Water births

[Mrs Doddy]

I was dead set on a water birth for my dd due to prem labour I was high risk attacthed to a ctg machine all the way flat on the bed . I had gas and air, this time I know that the pain will not be lessened with the gas and not sure what the advantages a water birthing suite will be

Any experiences shared would be great - why was it good for you ?

 

[Pearls18]

Omg my water birth was amazing, before getting in I was just about ready to ask for every drug under the sun (in fact I did!!) I totally felt like I had lost control (I could have been in transition although I had only just been checked as 6cm), then I got in the pool and I relaxed instantly, I was totally on top of my contractions (with the distraction of gas and air also) I'm pretty sure I never got the ring of fire (I don't remember anyway!!) I gave birth within half an hour of getting in and I think that says it all really, I believe my body felt safe and relaxed to give birth. Oh and I barely tore at all, just a teeny dissolvable stitch.

It was incredible and the main reason I am having a home birth so I can "guarantee" as best I can a water birth, as unhealthy a mindset as it it I will be devastated if something means I can't have another one.

Some people don't like it, so maybe just try getting in and see how you find it, I was only planning on using it as pain relief but didn't want to move a muscle the second I got in!

 

[Eleanor ace]

I've had both a water birth and a birth on the bed, lying down to push (same as you, LO needed constant monitoring). Water birth wins hands down!
As soon as I got into the water I felt so relaxed, all the strain was taken off my muscles and joints. I got gas and air at the same time and the two went together really well. Being in the water made changing position much easier than being out of the water. LO got her shoulder stuck as she came out but I was able to move around to get her loose and I only got a little tear. Whereas with my son (bed birth) I couldn't move him and he just tore his way out .
The water birth experience helped to calm me too. I was 8cm when I got to the hospital and I was finding the contractions hard work. The atmosphere in the pool room was calming and the pool was the focus of the room, rather than the medical equipment, which helped me to feel calmer too.

 

[Mrs Doddy]

look at the new units at my hospital

https://www.surreyandsussex.nhs.uk/...ervices/maternity-services/the-birthing-unit/

praying hard for a low risk birth - looks really relaxing (well as far as birth can be)

 

[BabyDreamer82]

OOh they look nice Mrs Doddy!! Slightly jealous mines not like that.


Im hoping to have a waterbirth this time, I did plan it with dd, but it didnt quite work out & I ended up with an epidural so flat on my back & I hated it.

For those of you who have had waterbirths - I have heard that you shouldnt get in until you have dilated so far and that there is a chance it could slow labor if you get in too early. is this true? How dilated should you be?

 

[lov3hat3]

I got in the pool for a while, I didn't give birth in it though. It definatly helped with the pain and once you get into a good position and able to stay there id say its definatly worth it. But because I started to freak out I kept floatin around which was irritating I was like 7cm by the time I got in the pool

 

[Pearls18]

OOh they look nice Mrs Doddy!! Slightly jealous mines not like that.


Im hoping to have a waterbirth this time, I did plan it with dd, but it didnt quite work out & I ended up with an epidural so flat on my back & I hated it.

For those of you who have had waterbirths - I have heard that you shouldnt get in until you have dilated so far and that there is a chance it could slow labor if you get in too early. is this true? How dilated should you be?

I have heard you shouldn't get in before 5cm as it will slow you down if you get too relaxed, I was quite near the end of my labour I was pushing within 10 mins of getting in, I plan on doing the same if I can, putting the pool off until I feel I can't stand it anymore and desperately want another form of pain relief, I don't want to get too "used" to the pool and for it to lose its magic lol. But if you do slow down you can just get out and walk around and get in later.

 

[willowblossom]

I spent most of my active labour in the pool. It was amazing and I coped with just paracetamol. Unfortunately I gave birth in a weird march heatwave and the hospital was too hot with its heaters on that just before I started pushing I was far too hot but amazing pain relief. Am hiring a pool for ghis time as I want a home birth! x

 

[Eleanor ace]

Oh wow that looks amazing, I'd push one out right now just so I could use that room . Mine wasn't like that but I was on L&D as I was consultant led and they wanted all the medical equipment to hand. It was still nice though, something about having a pool as the focus of the room rather than the bed made it feel instantly better .

 

[Dream.dream]

I'll be using the pool for labour but I won't be giving birth in a tub

Babies can actually cry and try and take their first breath before they are completely born ( just head out) which means if you give birth under water your baby foul inhale some coming out .

