What's a water birth like?

[ohnororo]

I'm 33 weeks and hoping for a water birth in a birth centre attached to my hospital (Queen Charlottes). This is my first baby and my OH thinks I'm overestimating my pain threshold and should plan for an epidural!
I'd love to read some first hand experience of using a birthing pool.
How far into labour do you go before you get in? Does the pool become full of blood? Do you need to get out right away after delivery? Can your baby be placed on your chest while you're still in there? Do you deliver placenta etc while still in there?

I had DS 3 years ago in the birthing pool at St thomas' and plan do have this baby in the same way in a few weeks. Don't think i could give birth on thew bed.

I got into the pool as i started to bare(sp?)
down. I didn't have any pain relief. You can have gas and air. Although it was still painful i felt more relaxed than when out of the water. DS popped out asleep and was placed straight on my chest.

Don't remember it filling with blood and i delivered the placenta in the water too.

Sorry i'm being really blunt and to the point, i'm soooo tired but hope it helps.

I was allowed into the pool once I was 6cm. It was a lovely feeling getting into a very warm bath after a slow latent phase. I continued to use gas and air until DD was delivered. I think they don't like you to get in too early as they don't really want you in there for a long time but I was asked to get in and out to wee to make sure urine output was still ok. Monitoring was done via a handheld doppler and after a while I was passed this by the midwife and located the heartbeat myself. The pool does offer a lot of relief and I had hoped to use it again for the birth of my DS - 4 days old but labour was only 1hr 15 mins! You can use the pool for relief without planning to give birth in it and you can still use it 2 hours after pethidene has been given if you want to. My DH is awful with blood and so we were worried about how it would look after I had given birth. My recollection is that it was a little bloody at first - no problem staying in there and having skin to skin or delivering your placenta in there although obviously that will increase the amount of blood in the pool. I had to get out quite quickly as the cord was short and I was finding it difficult to hold the baby out of the water, I also had a tear which was bleeding quite badly. If you want a water birth then I personally couldn't recommend it enough. It was a calm and relaxing environment and I am sure it helped with the pain. Just remember that Birth plans don't mean that things will necessarily progress that way and don't be afraid to change your mind and ask for any pain relief you may need. Good luck.xx

I have had all 3DS in water and I liked the fact you felt weightless and could move freely in between contractions.
I have a terrible pain threshold. I passed out once cutting my finger. But some primal instinct kicks in when giving birth and you get through it.
I was allowed in from 4 cms but luckily I'm quite quick from that point.
DS1 head was out for a good 10 minutes under water which was weird before I pushed him out.
You CANNOT touch the baby while pushing as it no longer gives them the ability to breathe under water. (so I kept being told)
It was nice sitting holding the babies under the water until the cord stopped pulsating. It took me ages to deliver the placenta so I done that on dry land.
There is bits floating in thw water but at the time it doesnt really bother you.
Typical man though...my DH has told EVERYONE how great it was that the midwife used a sieve to catch the pooh!!!
I would definately recommend then but I have nothing to compare them against

Good luck

i laboured in the pool with ds2, but we had trouble getting temp right so came out to deliver him
water was LOVELY.

had ds3 in the pool, but only just got in between hideous contractions and had him on the next contraction

yes, the pool can become quite bloody, but you don't really notice.
can't really answer your other questions as i was at home with dp when I had ds3, so I spent quite a while cuddling him in the pool until the ambulance arrived.
i got out to deliver placenta though, cos i guess they don't want to be fishing around in the pool for it! lol

i would highly recommend it to anyone

i had my first on dry land and it was a long drawn out process and i had extended episiotomy and laods of stitches after, had a much faster labour 2nd time (4hrs 30 all told) and was in the pool 2 hrs and for delivery - it was 100% better thanmy first experience, the pool wasnt particularly bloody until after delivery then when the air got to my bits as i stood up to get out to deliver the placenta it looked like a blood bath but at this pont i just wanted someeon to cut dh's fave t shirt off me. I delivered placenta on dry land which revealed my nice 3rd degree tear i was totally unaware had even happened. Go for it.

I have 3dc first at birth centre with g&a 2nd dd at home with g&a

3rd birth centre again in birthing pool (just)

I found it helped with the pain loads..i had such intense back pain in labour could have never laid down. Had dd1 on a birthing stool, dd2 on all fours..nice!
ds1 in the pool kind of high kneeling leaning over the edge

The difference it made for me was massive dispite only being in there for a short time (only arrived at the birthing cente 25min before he was born) It really relieved the back pain and ds was given straight to me while still in the pool awww wish i could get that moment back. Delivered placenta in pool aswell. Not much blood at all but i imagine thats different for different labours but like this is yest said you prob wouldnt really notice

Personally dispite the pain i cant imagine having an epidural, cant imagine being able to push out the baby if i couldnt feel anything.

