She desired to B natural.
A Seattle stay-at-home mom who sang through labor to deliver her son as her husband played guitar says she hardly experienced pain — it “felt like a vacation.”
Biffy Hell, 31, and her musician husband, Brandon, 30, sang hymns and their favorite songs for many of Biffy’s five-hour labor in November.
They were even joined in song by their doula, Maddy Barnes, 26.
“It was pain management — it really helped singing to give attention to controlling the breath,” Biffy explained to SWNS.
“I used to be shocked I didn’t have that much pain. It felt like a vacation,” she added.
Biffy and Brandon desired to have a natural home birth with their daughter, Penelope, 2, but Biffy ended up going to the hospital for induction when she reached 42 weeks in her pregnancy.
Her water broke on the hospital, with Biffy describing the birth as “traumatic.”
“With my first, I actually wanted a house birth. I’m fearful of needles,” Biffy recalled.
“When the contractions began, they were so intense — I did eight hours of natural labor after which had an epidural,” she shared. “I desired to try natural again.”
She planned a natural birth for son Jack at a birthing center in Seattle.
The couple sang together for Penelope’s birth in December 2021 and decided to do the identical again.
When she became 7 centimeters dilated, Biffy was admitted to the Birth Cottage.
She began singing, laughing and moving to distract from the contractions.
The couple sang “Beautiful Saviour” by the Planetshakers and Sheryl Crow’s 1993 hit “Strong Enough,” in addition to other music that played on their speaker.
“I used to be trying to not let my previous birth experience dictate how I handled my second,” Biffy said. “I used to be really excited. I wasn’t in a lot pain.”
Biffy managed to proceed singing for 4 hours on and off — she only found herself unable to do it half-hour before giving birth to Jack.
“She was doing … well on the singing and the movements,” Brandon gushed. “Singing really helped.”
When Jack was born at 8:20 p.m. on Nov. 20, weighing exactly 7 kilos, his parents sang Disney songs to him.
They noted Jack was very “relaxed.”
“The birth was a very different experience,” Biffy declared. “I felt so lucky to have the experience I used to be having.”
The couple say their two children love music — and listen to their parents singing to one another on a regular basis.
Biffy encourages others to try singing or listening to music while giving birth — and hopes her delivery of Jack shows a more positive birth experience.
“It’s irrelevant when you’re a superb singer or not,” she reasoned. “You discover certain music that calms you or pumps you up.”