This is an electronically controlled chair, on which the mother can give birth squatting. This is the best position for birthing as the passage is at its widest. The chair is made available on demand in all high-profile maternity hospitals. Make sure that you know what to expect when you choose this birth technique. If you have doubts or feel embarrassed, feel free to tell your gynaecologist. Your comfort is the first priority.

Underwater Birth

Angelina Jolie wanted her child to be born naturally under water, before she was forced to have a Caesarean Section. This procedure reduces as much as 60 percent of the labour pain. The baby, too, doesn't go through sudden transition from mother's womb to air. It requires expert doctors and a special pool / tub of warm water. Just a word of caution - it might be a messy affair, so it's advisable to go to a hospital that offers underwater birth technique.

Labour Delivery Suits

These are the Hollywood-movie labour rooms - no more taking the mother to delivery table, as everything happens there and then, in presence of the close family. As the mother is not removed from the room while in labour, it saves a lot of discomfort. A footrest on the bedside helps the mother give birth as she sits. The support from family also works wonders. If you want to deliver in a labour suite, make sure your spouse or the person who is accompanying you knows enough about the birth procedure.

Hot and Cold Packs

Hot and cold packs are pain relievers in all conditions. During delivery, the hot and cold technique is used to make the delivery bearable for the mother. Whichever spot aches badly, hot and cold packs are used alternately to numb the pain. Most hospitals have chemical hot and cold packs that can be electronically activated to achieve a certain temperature for at least an hour.

Lamaze

This is well-known technique, which uses simple rhythmic breathing patterns and massage to control labour pain. It is important that a Lamaze expert trains you before the actual labour. The strength of this technique is that you know what to expect during childbirth. The mental preparation helps in decreasing the impact of the pain.

Music Therapy

This therapy involves special tracks made to relax the mother. The music therapy instructor tells the mother to focus on beautiful rainbows, meadows and other pleasant images in her mind. The musical focus relaxes the mother's mind and eases the pain. This technique is easy to be implemented, as playing soothing music during childbirth doesn't always require a music therapist.

With inputs from Dr. Kiran Coelho and Dr. Ranjana Dhanu, both senior gynaecologists at Lilavati Hospital