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Q and A with Donna (new mum to baby Lando)

labour managing labour pain natural birth natural childbirth TENS tenshire

How long was your labour?

9 hours and 7 minutes.

Where did you labour?

I was at home for the first 4 hours (around 8pm -12am) and then we went to Birthcare around midnight.

What type of pain relief did you use at home?

I used the TENS machine at home. Without the tens machine I feel as though it would have been a whole lot harder. I tried the shower and a few other techniques, but the TENS helped the most. 

What helped you through the contractions?

As well as TENS, the gas was extremely helpful in the beginning but after a while it felt as though it wasn’t doing too much, but the breathing technique you use to suck in the gas and let it out was a good pain reliever. Deep breaths in and then a big release on the way out emptying the diaphragm. I think this is called diaphragmatic breathing. It was also nice to have the mouthpiece from the gas to bite down on. It's amazing the small things that help. Concentrating on my breathing really worked for me.

How did your partner and midwife help?

They helped with massage on my lower back though contractions and this was a huge relief for a short period of time.  I was holding Jeff's hand the whole way through and this really helped.

Did you use a birthing pool?

Yes. I used the TENS machine up until about 6cm dilated and then got into the birthing pool (around 3am). While I was in the pool the warmth was nice, but I really enjoyed cold water trickling on my back. We had to warm it up again for Lando's arrival, but it was a nice feeling when things were getting tough. 

How long were you in the birthing pool?

A couple of hours. At 5.07am our perfect little man arrived. 

Any tips for mums?

My labour was approximately 9 hours and 7 minutes so I’m glad I had lots of pain relief options to help me through. My tips to get through are having a TENS machine, deep breathing techniques, gas, massage techniques, shower, pool, cool trickling water and lastly and I'm not sure if this is normal or possible for everyone, but I was using a little bit of humour between contractions!

Even if you are planning a water birth I would highly recommend the TENS machine to anyone giving birth. It was consistent pain relief while out of the pool.

Overall the end result was worth it all and I would do it all again tomorrow. 

Thanks again 

Donna, Jeff and little Lando. 


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