Delivery is usually made by a doctor, and in the case of ‘non-natural’ birth, stirrups are the norm. Pain relief is all or nothing: gas and air (óxido nítrico), the most basic form of relief, is not given in public hospitals, though pethidine is. Epidurals are extremely common. Hired TENS machines that offer electrical pain relief are not available in Spain, but can easily be ordered from the UK or US. Check beforehand whether hospital staff will consent to its use. Although recovery rooms are usually shared with one other person, they tend to be spacious, clean and cool, with a fair degree of privacy. A change in the attitude to ‘natural birth’ is underway in some institutions. The Spanish Federation of Midwives called in 2007 for all women to be able to have a natural birth if they choose. Barcelona’s Hospital Clinic i Provincial and Casa de Maternitat are pioneering parto natural for those deemed at low risk of complications. This method doesn’t use inducement, episiotomy or epidural. Women are attended to only by midwives (comadronas), doctors only intervening if problems arise. Women can walk around, and take up any position they like, with birthing baths (bañeras) also made available. Despite interest in the pilot scheme, other hospitals lag behind. Hospital del Mar, for instance, is still known for what some consider excessive intervention.