"I sang through my labour and my husband played the guitar - I hardly felt any pain and it felt like a vacation"

A mum who sang through her labour as her husband played guitar says she hardly felt any pain – and the birth "felt like a vacation".

Biffy Hell, 31, and her husband, Brandon, 30, sang hymns and their favourite songs during a five-hour labour with their son, Jack, now one-month-old.

Musician Brandon serenaded Biffy with his guitar before the couple duetted together and were then joined by their doula, Maddy Barnes, 26.

Biffy managed to continue singing for four hours on and off – and only found herself unable to sing 30 minutes before giving birth to Jack on November 20, 2023.

Biffy, a stay-at-home mum, from Seattle, Washington, US, aid: “It was pain management – it really helped singing to focus on controlling the breath.

“I was shocked I didn’t have that much pain.

“It felt like a vacation.”

The couple wanted to have a natural home birth with their daughter, Penelope, two, but had to go to hospital when Biffy reached 42 weeks for an induction.

Her waters broke when she arrived at the hospital and Biffy said the birth was “traumatic”.

She decided to plan a natural birth with her second child at a birth centre – the Birth Cottage, Seattle.

She said: “With my first I really wanted a home birth.

“I’m terrified of needles.

“When the contractions started they were so intense – I did eight hours of natural labour and then had an epidural.

“I wanted to try natural again.”

The couple sang together for Penelope’s birth in December 2021 and decided to do the same again.

Second time round Biffy had a long labour – and had already started dilating a week before she gave birth.

When she got to 7cm dilated she was admitted to the birth centre and started singing, laughing and moving to ease the pain of the contractions.

Biffy said: “It was really soothing.

“There were essential oils.

“I was trying not to let my previous birth experience dictate how I handled my second.

“I was really excited. I wasn’t in so much pain.

“It only got too painful when I couldn’t sing until the last hour or 30 minutes.”

Brandon said: “She was doing feel well on the singing and the movements.

“Singing really helped."

The couple sang songs such as 'Beautiful Saviour' by Planetshakers, 'Strong enough' by Cheryl Crow - as well as playing other music on a speaker throughout.

When Jack was born at 8.20pm on November 20, 2023, weighing 7lb exactly, the parents sang Disney songs to him - and said he was very "relaxed".

Biffy: “The birth was a completely different experience.

“I felt so lucky to have the experience I was having.”

Brandon said: “Biffy was in heaven.”

The couple say their two children both love music – and hear their parents singing to each other all the time.

Biffy said: “Singing is a huge part of our relationship.”

Brandon added: “It can’t be overstated how much we sing.”

Biffy encourages others to try singing or listening to music during their birth – and hopes her experience can show a more positive birth experience.

She said: “It’s irrelevant if you’re a good singer or not.

“You find certain music that calms you or pumps you up.”