Thanks to its many benefits, waterbirth has become increasingly popular with expectant families in recent years. Let’s explore the benefits, the possible disadvantages and some of the practicalities.
The benefits of waterbirth
- Contractions feel more comfortable
- No known side effects for baby or mum
- The warm water helps you relax
- Being relaxed helps your body produce more endorphins (natural painkillers)
- Being relaxed helps your body produce more oxytocin (which makes contractions more effective)
- Less need for medical pain relief
- Less need for drugs to speed up labour
- Shorter labour
- Added privacy
- The water supports your weight, so you feel more comfortable and can move and change position more easily
- You are more likely to have an unassisted vaginal birth
- A gentler birth for your baby
- Breastfeeding can start straight away
- Less 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
Comfort measures you can use in or alongside the pool
- Entonox (gas and air)
- Hypnobirthing
- Aromatherapy
Comfort measures you CANNOT use in the pool
- TENS machine – although you can use it until you get into the pool!
- Epidural
- Opioids
Possible disadvantages
- Not suitable for everyone – in some circumstances, using water for labour and birth may not be recommended
- Not available everywhere – your local birth unit or hospital may have few or no pools
- Hiring or buying a birth pool for a home birth can be expensive
- Your home or hot water system may not be suitable for a pool
Buying or hiring a pool for your home birth?
There are many different suppliers and manufacturers. In my 10+ years in the birth world, I’ve found that pools from Birth Pool in a Box get the best reviews. Look out for a local home birth group, as some have free or low-cost pool hire schemes. If you’re buying a birth pool, or have hired or borrowed one and need extra equipment, get 10% off everything at the Birth Pool in a Box shop! (Please note: this is an affiliate link.)
Want a smile? Read my husband’s story of our waterbirth in the kitchen!
Online Birth Preparation Course only £35!
Please also check out my online course! No videos, just text and images to learn in your own time. Includes hypnobirthing mp3s, scripts, workbook, handouts, infographics and much more! Lots and lots of information at your fingertips! Includes:
- hypnobirthing mp3s
- hypnobirthing scripts
- written information
- infographics and other imagery
- printable handouts
- printable workbook/journal
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 Institute for Health and Care Excellence, Intrapartum care. NICE guideline NG235, London: NICE (2023)