a very difficult assisted labour that I felt I would never survive at the time. I was haunted by the fear of another birth for some time. However after failing to carry the last two pregancies into viability, I'd take any pain you can offer me to deliver a live baby now. An epidural is no longer an option for me, so if I do get to viability stages again I'll be opting for a hypnobirth in a hospital or midwife led delivery unit. Most popular on the Guardian Today in pictures After advising tourists against travel to the cities of Jammu and Srinagar for nearly 20 years, the Foreign Office has lifted its guidelines after a fall in violence. So, Dal Lake and part of the Valley of Kashmir, one of India's most beautiful regions, are once again open to visitors