When clients ask me why they should choose waterbirth my answer is often "Why not give waterbirth a try?"
As a Midwife, I love waterbirth because of all the benefits it provides the mother and baby during labor and delivery. Water is a wonderful pain management tool that promotes relaxation and decreases pain and discomfort. It reduces stress and gives the laboring woman more mobility than on land. It shortens the length of labor and reduces tearing during pushing. Waterbirth is often a better birth experience for mothers and babies.
Some women choose to labor in the water and birth on land. Some women labor and birth in the water. And if it doesn't feel right, you just hop on out of the birth pool.
So, why not give waterbirth a try? You don't have anything to lose and you have so much to gain!
Frequently Asked Questions
Most of the time, waterbirth is a wonderful and very safe option. Your midwife will closely monitor you and your baby's health during pregnancy, and will have an expert opinion on whether or not waterbirth is safe for you. It's best to have a conversation with your midwife to discuss the benefits and risks related to your specific situation. Here are some general criteria for a safe waterbirth:
-Low-risk pregnancy anticipating an uncomplicated delivery
-37 weeks gestation or beyond
-Baby is in a head down position
-Pregnant with a single baby
Wherever you are most comfortable! At home, waterbirth can occur in your shower or bathtub, or in a birth pool rented from your midwife. Birth pools are a great option, as they can easily be inflated and set up in most rooms of the home. This provides you with an opportunity to deliver in a larger room with more space than most bathrooms have. Some hospitals are also supportive of a waterbirth, and may even have large tubs in their labor and delivery rooms.
Babies have a diving reflex which lasts until about 6 months old. This reflex closes the glottis at the back of the throat when a baby's face comes in contact with water. So, if for any reason water enters your baby's mouth, it will automatically be swallowed rather than inhaled. Experts believe that this makes waterbirth almost universally safe for babies. Your midwife will raise your baby from the water quickly after delivery to be placed on your chest, so that you can meet this new little life you've worked so hard to create.
Vaginally born babies always enter a bacterially rich environment. Your personal germs that come with you and your home are almost always safe for your baby. Exposing baby to safe bacteria is a good thing, because these germs help further develop baby’s immune system. You may pass amniotic fluid, blood, urine or stool while you are in the tub or pool. These are a normal part of the birth process and not a hygienic concern. If you are using a rented birth pool, it will come with a single use liner that is required to cover the inside of the pool before you get in. This prevents you from delivering in a space where another mother has labored.
BIRTH POOL RENTAL
WomanKind Midwifery is now offering Birth Pool in a Box rentals to the Lancaster County community. We are huge supporters of water birth and already offer birth pool rentals to our patients. We are happy to be able to expand this service to the entire community.
The research on water birth
Hydrotherapy During Labor and Birth | ACNM position statement
Immersion in Water During Labor and Delivery | ACOG and AAP joint position statement
