Breath Works: Ecstatic Birth This article about Pat Bennaceur's labor support work was originally published in the 'Brighton & Hove Leader' newspaper, Friday March 17th, 2000, Brighton England) Agony turns to ecstasy in new style of birth.... A revolutionary system of having a baby consciously, easily and without medical intervention is being pioneered in Brighton and Hove. Ecstatic Birth is based on research which demonstrates the link between "easy" births and happier, more relaxed babies. The system has been developed over the last 19 years by Texan born Binnie Dansby and is being promoted in Brighton, Englaand by Pat Bennaceur, who runs Connexions, Personal Development and Training in Hove. Here Juliet Bowers, reporter,  reveals the personal account of a local mother's ecstatic birth: First time mums-to-be can be horrified by stories they hear about giving birth. Nina Walters was one. During her pregnancy, Nina was thinking nothing but the worst until she saw an article about a woman who had given birth and enjoyed it. She and husband, Nik, wanted the birth to be at their home in Landseer Road, Hove. But they were nervous about it because Nik's brother had been premature. Then they heard about ecstatic birth through classes they were doing with a Brighton teacher. The couple went to see Pat Bennaceur and spent separate sessions with her, which focused on bringing out their personal thoughts and fears. Nina progressed through her pregnancy, seeing Pat regularly. She found the learning so positive that even the day before her daughter, Olivia, was born she joined a number of other mums-to-be for a weekend workshop run by Pat and Binnie - while having contractions every five minutes! At midnight on Saturday, January 29, Nina and Nik prepared themselves for the baby's arrival, together with Nina's midwife, Helen: "Until Paaat arrived I was finding it a real struggle. Then there she was, looking me straight in the eye and reminding to me breathe very deeply, and say YES on each contraction." Nina's first stage labour lasted three hours 50 minutes, without pain killers. She felt that they would interfere with the body's natural pain killers. Keeping her going was the though thatt: "The baby has feeling, and in keeping with that belief you celebrate whatever you are feeling, too." The second stage lasted 10 minutes, when Olivia, weighing 8lbs 3ozs, slipped into Nik's hands - a wish he had made in the couple's birth plan. Describing the candlelit delivery, Nina said: "I didn't feel a thing. It was wonderful. Pat told me I had said: 'I know I'm making a lot of noise, but I'm really enjoying it.' The whole birth experience was brilliant." She added: "When the baby came out it just didn't hurt. I think a lot to do with that was what Binnie and Pat had taught me - believing in your body, being open, not thinking the worst."   Nina is quick to praise Helen too: "She was the best midwife any mother could have wished for." She and Nik were pleased that the hospital staff were amenable to the style of birth they had chosen. "But the main thing we felt was important was the safety of the baby." This labor and birthing approach is a system for "anyone interested in birth and the effect it has on all aspects of our lives". For further fascinating scientific information read "Ecstatic Birth:  The Hormonal Blueprint of Labor" by Sarah Buckley, M.D.