waterbirth

[babybritjo]

Hi, contemplating waterbirth. any advice??
Thanks

Marking place as I'd like to hear it too...

go for it, I've had three they are great

Go for it. does not stop the pain but makes it a whole lot more bearable and helps support your weight. Great when all you want to do is be on all 4s.

Stick fricking hurts!
What do you want to know. If you do a search there have been quite a few previous threads which might help.

Still fricking hurts!

interested as the only "comfy" position i can get in at the mo is all 4's and the prospect of floating in water relaxes me loads! My hospital offer waterbirth so is deffinately something i would try, even if not giving birth in water but just relaxation till the time comes.
I'll expect it too hurt like crazy but willing toi give everything a go. not too keen on medical pain relief but this is my first so no experience of what it feels like. if needs must i will scream epidural but as natural as poss would be great!

you can still have G&A in water.

That is also a positive. i'm fine with G&A. Floating in a warm bath on G&A is a huge positive :o
also, what did anyone wear in the pool. my MW has said best to be nude but im not so sure about flopping about in my glory....advice??

i was in the pool for a while just before i actually gave birth it was really relaxing and theraputic but i gave in when the pain got too much. my baby was back to back and his heart rate dropped ended up getting the ventouse so was a good job i did get out but i would def recomend it for the sheer relaxation aspect of things, it helps you to chill a little... good luck anyway, i wish you a smooth and quick labour!

I didn't use G&A in the pool, was worried it would freak me out too much. I wore nothing, you won't care I'm sure!

id definitely recommend it, felt lovely when I got in at 7cm. Only had one baby so don't know how it compares but it felt very natural and calm, although still flipping hurt!

I wore a bikini top (for some modesty and handy for the immediately-after-birth pics!). my best recommendation tho is one of those inflatable pillows you can get for on the aeroplane to support your head/neck for what could be a few hours- bloody marvellous. Midwives said I looked like I was on holiday!

I'm interested here too. Does anyone have experience of water birth in hospital, if so, what was it like? Did you have to be really lucky to get to use the pool?

I was planning on one but the birth centre was FULL! End of that idea

Go for it, but if you aren't doing it at home have a plan b.

yukana once you are in pool you need mw with you all the time. So pool on delivery suite was unavailable unless you had your own mw or they were very quiet.

I had a waterbirth with DC2 - it was marvellous. I wasn't in the UK so didn't have problems with availability ( I very luckily had one to one midwife care anyway). It really helped me relax - before I got in I was really uncomfortable in any position apart from all fours. I floated with each contraction/push whilst DP held onto my shoulders to stop me floating away.... Am sure it speeded everything up - I got in at 7cm and baby was there 45 minutes later with only a few pushes (caveat that I had a fast first labour). Only downside was that I couldn't manage to float and get G&A into my mouth, but I'm not very co-ordinated at the best of times.

Lulabel, i have packed my bikini top in my hosp bag, DH thinks im crazy!! I say Prepared :o
Hiphop, the birth center at my hosp has 2 pools and both times i have visited they have been empty but my luck will be they are full when i go in! Some of the rooms have a bath so my plan b is to try get a bath, for relaxation not an actual waterbirth....plan c....well all out pain relief

I had a waterbirth at home. That way I knew the pool was definitely available!
I managed on TENS machine for a number of hours and got in the pool for the last hour and a half of labour. I stayed on my knees and leaned on the side of the pool. My fab midwife only arrived at my home after I'd been in the pool for 40 mins as I'd gone from 1cm at 1.15am to having the urge to push at 5.30am! (quick phone call to labour ward needed!) I asked her to check I was fully dilated and I just stood up and she had a rummage and I sat back down. She confirmed the baby's head was right there and asked me to push. The baby was born about 20 or 30 mins later with me still on my knees. There was a massive gap between her head coming out and then the next contraction for her body. Then she slithered out onto the bottom of the pool (local health trust has a no touch policy for waterbirth). The MW said "pick up your baby!" so I scooped her up and cuddled her and had a look. She breathed and pinked up but didn't cry.
The MWs suggested I got out to deliver the placenta. They prepared a place on the sofa for me covered in waterproof mats and towels. I leapt out the pool still holding my baby (felt great!) and we were wrapped up. Placenta took about 45 mins - I asked for the injection in the end. I needed a few stitches for a 2nd tear.
A friend + MWs cleared everything up and there was only 1 spot of blood on the carpet.

I had a waterbirth in hospital and it was warm and fuzzy experience. I think the labour ward was quite quiet that morning but I did ask them the reserve the bath when I phoned up in advance (we'd run out of hot water at home).
Apart from the delivery, obviously, we didn't have a midwife with us all the time, which suited me fine - although I was only in there about 45mins before I delivered. I can't sit or lie down in labour so the bath (with gas and air for pain relief) was brilliant for me and I almost enjoyed it... if that's possible. DD was born 1min 30secs after my waters broke and I was home by lunchtime - warm and fuzzy all the way.

On the negative, I'll definitely be taking something to kneel on because I found the bath a bit hard on my knees. And the water does have to be body temperature for the delivery, which (in Jan and for me) was a bit chilly so the midwife heated the water up a bit and then cooled the bath just before DD was born, which I watched via a mirror on the bottom of the bath. And I hate NHS hard, teatowel-sized towels and will take an old, fluffy bathsheet with me this time and chuck it away afterwards if necessary. You have to get out of the bath to deliver the placenta (hence the need for a big towel to cover naked bits).

Hoping to get the bath this time, too, but trying not to get my hopes up.

*monkee I delivered the placenta in the pool! We hadn't even cut the cord yet when it came out.
with DS I was in the pool for 6 hours but ended up giving birth on dry land.
DD was born under water. It was a very hard delivery and I think if I hadn't been in the pool I would not have got through with just g&a!

Thanks QueenofDreams I'll add that information to my birth plan. I really hope that I get another waterbirth this time round but I guess it's just luck.

It is the usual practice to deliver the placenta out of the pool (in the NHS at least) due to the non-existent possibility of a water embolism. Don't get me started on that shite. However, we have had a few cases of retained placenta with water births recently and I'm sure that's related to getting out of a lovely warm pool into the cold air for the third stage. It is a known down side of water births so read around & see what you think. If the midwife is happy to have the third stage in the pool, so much the better as the idea of going to theatre after a lovely water birth would be awful!

Thanks reikizen I will ask but actually it didn't bother me getting out the pool to deliver the placenta; as the midwife and DH had taken our daughter to check her over (she was perfect). But I was a bit chilly and wanted a big, big towel to wrap myself up.