What is Waterbirth?
History | Guidelines | Benefits | Q&A | Video Clips
What is waterbirth? Imagine your own personal pool, centered in a room filled with soft light, your favorite scent wafting past as you languish in its gentle warmth. The room is hushed with a subtle sense of anticipation. You sigh and settle deeper into the pool. This may not be the scene you picture when visualizing natural childbirth, but it is the reality for many women who are experiencing it.
History of Water Birth
While waterbirth may appear to be a new practice, it has been practiced for centuries around the globe, from Japan where women labored in the sea to Finland where women delivered in saunas. In the US, it gained more mainstream acknowledgment in the 1980s but its practice in traditional medical settings has been waning.
Prior
to
this time in the West, women remained in a tub for short periods of
time, such as in the shower or bath as a way to increase their comfort
in early labor.
When
questions were raised as to its
safety, it was regarded with much skepticism. Many
previously-supportive hospitals ceased offering it as an option, which
left mothers with the choices of birthing centers or their homes.
However, the
body of research
demonstrates no increase in negative outcomes for low-risk mothers.
It can also be used in conjunction with natural childbirth methods such as Hypnobirthing, the Bradley Method, or Lamaze.
A leading advocate is Dr. Michel Odent who has conducted many research
studies to document its safety. After many years of hospital practice,
Dr. Odent turned instead to homebirth.
While
few
hospitals in the US are
equipped with tubs or birthing pools, you may be allowed to bring your
own. If you are considering a water birth, discuss this option with
your
care provider. If the hospital does not have a policy against it, a
well-researched discussion with your care practitioner may allow you to
have the experience you thought impossible.
It's
important to note that some
caregivers are uninformed about the benefits and safety of waterbirth.
If it is something you are considering, be sure that your care provider
is basing their decision on facts, not feelings. Once presented with
the facts, you may find that your caregiver is more than willing to "go
for it". You may even convert them!
Additional
information on the pertinent
aspects of water birth can be found in the following pages:
The Benefits of Giving Birth in Water
References
Cluett E R, Nikodem VC, McCandlish RE, Burns EE. Immersion in water in pregnancy, labour and birth. Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews 2002, Issue 2. Art. No.: CD000111. DOI: 10.1002/14651858.CD000111.pub2.
Geissbühler V, Eberhard J: Waterbirths: A Comparative Study. Fetal Diagn Ther 2000;15:291-300 (DOI: 10.1159/000021024)
Garland, Dianne. Waterbirth: An Attitude to Care, Books for Midwives PR, UK, 2000 1 5947 7067 0
Harper, Barbara, RN. "Waterbirth Basics: From Newborn Breathing to Hospital Protocols". In Midwifery Today Magazine, 2000.
Geytenbeek, Jenny. "Evidence of effective hydrotherapy". In Physiotherapy. V. 88(9):514-529, 2002.
Ros, Andrea, Ricardo Felberbaum, Iris Jahnke, Klaus Diedrich, Peter Schmucker, and Michael Huppe. 2007 "Epidural anaethesia for labour: does it influence the mode of delivery?" In Archives of Gynecology and Obstetrics. V. 275(4):269-274(6).
Odent, M. (1998, March). Use of water during labor—updated recommendations. MIDIRS 8 (1): 68-9.
Gilbert, R., Tookey, P. (1999, Aug. 21). Perinatal mortality and morbidity among babies delivered in water: surveillance study and postal survey. BMJ 319(7208): 483-7.
Cammu H, Clasen K, Van Wettere L, Derde MP. 'To bathe or not to bathe' during the first stage of labor. Acta Obstet Gynecol Scand 1994;73:468-72.
Ohlsson G, Buchhave P, Leandersson U, Nordstrom L, Rydhstrom H, Sjolin I. Warm tub bathing during labor: maternal and neonatal effects. Acta Obstet Gynecol Scand 2001;80:311-4.
Rush J, Burlock S, Lambert K, Loosley-Millman M, Hutchison B, Enkin M. The effects of whirlpool baths in labor: a randomized, controlled trial. Birth 1996;23:136-43.
Eriksson M, Mattsson LA, Ladfors L. Early or late bath during the first stage of labour: a randomised study of 200 women. Midwifery 1997;13:146-8.
Royal College of Midwives. 2006. "Immersion in water during labour and birth." Joint Position Paper no. 1. London, Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists and Royal College of Midwives.
Giving Birth Naturally: Waterbirth
