Theresa Holborn, her son Daniel and therapist Ruth Furtek

PERHAPS Victoria Beckham - who famously opted to have her children by caesarean - wasn't too posh to push after all.

The former Spice Girl and mother of three boys might have been suffering with tokophobia - a fear of childbirth.

For according to latest research, most mums-to-be choose to have a C-section for non-medical reasons, because they're afraid of the unpredictability of a natural labour.

Theresa Holborn of Poole knows only too well how these women feel.

After a traumatic labour with her daughter Alex, she was terrified when she fell pregnant again with her son Daniel.

"Dan was a bit of a surprise," she explains. "As the pregnancy went on, I started working myself up into a terrible state.

"When I was in labour with Alex I felt totally out of control and I didn't know what to do with myself.

"You know it is going to be painful but when you tense up it makes the contractions 100 times worse. It was such an awful panicky experience and I couldn't face going through it again."

It was Theresa's mum who suggested that she went to see Ruth Furtek, a local therapist who specialises in cognitive hypnotherapy.

"My mum sees Ruth for pain relief for her arthritis.

"I'd never had hypnotherapy or anything like that before and I was really sceptical at first although I was interested in the idea of mind over matter," Theresa explains.

"I'd seen my mum transformed from someone who was practically bed ridden to being able to rise above the pain so I decided to give it a go."

Over the following weeks Ruth showed Theresa a number of different pain control techniques and relaxation exercises.

"She also gave me a personal CD which I would listen to every night although I never heard it all the way to the end because I always fell asleep and that made a big difference too!

"Usually towards the end of pregnancy you don't sleep very well because you're uncomfortable so it was helping me before I even had Dan."

Theresa says she became more and more relaxed as her delivery date approached.

"It was a long labour but all way through I kept thinking the pain is going to get worse than this but it never did.

"Apparently I was so calm one of the midwives said she didn't even know I was having contractions.

"I was really proud of myself - I didn't have any tears or stitches this time either.

"I certainly wouldn't be frightened of doing it again."

Ruth says it makes her very sad that so many women are opting to have a caesarean when there's no medical need.

"It is major abdominal surgery and the recovery period is much longer - you can't drive for six weeks.

"The problem is there is very little proper ante-natal care and what they do offer is very basic.

"My aim is to help mums feel in control by teaching them a lot of different pain relief techniques - a sort of tool kit - and they pick out the ones that suit them best."

Ruth is a firm believer in mind over matter.

"Feelings of pain are a complex response in which the mind is feeling influences the sending of the pain signal," she explains.

"Relaxation has been shown to raise the pain threshold by releasing endorphins - the body's natural painkillers which block pain signals from reaching the brain.

"We go in and out of trance all daylong without even realising it. When you daydream, drive on autopilot, get lost in a book or film you are taking yourself into a trance."

Ruth who is based at BWTs in Parkstone, usually charges around £50 a session but is looking to run group therapy sessions and pregnancy yoga classes too.

"I want to get the message across that you don't have to be terrified of childbirth - there is something you can do about it."

For more information visit confidentchildbirth.co.uk or contact Ruth Furtek on 07877 648634.

2:44pm Tuesday 24th June 2008

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