Water Birth worries & Questions

[liverpoolbaby]

Hi Ladies,

I would like to know any additional information about Water Births.

This is my 1st baby and I would like to be in the water but have a few questions?



1. After baby has been born and they place the baby on your chest, how long is it until they cut the cord? or do you climb out still attached?

2. How long after do you stay in the pool holding the baby?

3. When you are told to get out of the bath where is the baby?

4. Do you deliver the placenta in the pool also or asked to get out?

5. ... what if you had the injection to speed up the contractions to bring on the placenta?

I have 3 weeks left and I would like to know any pro's and/or cons about water births.

Thank you for reading and any information would be most appreciated

 

[Eleanor ace]

1- it will depend on how the birth goes, but if all is well you can stay in the pool and do delayed clamping, just as you would on "dry land", or get out.

2- Again it will depend on how the birth goes- if you get a bad tear and are bleeding a fair bit they'd get you out, for example. If it is all fine and they aren't in a rush to use the pool for someone else you can stay in for a good while .

3- You will probably be holding LO so you'll just take them out of the pool with you and cuddle them .

4- You can deliver the placenta in the pool. I was asked to get out to deliver it as it was taking a while and wouldn't budge so I needed the injection. But if that hadn't happened I'd have been allowed to deliver it in the pool.

5- I don't think you can have the injection and deliver the placenta in the pool.

 

[5_Year_Plan]

Can I hijack - do I need to pack a towel to wrap around us both? Or will they give us one? I've packed a little one but dont have enough room in my bag for a big one!

Xx

 

[Eleanor ace]

I was advised to take a towel, but if you don't have one they'll probably be able to find you a blanket

 

[emyandpotato]

This is all based on my own opinion, I'm not a midwife or doctor or anything like that, but am planning a home water birth so have been researching it.

1. After baby has been born and they place the baby on your chest, how long is it until they cut the cord? or do you climb out still attached? It depends on what sort of third stage you opt for, and whether you want delayed cord clamping. From research I think waiting three minutes or so for the cord to stop pulsating and then cutting it is best.

2. How long after do you stay in the pool holding the baby? It's up to you. Personally I don't think I'll stay in more than a few minutes.

3. When you are told to get out of the bath where is the baby? Either in your arms or with the midwife or your OH.

4. Do you deliver the placenta in the pool also or asked to get out? Either. It's harder for the placenta to come naturally in water, however, as contractions may not be strong enough. I'll be getting out for this reason.

5. ... what if you had the injection to speed up the contractions to bring on the placenta? I don't know if it makes a difference but I personally wouldn't recommend this because of the pain and cramping of it- I found it worse than labour, and it meant I couldn't hold LO for the first ten minutes as I was in so much pain.

 

[Tattoo]

I stayed in the water snuggling DD for a while. I don't know how long it was, but her cord was cut while we were still in the water. It certainly wasn't immediate, but I don't think it was longer than about 5-10 minutes. I got out once the cord was cut, because I'd requested the injection to help deliver the placenta (my mum had retained placenta when she had me, so I chose to have a managed third stage. The placenta ended up shooting out of me onto the floor with one contraction, so I might skip the injection this time!).
My husband was having his first cuddle with DD as I got out the pool.
The placenta was delivered out of the pool. It shot out within about five minutes of having the injection!

Regarding the towel question, some hospitals say you need your own, but the MLU I birthed in provided plenty of towels for us. They even gave me two towels for when I had a bath the next morning!

 

[Midnight_Fairy]

Hope this helps.


1. We cut cord right away as was knotted and short. I birthed her in pool on all 4s and couldnt move till it was cut l. I cut it though.

2. I stayed in holding het about 45 mins.

3. My OH held her while I got out then I had her back.

4. I Got out

5. ... didnt have it

I have 3 weeks left and I would like to know any pro's and/or cons about water births.

 

[Phoenix82]

This has been really useful thanks everyone - I was wondering the same things

Good luck xxx

 

[5_Year_Plan]

... So I didn't make it in the pool... Or even the department... Baby arrived in a&e within 5 minutes of getting through the door...! Lol

 

[Kess]

This is all based on my own opinion, I'm not a midwife or doctor or anything like that, but am planning a home water birth so have been researching it.

1. After baby has been born and they place the baby on your chest, how long is it until they cut the cord? or do you climb out still attached? It depends on what sort of third stage you opt for, and whether you want delayed cord clamping. From research I think waiting three minutes or so for the cord to stop pulsating and then cutting it is best.

Just to let you know, it may take longer than 3 minutes. I waited until it had stopped pulsing completely, so LO got all his blood from it, and I'm pretty sure it was a fair bit longer than 3 minutes.

Hi Ladies,

I would like to know any additional information about Water Births.

This is my 1st baby and I would like to be in the water but have a few questions?



1. After baby has been born and they place the baby on your chest, how long is it until they cut the cord? or do you climb out still attached?

2. How long after do you stay in the pool holding the baby?

3. When you are told to get out of the bath where is the baby?

4. Do you deliver the placenta in the pool also or asked to get out?

5. ... what if you had the injection to speed up the contractions to bring on the placenta?

I have 3 weeks left and I would like to know any pro's and/or cons about water births.

Thank you for reading and any information would be most appreciated

I had a waterbirth with my first - there's a link in my siggy.

I got straight out, as soon as MW caught the baby she kept hold of him and someone helped me over the side of the pool with baby and cord still attached, and I sat on the sofa wrapped up in a towel with baby on my chest until the cord stopped pulsing and was cut, and then the placenta arrived a bit later with no effort. If you prefer, you can stay in a while, I just wanted to be out. I didn't have the injection, I didn't want to risk the placenta getting stuck behind a closing cervix and having to go to hospital (after a homebirth) to have it removed, which is a risk with the injection. I just gave a cough when MW judged it to have detached and it slid out.

 

[Kota]

this was a homebirth situation so would be slightly different to a hospital setting.,

I stayed in the water for about 10-15mins, after that i started getting cold and wanted out,
placenta was still attached and hadn't been delivered so i had one MW hold bub quite close while the other helped me step out of the pool and onto a waiting mattress where I took baby back.
We left the cord for about 45mins, it pulsed for about 25.

no injection but my understanding is that they wouldn't give yout he injection while you were still in water, you would have to be out.