Elaine Byrnes (37) finds the concept of active birth management abhorrent so when she became pregnant two years ago she looked for alternatives regarding where and how she would have her first baby.
"I would not have the guts for a home birth," she says. Living in Clonee, Co Meath, she booked in to the midwife-led unit at Our Lady of Lourdes Hospital in Drogheda. "It's like a home birth in a hospital environment, non-interventionist."
As part of their preparation, Byrnes and her husband, Patrick, went on a two-day "hypnobirthing" course which is run in north Dublin, Galway and Cork by Tracy Donegan of Doula Ireland, the author of The Better Birth Book. They also went to a session at the midwife-led unit.
"Gentlebirth is a complete antenatal class in itself," says Donegan, who charges couples €375 for the two days over two weekends, and that includes course material, relaxation CDs and membership of an online support group for couples taking this approach.
"With Gentlebirth we are retraining the subconscious mind to expect labour to be a positive and non-stressful experience." She believes that first-time mothers' fears are reinforced by hospital classes.
On the first day of the course, Donegan, the mother of a five-year-old, focuses on keeping things as normal as possible at birth, while the second day concentrates on the father's role. "It's mum's job to be in labour, dad's job is everything else - to create a buffer zone around her."
Byrnes was initially put off by the name "hypnobirthing", envisaging sandal-wearing, chanting hippies. "It's just a very deep form of relaxation, that is all it is." It certainly seemed to work for her.
"One day, at 38 weeks, I became aware I felt a bit different at about 10.30am. I was very relaxed when I rang the midwife and after I described the symptoms she said maybe I should come in straight away.
"I went in at 1.30pm and Gaven was born at 4pm. It was an absolutely fantastic birth."
She attributes it to the combination of Gentlebirth, yoga, eating well during pregnancy and the midwife-led care. Without those, "maybe it would have been exactly the same, who knows? But I didn't have that awful fear other people have."
For more information on Gentlebirth, see www.doulaireland.com