"You'll deliver your own baby in water"

[stella1w]

Had a lovely home visit from midwife who was v supportive about home birth and water birth but she said something in passing that I don't understand.

She said if I delivered in water, I would be delivering my own baby into my hands. I kind of understand that logistically, no one else can get there, and I can understand feeling the head come out, but doesn't the midwife have to grab under the shoulders to get the whole baby out, or will he just slip out completely underwater??

You can grab under the shoulders yourself, but she may just have meant that although she'd assist, you'd be the one catching the baby.

Don't know the answer, but am very interested since I am planning a home birth in a few weeks time too. I have a doula who said that I can choose whether I bring the baby up to the surface, or my partner, or the midwife. I would rather the midwife does it, so I think I now need to confirm with them that they do it. Sorry not to be more helpful. Hopefully someone who's had a waterbirth will answer.

As I understand it (from waterbirth class), the MW will be more hands off in a water birth as touching the head before the baby is totally out can stimulate it to take a breath, which you obviously don't want when it's still under water. For a non water birth the MW could control the rate of delivery of the head/body to reduce tearing.

Once the baby is born into the pool there's no rush to get it to the surface as it's used to being in water anyway, so you would have time to lift it up yourself. We were told that experiements had been done leaving the baby underwater for up to 5 minutes (although quite why you'd want to leave it there for that long I've no idea!) Equally by that stage your MW or partner could bring it to the surface. I would have thought you could have the choice but discuss with your MW.

The water supports the baby as it is being born so there is no need to touch a baby who is being born in water. As long as labour is progressing normally there is no need to handle a baby whether he is being born on land or in water. I had a waterbirth with only my husband in attendance (midwives were 5 mins late) and we just let her deliver herself so to speak and then I reached down and scooped her up. Her progress was very fast but I didn't try to control anything. I didn't even try to push and she was out in 3 contractions. No tears, etc.

When babies are born, they 'spin' out of the uterus and birth canal. So when a baby's head exists the vagina, she is normally looking up towards your bum. As she exits further, she rotates out further she moves between your legs then towards your front so she comes out, face up, looking at you, so to speak.

if you search youtube with 'birth animation' an animated video should come up showing what I am explaining above.

that makes sense, ischel - like you would turn a screw to get it out, rather than pulling it.
twisting is the most efficient and labour-non-intensive method of removing anything, so it stands to reason that the baby would do this naturally.

Thanks for that.. just got back from a birthing centre tour and asked the midwife there about it and she explained similar to ischel ie. the baby kind of turns itself out and then you lift it up! Sounds great...

PS. The midwife suggested looking at youtube videos of waterbirth in Belgium in a perspex pool... search under Dr Ponette, pregnancy secrets. It's graphic but you can see exactly how the baby just kind of comes out by itself. Amazing.

wow.
:)

My LO swam up towards me, i could see her face coming up from under the water, I lifted her up under her armpits and she took her first breath in my arms and it was amazing!