 

[Pearls18]

I'll be using the pool for labour but I won't be giving birth in a tub

Babies can actually cry and try and take their first breath before they are completely born ( just head out) which means if you give birth under water your baby foul inhale some coming out .

This isn't true, there is as much chance of this happening in the womb as it is in a birth pool, babies only take a breath of air (or cry) when they are out of water, so this is when they are birthed on land from broken waters or in the case of water births when they have been pulled from the water after birth. Babies live in water for 9 months and don't drown themselves, they are getting their oxygen via the umbilical cord. The only thing you have to be really careful of is if you have birthed the head you must make sure babies head stays below water during birth, if you move around too much and lift your bum out and baby gets a breath of air then you dunk back down then yes this is really bad, but birthing pools are deliberately deep and MWs trained to tell you to keep your bum down. This was all explained to me when I asked if I could give birth in a bath, where due to the shallower water this is more of a concern.

So no a baby will not cry straight from birth during a water birth until you have pulled them from the water. Otherwise hospitals wouldn't endorse is as a method of birth! If it has happened I would like to see the statistics and I would bet apart from being incredibly rare it would also be a case of not being supervised properly and baby not being kept underwater until the end of the birth.

 

[Dream.dream]

I'll be using the pool for labour but I won't be giving birth in a tub

Babies can actually cry and try and take their first breath before they are completely born ( just head out) which means if you give birth under water your baby foul inhale some coming out .

This isn't true, there is as much chance of this happening in the womb as it is in a birth pool, babies only take a breath of air (or cry) when they are out of water, so this is when they are birthed on land from broken waters or in the case of water births when they have been pulled from the water after birth. Babies live in water for 9 months and don't drown themselves, they are getting their oxygen via the umbilical cord. The only thing you have to be really careful of is if you have birthed the head you must make sure babies head stays below water during birth, if you move around too much and lift your bum out and baby gets a breath of air then you dunk back down then yes this is really bad, but birthing pools are deliberately deep and MWs trained to tell you to keep your bum down. This was all explained to me when I asked if I could give birth in a bath, where due to the shallower water this is more of a concern.

So no a baby will not cry straight from birth during a water birth until you have pulled them from the water. Otherwise hospitals wouldn't endorse is as a method of birth! If it has happened I would like to see the statistics and I would bet apart from being incredibly rare it would also be a case of not being supervised properly and baby not being kept underwater until the end of the birth.

Hospitals where I am don't allow them because this has happened. And my first son did take a breath before he was fully born. Babies are also surrounded by amniotic fluid not water before they are born which is sterile , which water in a labour tub isnt

To each there own but I don't believe it's safe, humans never would have given birth underwater naturally so seems of to me.

 

[OurLilFlu]

It's called a diving reflex... Like the pp said if a babies face is surrounded by fluid it will not breathe... This is why you see those videos of very young babies 'swimming' they naturally will not aspirate on the water. Babies swallow the amniotic fluid for most of the pregnancy... If they were to swallow tub water it would be the same as us drinking it, yes not sterile per se but nonetheless not unsafe.

 

[Pearls18]

I'll be using the pool for labour but I won't be giving birth in a tub

Babies can actually cry and try and take their first breath before they are completely born ( just head out) which means if you give birth under water your baby foul inhale some coming out .

This isn't true, there is as much chance of this happening in the womb as it is in a birth pool, babies only take a breath of air (or cry) when they are out of water, so this is when they are birthed on land from broken waters or in the case of water births when they have been pulled from the water after birth. Babies live in water for 9 months and don't drown themselves, they are getting their oxygen via the umbilical cord. The only thing you have to be really careful of is if you have birthed the head you must make sure babies head stays below water during birth, if you move around too much and lift your bum out and baby gets a breath of air then you dunk back down then yes this is really bad, but birthing pools are deliberately deep and MWs trained to tell you to keep your bum down. This was all explained to me when I asked if I could give birth in a bath, where due to the shallower water this is more of a concern.

So no a baby will not cry straight from birth during a water birth until you have pulled them from the water. Otherwise hospitals wouldn't endorse is as a method of birth! If it has happened I would like to see the statistics and I would bet apart from being incredibly rare it would also be a case of not being supervised properly and baby not being kept underwater until the end of the birth.

Hospitals where I am don't allow them because this has happened. And my first son did take a breath before he was fully born. Babies are also surrounded by amniotic fluid not water before they are born which is sterile , which water in a labour tub isnt

To each there own but I don't believe it's safe, humans never would have given birth underwater naturally so seems of to me.

