Waterbirth article - mental, right?

[hunkermunker]

DS was a waterbirth and this man is mad, IMO

[Spacecadet]

blimey, thats a bit controversial, i always beleived that it was only dangerous for the baby if the mother got up out of the water while the head was emerging and the got back in, i was always under the impression that awater birth was a far nicer experience for a baby.

[Pruni]

Message withdrawn

[hunkermunker]

If the water's not body temperature, they may gasp. But the midwives are very careful to keep the water hot enough.

[dinny]

Hmmmm, but it is impossible to forsee a lot of complications in delivery. Had shoulder dystocia with ds and dread to think what could have happened if I had stayed in pool (fortunately didn't like being in water!) You were lucky ds was a straightforward delivery, HM If I were to have another baby (no way! } and felt I wanted to be in water during labour I would definitely not try to deliver in there.

[Spacecadet]

there have been a couple of rare incidences where baies have drowned, but i add, very, very rare.one particular doctor whose name escapes me , but i think is leboyer, who was an advocate of natural birth , said that the birth experience was the most traumatic thing a baby would experience ever, and equated a newborns first cries as screams of terror, interesting stuff, hewas all for as natural birth as possible to ease a newborns passage into the world, would like to add though that dd1 was a birth that went wrong, she nearly died and was dragged out by forceps, yet she apperas unscathed shes now 13 and does exceptionally well at school, so that doctors theory about traumatised babies who may well not do so well at school is blown out of the water

[hunkermunker]

God, totally agree that if you have complications during delivery, water's not the place to be!

If I do have another baby, I will have a waterbirth, if everything's going swimmingly (pun intended).

I wonder if you had a sixth sense that something would complicate things, Dinny - another friend of mine said similar about a waterbirth (which she wanted before the birth) and had a forceps delivery.

[hunkermunker]

Must be something about this subject and puns...

[Spacecadet]

dinny i had shoulder dysticia with my ds2, and as you say no one knew that would happen, was awaful.

[Spacecadet]

rofl hunkermumker!!!!!!!!!

[hunkermunker]

I do realise I was very lucky with DS - except for the second degree tear...and if water is meant to make tearing less likely/less severe...

[dinny]

So scary isn't it, Spacecadet

HM, the thing is, there were no complications in delivery until right at the end (ie. the head crowns but shoulders get stuck under pubic bone). Luckily ds was easily freed by MWs really fast but if I'd been in water... (and there's no way of predicting it happening, iyswim. That's taught me that however smoothly labour seems to be going it is incrdeibly unpredictable and things can and do go wrong. What I am trying to say is that my labour was a "low-risk" second labour, going REALLY smoothly, didn't need any pain relief, speedy but not too fast, in control - then BAM. Out of the blue he got stuck.
Maybe it was a sixth sense, not liking water...

[dinny]

Lockets, my mw said afterwards that it's not really talked about too much antenatally as they don't want to terrify pg women but it is pretty common and potentially v serious. And completely unpredictable.

[hunkermunker]

Bloody hell, Dinny

[happymerryberries]

Funny thing, and not on the same topic but a 'sixth sense' thing.

I had an emergency section for dd and was offered a VBAC with number 2 and declined. As it happend he was a footling breech anyway. When the surgion did the op he told me that my scar was 'Very, very thin' and it was a damn good thing I'd not opted for a trial of labour. Funny thing!

[dinny]

prob does make tearing less severe, HM - more relaxing. that was a definite attarction for me but I didn't tear at all. and I definitely was NOT relaxed the first time!

[dinny]

Still makes me nearly throw up with fear when I think about it. DS's face was bruised black and blue from being stuck - my little prize fighter!

[hunkermunker]

I was desperate to get in the water and it did really help with the pain (well, it must've done - I didn't have anything else for it!). The tearing thing, well, we won't go there...too vile for words!

[hunkermunker]

Lockets!

Not surprised, Dinny, I'd have been terrified.

[dinny]

HMB - wow, definitely sixth sense going on there!

[happymerryberries]

Dinny, when that , a 48 hour labour and me being a total jessy when it comes to pain

[dinny]

Had big bath with dd (wasn't allowed pool as she was pre-term). Got in and it strengthened contractions sooo much - felt really out of control. I just like standing up