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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

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Original poster

About Water birth?

55 replies

Jumbledletters · 18/12/2018 22:38

30 weeks pregnant with first baby and probably need to start thinking about this stuff.

Toying with the idea of a water birth but can’t shake a (probably daft) feeling I have...
Do midwives secretly find it a pain when delivering a water birth?!

Does a water birth make much difference to the overall ‘experience’ in terms of making it any more manageable??

OP posts:

Spamfrittersforeveryone · 18/12/2018 23:14

Am I the only woman alive that didn’t get any relief from a birthing pool??
I think maybe I left it too late. It just made me feel sick and hot and cold at once. I was gutted!

PenguinPandas · 18/12/2018 23:14

I don't think I wore anything either, was only DH, me and midwife though would imagine you could take t shirt if feel more comfortable.

NeedMoreSleepOrSugar · 18/12/2018 23:14

Water births are awesome. Dc1 it was such a lovely relaxed experience and definitely made pain very manageable with no drugs. Dc2 arrived incredibly quickly so didn't get to have water, but would definitely have done so if I could.

Only issue I had was (student) midwife kept asking me to get out of water for exams etc. When I finally asked could she not just do them with me in the water, or skip them unless necessary, it was soooooo much better! (Turned out she was nervous of exams in water, but was fine about doing it when i asked)

bananamonkey · 18/12/2018 23:14

I found it super helpful to manage the pain ((didn’t even need gas and air), I hadn’t planned on it but stayed in for 9 hours from examination to confirm I was in established labour to the end. Got out once for an examination and an in/out catheter as I hadn’t had a wee , couldn’t wait to get back in! Highly recommend it if you can.

PenguinPandas · 18/12/2018 23:15

I didn't get any pain relief but much pleasanter experience than induction.

NeedMoreSleepOrSugar · 18/12/2018 23:17

Oh, and I wore a tankini top which I whipped off when dd arrived for sin to shin and a feed. Although if I'd managed a water birth the second time I doubt I'd have bothered with the top at all

NeedMoreSleepOrSugar · 18/12/2018 23:17

Skin to skin!

Vampiratequeen · 18/12/2018 23:20

Do it, I wanted one for both of mine but couldn't because I had gestational diabetes with my first and was induced with my second, but with my second I was allowed to sit in the pool for a while to help ease contractions and it was amazing.

paddler78 · 18/12/2018 23:22

Water births with both of mine, one in hospital and one at home - both were amazing and I don't regret any moment, ask me anything x

FusionChefGeoff · 18/12/2018 23:23

If you do go for it, learn from my experience: I got in as soon as possible with DS1 then just chilled out, stopped moving and I failed to progress so ended up forced out of the pool at which point I screamed for an epidural then into theatre and finally forceps.

I think it was largely because I got in far too early and stopped moving.

DD2 I forced myself to wait out a few more contractions whilst pacing / hanging off DH then kept up movement of sorts in the pool and had a film worthy delivery

2isabella2 · 18/12/2018 23:23

My first I wasn't able to have a water birth but really loved my second labour in the pool. I was in there for 3.5 hours (was 6cm when I got in) and it was so calm. I caught the baby myself which was lovely. I wore a bikini. Took the bottoms off near the end and the top once I'd delivered.

I'd definitely recommend it if you're able to.

Woooman · 18/12/2018 23:34

I had a water birth with my second dc. My first labour was awful and ended up in a forceps delivery. Second labour was brilliant as my body seemed to know what to do this time and so I was able to have a water birth. It was a pretty quick labour (58 minutes) and got very intense very quickly. As they were filling up the pool I was in absolute agony and sat on a horrible wooden horse shoe shaped stool. I felt cold, shaky and the pain was like nothing I've experienced before. As soon as I got into the water I felt warm and calm. It didn't massively take the pain away but because I felt warm and weightless I don't even really remember the pain now where as the pain prior to that is still very much etched into my brain. For the record, I was definitely in pain whilst in the pool because I needed the gas and air with every contraction but I honestly don't remember it as much because I felt so much better once I was in the water. I loved my water birth and it was so lovely sat in the warm water holding my baby after he was born. I wore just a bra in the pool.

Westwing1 · 18/12/2018 23:43

My second child was water birth delivery. I was in the tub for an hour. Baby was in back to back position (more painful for me, no idea for baby!). I am pretty sure the water gave pain relief, I didn't even have gas and air. The mid-wife was very good and gave no indication that using the bath was a nuisance. My DH caught the baby as I was busy chatting to midwife who didn't expect baby quite so soon and didn't have her gloves on. This is my recollection of events. I am 51 now so it's all very hazy but I would say by all means have a birth plan but if on the day it changes to emergency cesarian just roll with it, baby isn't fussy how they are born.

