Due to it’s benefits, waterbirth has become increasingly popular with expectant families in the recent years. Let’s explore the benefits and possible disadvantages as well as practicalities a little further.
The Benefits of waterbirth:
- Contractions will more comfortable
- No known side effects on baby or mum
- The warm water helps you to relax
- Being relaxed helps your body to produce more endorphins (natural pain killers)
- Being relaxed helps your body to produce more oxytocin (makes your contractions more efficient)
- Less need for medical pain relief
- Less need for drugs that accelerate labour
- Shorter labour
- Added privacy
- Water supports your weight and makes you feel more comfortable and it will be easier for you to move and change positions.
- You are more likely to achieve an unassisted vaginal birth
- The birth is more gentle for your baby
- Breastfeeding can be encouraged immediately
- Reduced tearing as the water relaxes you and softens the perineum (the area between your vagina and anus).
- A more enjoyable experience of labour and birth
Other comfort measures which can be used alongside/inside the pool:
- Entonox (aka Gas & Air)
- Hypnotherapy
- Aromatherapy
Possible disadvantages:
- Not suitable for everyone—under certain circumstances using water for labour / birth may not be recommended
- Not available everywhere—your local birth unit or hospital may have limited or no pools
- To hire or buy a birth pool for a homebirth can be expensive
- Your home / hot water system may not be suitable for a pool
Other comfort measures which CANNOT be used inside the pool:
- Tens machine – however, you can use your tens machine until you enter the pool!
- Epidural
- Opioids
Buying or hiring a pool for your homebirth?
There are many different suppliers and manufacturers. In my over 10 years of experiences in the birth world, I found that the pools from ‘Birth Pool in a box’ get the best reviews. Seek out your local homebirth group (if there is one). They may have a free or reduced-cost pool hire scheme. If you are looking to buy a birth pool or have hired or borrowed one and need further equipment, get 10% off everything at the Birth Pool in a Box shop! (Please note, this is an affiliate link!)
References and further reading:
- Birthplace in England Collaborative Group, Perinatal and maternal outcomes by planned place of birth for healthy women with low risk pregnancies: the Birthplace in England national prospective cohort study, BMJ 2011;343:d7400 (2011)
- Care Quality Commission, Women’s experiences of maternity care in England: Key findings from the 2013 NHS trust survey (2013)
- Cluett ER, Burns E, Immersion in water in labour and birth, Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews 2009, Issue 2. Art. No.: CD000111. DOI: 10.1002/14651858.CD000111.pub3. (2009)
- National Collaborating Centre for Women’s and Children’s Health, Intrapartum care: care of healthy women and their babies during childbirth. NICE Clinical Guideline 190,London: National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (2014)