Of all the people all over the world on this forum you're the only person that has ever mentioned a hospital not allowing it for this, I totally understand your own concern if you think this is a real risk but think it is a bit off to be using it to dissuade other women from birthing this way when you don't have any kind of facts, figures and proof and when what you say seems to defy simple science and some of the leading authorities in the world I hope the OP takes it with a pinch of salt and speaks to her own medical professionals for advice.

 

[Pearls18]

I'll be using the pool for labour but I won't be giving birth in a tub

Babies can actually cry and try and take their first breath before they are completely born ( just head out) which means if you give birth under water your baby foul inhale some coming out .

This isn't true, there is as much chance of this happening in the womb as it is in a birth pool, babies only take a breath of air (or cry) when they are out of water, so this is when they are birthed on land from broken waters or in the case of water births when they have been pulled from the water after birth. Babies live in water for 9 months and don't drown themselves, they are getting their oxygen via the umbilical cord. The only thing you have to be really careful of is if you have birthed the head you must make sure babies head stays below water during birth, if you move around too much and lift your bum out and baby gets a breath of air then you dunk back down then yes this is really bad, but birthing pools are deliberately deep and MWs trained to tell you to keep your bum down. This was all explained to me when I asked if I could give birth in a bath, where due to the shallower water this is more of a concern.

So no a baby will not cry straight from birth during a water birth until you have pulled them from the water. Otherwise hospitals wouldn't endorse is as a method of birth! If it has happened I would like to see the statistics and I would bet apart from being incredibly rare it would also be a case of not being supervised properly and baby not being kept underwater until the end of the birth.

Hospitals where I am don't allow them because this has happened. And my first son did take a breath before he was fully born. Babies are also surrounded by amniotic fluid not water before they are born which is sterile , which water in a labour tub isnt

To each there own but I don't believe it's safe, humans never would have given birth underwater naturally so seems of to me.

Oh and I don't doubt that your son cried before he was fully born, he was born on dry land which meant his lungs sensed air, this is my point and why when we birth in water we have to stay submerged, when my son was born he was emerged in water so he didn't cry until after he born fully and then pulled from the water, if your son had of been born in water he wouldn't have cried half way out.

 

[Mrs Doddy]

My h is paranoid about this - baby not being able to breathe and drowning - I've tried to explain it to him and he is insisting if I have a water birth I have to get out for the end !

I've watched u tube videos and am sure that if it wasn't safe you would be made to get out for the delivery.

Hope things will be different this birth !

 

[beetroot]

I've had 2 water births at home and they were both amazing! I wasn't allowed in til I was 5 cms dilated and, boy did it feel good! Instant relaxation! On my 2nd labour I took 5 hrs to get from 4-6 cms, once in the pool, I took 2hrs to get from 6cm-birth. The pool definitely helped my body do its job!
To the pp who said babies will drown, my first baby's head was in the water for 20 mins before I got his body out. His shoulder was stuck, but he gave a wiggle, I changed positions and out he came, and I had a tiny graze. He was perfect!
I would def recommend a water birth, so try it, if you don't like it, you can get out. Good luck!

 

[xx~Lor~xx]

I laboured in the water for my first child, but had to get out due to meconium in her waters.

Despite meconium in children two and three, there was no time to get me out after the waters broke and baby was arriving soo... I got my water births for two and three I absolutely loved my water births, I felt so much more calm, and felt I could move around easier into different positions that I found comfortable. If baths are calming for you, then you will love a water birth IMO. I would do it all again in a birthing pool in a heartbeat. (You can read my birth stories from my signature if you want a long version )

 

[Mummymoo_x]

I really want a water birth. Mainly because I think it will ease the pain & make me feel comfortable....does anybody know if you could go into the water purely for pain relief purposes and then give birth out the pool? I wasnt planning on this just curious?

 

[Pearls18]

I really want a water birth. Mainly because I think it will ease the pain & make me feel comfortable....does anybody know if you could go into the water purely for pain relief purposes and then give birth out the pool? I wasnt planning on this just curious?

Absolutely, some women just have baths during labour to help, this was what was in my birth plan, when I got in the pool it was only then I thought "yup not getting out of here until I've had my baby lol" but originally I was only going to get in to help with pain relief (as lame as it sounds I was worried about pooing in the pool ) but I was so comfortable I knew I wanted to carry on and the MW just explained the procedure then and there. I then had to get out to deliver the placenta as that was hospital procedure, I haven't decided where I will deliver placenta yet this time, research isn't totally decided. But yeah course you can, some women get in and don't like it, others just as you say don't fancy doing the birth bit in it