was how much is labour going to hurt?
Antenatal classes help prepare you for the unexpected, but there are plenty of other things you can do before the big day to get ready for your new arrival.

Relaxed: Liz with baby Catherine shortly after her water birth. She found hypnotherapy was particularly useful
The NHS recently announced trials using hypnosis in birth and evidence suggests natal hypnotherapy techniques can lead to less medical intervention and a better birth experience.
Instead of going on a course, I chose to read up on Maggie Howell’s book ‘Effective Birth Preparation – a practical guide to a better birth’, and listen to the accompanying CD.
It was filled with relaxation techniques and tips on how to remain calm. The overriding message was that a woman’s body is designed to give birth, and promoting a positive mental attitude helps pregnant women overcome that fear of the unknown.
If all that sounds a bit hippy, don’t worry. The breathing techniques are designed to promote a sense of calm, and you are not actually being hypnotized – there is no Paul McKenna-style work here.

Calming: Liz found the relaxation book and CD indispensible in the run-up to her labour
I started to listen to the CD in my final month of pregnancy and found the relaxation part great. I found I kept falling asleep before the end of the CD so it certainly helped de-stress, and the messages to slow your breathing seemed to be getting through.
I wasn’t expecting to get through the whole birth on fresh air, and had two different TENS machines to try out to help with the contractions when things started moving.
Each worked in the same way – four electrode pads are stuck on your back and the machine transmits electrical pulses through your skin.
The pulses are designed to stimulate the release of endorphins so your body can cope with the pain using its own hormones. These pulses also stimulate the nerves in your spine so the pain signals are blocked before they reach your brain.
The first machine was a Miracle TENS. It has a large display unit and just four buttons, so it was very simple to use from the outset, when your mind is perhaps focused on more pressing issues.

I hadn’t read how to use it in advance but it was easy to attach the sticky pads and then switch it on, using the booster button during the contractions themselves.
I also tried out a MamaTens My Time. This comes with a contraction timer and a programme to log contractions so you know how far labour is progressing.

Getting started was a little more complicated but my husband was there to decipher how it worked. I would certainly recommend reading the instructions before labour starts.
I found the timer function useful and also a bit surprising – my contractions were lasting longer than two minutes but by staying calm and using the TENS booster they really didn’t feel as long.

Electric: Liz tried two different TENS machines, which used electrical pulses to stimulate endorphins. The MamaTens My Time comes with a contraction timer (posed by model)
I felt happy to stay at home for much of my labour and only went into hospital at 6am after using the TENS overnight. We used a free iPhone app to time everything too, although the MamaTENS does do all that as well. I was amazed that I had used the TENS for seven hours because it honestly felt much shorter.
The midwives were surprised at how calm I was and there was only just time to run the birthing pool.
Obviously because it relies on electrical pulses the TENS can’t be used in water and at first I was worried about switching it off in case things started to hurt, but the soothing effects of the pool really helped and my relaxation techniques kicked in.
Baby Catherine was born after just an hour and a half in the water. I felt relaxed even in the final stages and it really helped me to remember the breathing techniques from the hypnotherapy.
I had also attended singing workshops started by Chelsea and Westminster Hospital in London.
The breathing exercises we’d practiced at ‘Womb Song’ workshops helped me retain a sense of calm during labour and the birthing pool felt like a cosy, safe environment.
In the final ten minutes I used gas and air too, and although it made me feel queasy afterwards I was grateful for it at the time.
I feel very lucky to have had such an amazing birth experience. I would say natal hypnotherapy is definitely worth a go and using a TENS machine meant I stayed at home for much of my labour in a familiar environment.
Catherine seems to be a calm and contented baby so far, and enjoys listening to the lullabies I learned at the Womb Song workshops. It’s nice as I can relax at the same time as well!