More and more expectant mothers are planning to give birth without the use of any drugs and are instead turning to more “natural methods” of pain control. One way many ladies find they are able to go through birth without intervention is by using a birth pool. Many hospitals offer this service now but it is worth doing some research before deciding on whether to go down this route.
Firstly they will need to find out whether the hospital they intend to give birth in can provide a water birth, many do but they will need to have midwives who are trained to help ladies use a birth pool. Ladies who want a water birth but don’t wish to deliver their baby in hospital or who are unable to access a hospital offering this service can hire or buy their own birth pool. Once they have established that they will be able to use a birth pool the expectant mother then needs to decide how she wants to use it – will she want to just use it for pain relief in the initial stages of labour or will she actually want to give birth in the water? This should be discussed with the midwife.
There is much debate about when is the best time to get into the water. If it’s a home birth it will be entirely up to the expectant mother and getting in early can help with back ache and pain relief in early labour. Warm water will soothe the back and help with relaxation and the lady can get in and out as it suits her. In many hospitals ladies are only allowed into the water once they are around 5 cm dilated, this is because there is one school of thought that the water can actually slow labour down but other hospitals are happy for the lady to use the birth pool however she decides. In any case the water should be changed every 24 hours or so.
Generally midwives will not get into the birthing pool and although in some cases birthing partners are allowed it is usually just the expectant mother in there. The midwife should monitor the water temperature, suggest positions, check the baby’s heartbeat and carry out all the usual checks during labour. They will also encourage the mother to get out and empty her bladder as often as necessary and may use this opportunity to check the cervix before she gets back in the birth pool.
The mother will be in control at all times and can decide whether to actually deliver in the water, this is perfectly safe as the baby will not breathe until he feels the air on his face and he will still be getting oxygen via the umbilical cord. It has been reported that generally babies born into water pools do not cry out as loudly after birth as they are not suddenly going from a liquid to an air environment.
Water births have been shown to be just as safe as other types of births and providing the mother has done her research and decided on her birth plan then using a birth pool may well lead to a less traumatic and more “natural” birth for both mother and baby.
