Water-birth

Almost all modern obstetric units will have facilities to allow the option of water birth. The majority of women who become pregnant will have heard of it and those who seek alternative labor and delivery methods take interest in this. This is a method of delivery that is truly different.

Water birth is meant to offer an alternative to the drug-based pain relief methods. It is also supposed to offer a possibility of a less stressful labor, in allowing more freedom of movement and changing position, because of the buoyancy of the body in water. Moreover, the water birth units in hospitals are set up in such a way as to create as near to a home atmosphere as possible. It is actually possible to hire the pool and have the labor and delivery taking place in your actual home, provided the safety conditions (as we shall see) are met.

All in all, water birth is a very attractive option for some pregnant women. However, it is crucial that any enthusiasm for the pool is tempered with a healthy dose of realism. The water will not give the same degree of pain relief as, for instance, an epidural.

It is quite possible that a mother who has opted for the pool may find labor pains so stressful that she needs to leave the pool to get more effective pain relief. If this happens (and it does happen), she should not feel that nature has let her down. We are all different. In addition, even when she is happy with the experience, other labor complications may develop which may lead the midwife or obstetrician to advise abandoning the pool.

As in all areas of pregnancy, it is important to approach any strategy with an open mind. More often than not, tunnel vision about pregnancy, labor and delivery leads to disappointment.

The history and benefits of water birth

Water birth is not as new as one may be tempted to think. The first documented birth in water was recorded in France at the beginning of the nineteenth century. This was purely accidental and there is no evidence that it was adopted then as a viable alternative to traditional methods of labor and/or delivery.

More than 150 years later, obstetricians in the then Soviet Union started researching this method and it quickly became part of mainstream obstetric practice. It soon spread to virtually every part of the developed world and, today, many obstetric units in the United States, UK and the rest of Europe offer this service.

Water birth at home

Water birth as part of a home delivery plan is a viable proposition. If there is a big enough bathtub in the house, that is, one that can comfortably accommodate two people and where there is a reliable hot water supply, then there is no reason why this possibility cannot be explored. Of course, the midwife or qualified birth assistant who will monitor the labor and conduct the delivery should be satisfied that all the other prerequisites for a safe home birth are in place.

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