Possibly tmi but I wore a yoga bra top and no undies, I did a poo which was scooped out discretely and do remember complaining about the flower shaped thermometer bobbing around which at the time made me v cranky!

Best of luck to you and try not to worry, it is a really short space of time, personally I found it very doable (maybe just lucky) it's just a few hours and you have a new human being at the end of it.

Sloegin2 · 18/12/2018 23:50

I’m also a midwife - really love water births. Had one myself and have been at countless others.

Ashana · 19/12/2018 00:00

I've got three kids and I had a water birth with all of them.

I found it so calming each time and I loved the fact that I could get into any kind of embarrassing positions in the water. I also liked the fact that a midwife stayed with me the whole time and provided one to one care, as they aren't allowed to leave you unattended in the water.

I wore an old baggy t-shirt each time as I didn't feel comfortable with going in naked!

Banana73 · 19/12/2018 00:06

I had a water birth with my second. It definitely was preferable to the first traumatic induction but it wasn’t a breeze and still involved lots of pain and icky stuff. I had a long time trying to deliver the placenta naturally (on a bed and over the loo) then stitches while in stirrups but still, the lovely experience of holding my baby without the after effects of induction and epidural was absolutely amazing!

garethsouthgatesmrs · 19/12/2018 00:12

Here's my perspective: I planned and hoped for a waterbirth withDS. i was in the water but it was just too painful so i chose stronger pain relief and gave birth on the bed.

For Dds 1 and 2 I had waterbirths which were wonderful and everything I had hoped for. I don't feel any sadness about not doing so with dS as I still have my wonderful DS so would just prepare yourself to accept whatever happens.

To answer your questions you can get in the pool whenever you want for however long. If your labour is long you will have to get out for them to refill the pool intermittently as they have to keep the temperature within a certain range. You can spend your whole labour in the pool or get in for the last hour, its up to you as long as the midiwives think you are safe. You can get in and out as much as you want and will need to get out to have a wee every now and then!

I actually delivered my girls myself (in the sense that i caught them as they were delivered and pulled them up to me the midwife literally just supervised) Waterbirths are fairly common these days, if you are going to a midwife led unit they will have loads of ladies who use the pool so dont worry about the midiwives it will be routine to them.

garethsouthgatesmrs · 19/12/2018 00:18

Sorry forgot this: I wore a bikini top and prepped DH to be by the pool with a towel to catch me if i needed a wee or something. By the end though I don't remember caring about the midwives seeing me naked.

It is still painful though and the water offers some (but not loads) of relief. You are relying mainly on mind over matter if you have a drug free labour.

Fifthtimelucky · 19/12/2018 00:39

I had a home waterbirth for my second. Don't think I wore anything but it was 19 years ago so can't remember all the details. It was a definite improvement on the first birth (in hospital and no water).

Midwife was brilliant, and she was joined by a student who was terribly excited as mine was the first labour she ever witnessed.

AmIRightOrAMeringue · 19/12/2018 01:29

I found it amazing for pain relief - much better than gas and air - but I found it did slow my labour down (I had mega slow labours anyway though)

I've heard one midwife say water births are fine as the lady is relaxed and that's all they care about, but she hates it when afterwards they refuse to get out and end up delivering the placenta in the water!

agnurse · 19/12/2018 01:30

Even if you decide not to actually give birth in the water, it can be fantastic for pain relief.

Mum had 6 births, all without pain meds. While birthing in a pool wasn't an option in the hospitals where we were born, her trick was to take a warm shower. She would put her hands against the walls and sway from side to side. She said it calms you and it calms the baby. She said with one of my brothers she was in there until she was about 9 cm or something - which is close to fully dilated, not to mention this wasn't her first baby! She only came out because they told her she had to as she was so close.

The only thing I know can be an issue with water births is that it can be hard to determine if you're bleeding. That said, you could come out of the tub once the baby is born - the midwife will want to examine you for tears anyway.

Notveryadventurousname · 19/12/2018 02:59

Totally recommend. Do get your midwife to check your iron levels meet the standard now though. Our hospital had a minimum level for a water birth and I had to work on mine with iron supplements for a few weeks beforehand to reach the right level. I couldn't have just decided on the day.

Comeymemo · 19/12/2018 03:05

Private door Midwife here and I flipping love waterbirths! The babies tend to be so calm and alert after birth as they haven't been affected by medications.

Actually, the current medical evidence is that epidurals have no impact on Agpar score. Please don’t scare women into water births by peddling myths about pain relief making babies drowsy. 🤨www.cochrane.org/CD000331/PREG_epidurals-pain-relief-labour

OP, I had a water birth for my first and it was incredibly painful and traumatic. I had an epidural for my second and it was bliss. I would chose an epidural again in a heartbeat.

Spamfrittersforeveryone · 20/12/2018 00:12

CalmConfident · 20/12/2018 00:21

2 waterbirths - awesome

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