Top 5 Benefits Of Birthing In Water
*Not medical advice*
Many hospitals now have birth pools but from what I understand this doesn’t mean to say they are always pro water birth. There is, for some reason, a fear around labouring and birthing in water, but based on what exactly?? I am yet to see a conclusive study, or anything of any real significance, that backs-up the often fearful response to a mothers request to have her baby in the comfort of water.
I’ll leave a link at the bottom to what is quite possibly the best letter ever written in response to a hospitals attitude towards water birth by ‘Yours faithfully, Mrs Fanny MacPerfect’.
This aside, here are my own top 5 benefits of giving birth in water:
1. Pain Relief
I really didn’t want to call this section ‘pain relief’ because I’d be assuming you were in fact going to be in pain during childbirth which of course isn’t always the case. But ‘relief from birth sensations’ didn’t really have a ring to it and unnecessarily long winded so I went with it.
In my experience of giving birth, both first and second time around, not once was I in any pain. Yes, contractions (surges) are powerful and all-consuming at times, but they were not painful. It’s a bit like doing a serious workout, your body is using everything it’s got and just when you think you couldn’t do another single push-up your body shouts… and again! But guess what, after doing that final push-up you didn’t think you had the energy for, your baby is then in your arms and looking back at you. That’s a much better reward for your hard work than a sweat filled sports bra and a wink from the creepy weirdo at the back as you pull your leggings out your sweaty butt crack.
I digress.
Personally, I found the sensation of getting into the pool to be a total relief in labour. It felt amazing. I love nothing more than running a nice warm bath of an evening, closing my eyes and just taking in the moment of calm and quiet. It doesn’t often happen in our household, so I make the most of it when it does happen. That’s what the pool felt like for me when I was in labour. A soothing bath for me to relax into and reward my body for all the hard work it was doing.
2. Freedom of Movement
Another thing I loved about getting into the pool was how I was able to move more freely. In the last weeks of pregnancy, you can often feel like a beached whale. Rolling over in bed is an ordeal, sitting at the dinner table is a squeeze and you can forget tying shoelaces. After weeks of feeling like this I could finally, properly, move! The beached whale was in her element. The water acted like a support for my huge belly, relieving the pressure from my joints and back. You can get into different positions and move around a lot more freely in water than you can do on land. Depending on where your baby is in your pelvis, as she descends you will naturally and instinctively move around, wriggling her into the position she needs to move into. The pool definitely gave me more freedom of movement to do what felt good for me at the time.
3. Rest
One of the first things I did when I got in the pool was to stretch my legs out backwards and lean over the side. It was so nice to be able to rest at a comfortable height with my husband kneeling right there with me. From there we could easily cuddle, feeling that love and comfort (come on oxytocin!!) which is SO important in childbirth. Loads of oxytocin = great contractions. The pool also had handles on it, which I used for support both in and out of the pool. I started to bear down (feeling like I wanted to push!) before I even got in the pool, so the handles were very handy!
4. Warm Water Benefits
Going back to our exercise class, the first thing you always do is warm up and stretch. If your muscles are cold and stiff, you’re more likely to cause yourself some damage. The same applies to your perineum (the section between your vagina hole and your booty hole!). If your baby was to come out super quick, before giving your perineum time to warm up and stretch you’re more likely to cause that area some damage.
The official Cochrane report states:
“In healthy women at low risk of complications there is moderate to low-quality evidence that water immersion during the first stage of labour probably has little effect on mode of birth or perineal trauma, but may reduce the use of regional analgesia.”
So, there is no real evidence to confirm or even suggest that water immersion reduces your likelihood of tearing but in my opinion, it just makes sense. If that area is warm, getting better blood flow and oxygen there will aid the stretching process. I had a second-degree tear with my first but not at all with my second.
5. Privacy
I feel like the big pool of water around you can act much like a huge privacy skirt. Like I’ve referenced in my previous posts, it’s super important for a woman in labour to feel safe! Like any other birthing mammal, if you feel watched you’ll want to hide and get some privacy. In this sense the pool can create a natural barrier between you and unwanted prodding and poking so you can just get on and do your thing, in your own space, without interference.
These are just some of the reasons why I personally loved giving birth in water. If you don’t have, or don’t want to have, a birth pool you can get the same kind of benefits from running a bath! You won’t have as much space of course, but it’s certainly an option too. I hope this helps you in making a decision that is right for you, wishing you a beautiful birthing experience Mamma.
Remember to follow me on Instagram @thebirthcoach and tag me in your pregnancy posts! I love hearing how Mammas are getting on. And as always, if you need any support – you know where I am. DM’s are always open to you!
And as promised….
>> Heres the link to AIMS ‘How to get a water birth’ letter – enjoy.
https://www.aims.org.uk/journal/item/how-to-get-a-water-birth