Unlike the fearful stories that follow childbirth even after normal delivery, Pooja Choudhary came out from the labour room without any terrified reactions on her face. Thanks to the new-age hypnobirthing — also known as hypnosis therapy — provides total relaxation of the body.
Choudhary, herself a doctor, had read about the technique being used abroad and its advantages. “The whole exercise makes you fearless about the act called normal delivery. The sessions are given during the ante-natal classes and also when one is in labour. It helped me a lot during the delivery, made me comfortable,” said Choudhary.
Hypnosis may be commonly used by crooks to steal things, or used in taking a person to his/her previous birth. But its usage to make one relax during delivery is uncommon so far in India. “There are guided relaxation messages given from one end that help one relax and in fact make you look forward to the end result: a happy mother and a little one,” said Rakhi Soni, who too had a peaceful delivery.
The new way to make birthing free from pain is also helping deliver the baby in much less time. “The mother feels relaxed throughout the labour as a result of this technique. Commands like — feel there is no pain, relax, actually help patients feel much better. Even the end result is good-normal delivery without the acute pain which otherwise the patients have to go through,” said Dr Asha Sharma, head of obstetrics and gynaecology at Rockland Hospital.
Dr Sharma offers her patients various painless delivery methods, which includes hypnosis also known as hypnobirthing.
Dr Sharma says that these methods are harmless and do not have any side-effects. Therefore it is important for the patients to know about it specially when many women decide to go for caesarean than bear the pain.
Another method which has helped women deliver comfortably is called “TENS”. Introduced in only big hospitals in India, TENS — transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation — is done by using a machine that gives pulses of electrical energy and prevents pain signals to reach the patient’s brain.
“This is also one of the safe methods being used to help the patient relax and rid the pain,” said Dr Anuradha Kapur, head of the department, obstetrics and gynaecology, Max Hospital, Saket. Dr Kapur has been using this method for sometime now.
Doctors say that the technique helps one get distracted from the contractions as it helps you feel less anxious. In hospitals where the machine is not available, gynaecologists are taking help of physiotherapists who press the nerve to subside the pain.
No pain no gain is passe, so this time when Ruchi Chadha’s due date came near, she knew that she would have to bear the pain she underwent during her first delivery eight years ago.
“I was in unbearable pain for almost 10 hours. I decided that I was not going to take it this time so I would ask the doctor to give me epidural when the time comes,” she said. Epidural is another effective way of pain relief during labour by passing painkilling drugs into the epidural space in spine. The drug affects only the lower abdomen. Having an epidural therefore allows one to stay conscious while numbing the portion of body that would otherwise be in pain during labour. Even as the risk of having a forceps delivery mounts, this is the most common way of reducing pain during delivery being used in India now. “I learnt about it on the Internet. After taking the advice of the gynaecologist, I was sure that I would not bear the pain,” said Puneeta Sharma, another mother.
The epidural too temporarily blocks the nerves carrying pain signals to the brain. Given during the active phase of labour, Dr Kapur said, that about 75 per cent patients have knowledge of epidural and it is the most common of all the methods to reduce the pain during delivery. “About 50 per cent patients take it. If given well, it doesn’t lead to any complications,” she said.
Dr Sharma says the problem comes at the second stage of labour. “Since the patient doesn’t feel the pain, the urge to push also vanishes. Most patients then end having either a forceps delivery or a ventouse,” she said.
The method has become popular as many government hospitals also offer their patients the same. “It is given on demand. We tell the patients about it only when she is active labour. They can opt for it,” said Dr Suneeta Mittal, HoD, obstetrics and gynaecology, All-India Institute of Medical Sciences.
Common in European countries, water birth, which means delivering in water is also becoming common in India. Tried and tested here, many women who do not want to take chances by taking epidural, which may harm the body in the long run, water birth is getting common here.
A specially-designed pool is used to safely handle the delivery. “The temperature of the water has to be neither too hot nor cold. The water helps pain go away, helping the mother deliver the child safely,” said Dr Asha Sharma.
Entonox, meaning half oxygen and half nitrous oxide, is also commonly used for a painless delivery. Entonox, also known as laughing gas, has a calming effect and takes away labour pain. In India, hospitals use masks helping the patient inhale the gas and feel relaxed. “This has no side-effects,” said one of the doctors.