It was during the 1970’s that a famous obstetrician called Michel Odent was first to pioneer water birth in France.  He encouraged women to use water as means of pain relief and to birth their baby in.  Unfortunately, in Britain today and many other countries, water birth is quite rare.

In 2003, the House of Commons recommended that a water birth facility should be offered as a form of choice to women.

What are the benefits of labouring in water?

The buoyancy of the water allows you to get into different positions in the pool.  Many women adopt a kneeling position, all fours and squat position.  These positions all optimise foetal positioning which is necessary to encourage labour to progress.

The water alleviates pain and therefore women feel more relaxed

Aromatherapy maybe offered selected pure essentials oils maybe used in the pool.

Entonox (laughing gas) can be used whilst in the pool

The birth of your baby is more intimate, hands are kept off the baby unless necessary, giving you or your partner the pleasure of bringing your baby up from the water and into the world.

The birthing pool offers women an environment where she instinctively feels safe and in control.  This positive experience brings greater emotional well being postnatally.

There are studies that conclude labour is shorter and with fewer interventions, decreasing in the need for pharmacological pain relief and less perineal trauma.

Some suggested reasons why water birth may not be recommended,
(This depends on your independent midwives practice or your local unit guidelines)

• Premature labour (before 37 weeks)
• Multiple Pregnancies
• Medical Conditions
• Baby is not cephalic (head down.)
• Certain forms of pain relief – TENS, Epidural
• Baby is considered to be at risk -  diagnosed medical problems,
  Heart beat pattern is unusual.
• Excessive bleeding
• Placenta Praevia

My Water Birth Story

After having a positive birth with my first son Jack, I decided to have baby number 2 at home in water.  My community midwife was very supportive of my decision.  At 38 weeks my pool arrived, dominating the living room!  I had a hexagonal pool with a solid frame requiring time to be assembled.  (Luckily now birthing pools are inflatable).  Eight days passed my due date, labour started at 03.30.  I woke my husband James to tell him to start filling the pool.  The contractions were coming every three minutes straight away.  My instinct was to be on my own, so I stayed up stairs.  One hour later I could not hear the sound of the pool filling.  I called down and asked how the pool was going, to be told “I’m just re-reading through the instructions love, but don’t worry the midwife is on her way”
I was not very impressed, but as I was in strong labour I had no energy to show my disappointment.  To cut a long story short, I was ready to push before my pool was ready.  The midwives were encouraging me to get in lots of positions to try and slow the birth down.  My pool was finally ready, five minutes later my second son Tom was born under water.  He was so calm.

Tom                03.04.00                     05.30

Baby number three, I was determined to labour this time in the pool.  I was fortunate to have the same group of midwives caring for me.  Just as before my pool was up and ready at 38 weeks, I made sure James knew how to fill the pool up this time.

My labour started in the day around 14.00 just after watching Jack at his nativity play.  I was out Christmas shopping with my mum.  The contractions were painful but irregular.  We made our way home and I carried on normal, doing the school run, making dinner and cleaning the house.  Jack had a panto to go to with James and they both returned home at 22.00.  By now my pool was filling.  The contractions were five minutes apart, but we thought or (rather James thought) a sleep before it all gets going might be good.  Laying down increased the contractions and made them more painful.  Within in half an hour I was contracting every two minutes.  We rang to the midwife and James went to collect my mum, whilst I hovered! By 02.30 we had a house full: two midwives, my mum and my mother in law.  The atmosphere was full of excitement, but everyone talked quietly, the lights were dimmed and the radio was playing quietly in the background.

The water pool was wonderful, the warmth helped me with the contractions, I felt safe and in my own cocoon.  The water gave me the feeling of being in control, with no interventions.  When the urges to push became too much to ignore, I adopted different positions making it more comfortable.  I had been suffering with SPD (symphis pubic dysfunction), so found certain positions quite uncomfortable.  My little girl was born after a few pushes, she was alert and calm.  We stayed in the pool for twenty minutes.  That time was magical – just the two of us. 

Amy                15.12.01                     04.56

Nanette Barrett.