I got into a birthing pool at 7cm with DD1 and it was fab, fab, fab. Pool plus gas and air was bliss. Could take the weight off my legs and gas and air numbed the pain enough to deal with. 5 hours later I had to get out as my second stage wasn't progressing. DC2 due in 6 days and this time I hope to be able to give birth in water this time.

this is me with ds3 so actually, not that much blood

oh and re: pain threshold.
with my first i had everyhting. gas and air, pethidine and epidural

so, i was a bit worried the next time that i wouldn't be able to cope with the pain, but it was fine!

Thisisyesterday..gorgeous pic, my biggest regret that we didnt take one while i was in the pool was all so quick and sudden the camera was still in my bag

yeah i didn't get any really newborn pics for ds1 or ds2 either.

it was a bit bizarre ds3's birth tbh! but i did remember to get a pic lol

Thanks so much for the feedback, I feel even more convinced a water birth is the right choice for us.

i got in the pool at 5cm and it was instant bliss. used gas and air as well. had radio 3 on all through the night and it was really peaceful. unfortunately i didn't prgogress and ended up in theatre with forceps,but that was becaudse ds was back to back, not because of the pool. definitelt recommend it.

I had my first baby in the water right there at the QC birth centre. It was a fantastic experience. Tell your OH to keep his thoughts about epidurals to himself - you can always transfer to the hospital bit if things end up going that way, but why plan for it?Natal hypno CDs might help with positive thinking if you fancy them...

For me, i was able to hop into the pool as soon as I arrived there. There was very little blood/muck in the pool. I got out for the third stage (delivering placenta) and flopped on some beanbags, so that the mw could keep an eye on blood loss at that point, but it's not necessary to do that, you can do 3rd stage in water if you wish. I laboured in a kneeling position, then as DS's body came out, the mw suggested I kneel back and catch him myself, so I picked him up and cuddled him to my chest for several minutes before anyone else laid a hand on him. They did obs, weighing etc in a very gentle, unintrusive fashion.
My DP stayed with us overnight, DS was never away from us (never even got a little wristband!), and we came home the next morning. I really recommend giving it a go, I was cynical and doubted my ability to do it without drugs, and really had a wonderful time.

Puddock - what a lovely birth story. I hope I'm as lucky, would love to be the first to hold baby!

I have been feeling a little sad about the prospect of DP having to leave us after the birth, is it usual for partners to be able to stay at the birth centre? You didn't go into a ward after the birth?

No, no talk of moving to ward for me. I was lucky in lots of ways. We moved from the room with the pool to another delivery room, and the three of us stayed in there overnight until we were discharged. It was quiet and it was also a couple of years ago now, so things might have changed.
I'm very glad DP could stay; DS was sleepy for a few hours, then as it got dark I had a much-deserved sleep while DS got much more lively and, apparently, spent the next several hours alternating between bringing up amniotic fluid and dozing on DP's chest. DP says he thought he'd never stop puking, am not sorry to have missed that part .
Good luck!

This might be a daft question but anyway:
what do people generally wear for a water birth (if anything) e.g. naked, T-shirt/vest top, bikini top?

I would prob prefer not to wear anything but don't want to do that if everyone always wears a top of some kind?

I wore a tankini for my water births.

The water itself is not a ain killer, but the bouyancy does help with your mobility and allows you to get into a comfortable position.

The water did fill with blood, but then I had bled a lot. I did hold my dd1 straight afterwards while still being in the pool, but I was so exhasted I was scared of dropping her. It was hard to get out of the poll afterwards.

I didn't use gas and air.

I had a lovely waterbirth 3 weeks ago and would def recommend it as i also felt that i would not be able to cope without an epdural.I stayed home for most of my labour and spent the day in the bath, the pain was bad but not unbearable and by the time i got to hospital i was already 10cm dialated.Midwife asked if i wanted to get into the water in the nbc and as i had spent the day in the bath anyway thought why not. The room was lovely and getting into water really takes the edge off the pain, 30 mins later DD is born and i pulled her out myself and placed her onto my chest, she was so peaceful and content and it was such an amazing experience for me and dp.Midwife didnt touch her for at least 2hrs, cord was attached for 1hr and delivered placenta out of the water, the best part for us was being able to go home 4 hours after the birth with DS waiting at the front door to meet his baby sister. Best experience ever and would def do it again.