Come discuss the nitty gritty of a water birth please ...

[SparklyBumpityBump]

Hi all,
I am a lurker starting a thread for the first time so please be gentle!
I am currently 37 weeks with my first and have started to think about the birth. I am very keen to have a water birth, there is a birthing pool at the hospital that I would like to use. According to my MW, not a lot of people ask to use it, they use it more as a regular birthing room, so hopefully there shouldn't be a problem with it being available.
I just wanted to hear other peoples experiences, in particular what happens after the baby is born? Do you get out to deliver the placenta? If not, does the water get very dirty, and how long until you got out after? Did you have skin to skin/try breastfeeding in the pool or when you got out? I want to have the injection to help the third stage along, so would I have to get out for this?
Also, I want to wait until the cord has stopped doing its magic pulsing, before it is clamped, but would this mean I wouldn't be able to have the injection to speed up the third stage, or would they just give it to me after?
Starting to get nervous now, but always seem to forget everything I want to ask at MW apps! So thank god for MN!

you can't have the injection if you want it to stop pulsing, and really, if you are in the water, you can't really have any pain relief except gas & air, and the water itself obviously, so having a physiological 3rd stage would be a natural progression if you like? The water will obviously contain any blood/liquor/wee etc that comes out, and any ahem, solid bits, but they will be fished out anyway.

you should not have to get out to deliver the placenta, and putting baby to the breast will help placenta to detach and deliver anyway

you can certainly give the first feed or at least get baby to the breast for licks/nuzzles/skin to skin in the pool

Thanks for the quick reply!
I am trying to keep an open mind as to what happens, but it is reassuring to know I wont be rushed out of the pool after baby is born. I suppose it is just a case of what feels right at the time.

I had a waterbirth earlier this year and it was great! I stayed in the pool to deliver the placenta, they did say if it didn't come naturally then I'd need to get out and they would give the injection. I had lifted DD out of the water and we had skin to skin for while whilst the cord was pulsing, my DH then took her whilst the placenta delivered. The midwives were very relaxed obout me getting out of the water, there was no pressure. Much like the whole birth really! Good luck!

ParkerRocks That sounds like a brilliant experience! I think Anything that helps to relax me is going to be very beneficial, as I can tend to get a bit anxious.

I had a waterbirth with dc3. It was absolutely the best of all my birthings.

Ds was born straight onto my tummy, and we had a lovely cuddle while waiting for the cord to stop pulsating. Dh cut the cord, then got his cuddle with ds while I climbed out of the pool. I had the injection for the placenta on a bed in the same room, while feeding ds. I don't recall feeding ds in the water. I think I offered, but he was more interested in gazing straight into my eyes.

The pool water was black by the time I climbed out: blood, meconium and poo. Generally it's not that messy, and the water remains clear. I don't know anyone else who got the water so murky!

Once the pool had been cleaned, I got back in for a shower, before going into the adjoining room which had - oh bliss! - a double bed for me and dh to cuddle up together with ds. After being checked (I did not need stitches) I was taken to the post-natal ward.

I had a waterbirth with ds1, I would thouroghly recommend it. I was desperate for one with ds3 but I wasn't allowed one although the lovely midwife brought me a washing up bowl with essential oils in and I dunked my feet in that while sat on a birth ball all with the ctg monitor attatched to me.

With ds1 I gave birth to the placenta in the water and it wasn't that murky at all. I refused to get out for a good half an hour so in the end the midwife said she was going to wash the poo off ds1 in there to make me get out! We had a snuggle in the pool together with the cord attatched and then he had skin to skin with dh while I delivered the placenta. I breastfed him after I got out.

Can I just pick up on something? The midwife said not many people ask to use the pool? That seems rather odd to me. The idea of water birth is very popular in most areas these days. Unfortunately there are still some areas where midwives put lots of hurdles in the way of anyone wanting to get in the water- including things like not having midwives trained in water birth, having someone else (not using the pool) in the room, it being too early/late... I would follow up and check not just that the pool is likely to be free, but you are actually likely to be able to use it. I'd ask about staff training and also how many requests to use the pool result in water births.

Sorry, that was a bit of a sidetrack, but hopefully might be a useful one.

As it was explained to me, most midwives won't be happy giving the injection after the cord has stopped pulsating. Giving it immediately reduces the risk of excessive bleeding, but a natural third stage reduces the risk of retained placenta. I was told a late injection won't really have the benefits of the former, but may actually increase the risk of the latter because things are further progressed. I don't know if I've got that quite right, but that was the broad brush summary. `if you attempt a natural third stage and the placenta is stubborn, they will still give the jab- which is what happened to me.

If you have the injection, you will need to get out of the pool. Likewise, if they have concerns about your level of blood loss they may ask you to get out, as obviously that isn't easy to monitor into water. I'd just be prepared to get out if needs be.

Giving the injection at any stage reduces the bleeding.

I had managed 3rd stages after the cord was cut with all of mine. I tried for a physiological 3rd stage with dc3, but after about 20minutes the midwife was keen to give me the injection because my blood loss was so heavy. I wanted to have the injection in any case, because I was beginning to feel rough. I was told afterwards that I had been borderline PPH. This was also, no doubt, why the pool had got so murky with blood, and why I had had to leave the pool for the 3rd stage.

Nonetheless, I felt better and recovered faster after my waterbirth than after either of my landbirths.

water birth for son no 4, he was 10lb 13oz, am sure being in the pool made it easier for me to stretch and so i didnt tear.

was in the pool for about 40mins (labour an hour in total) and had gas and air and stayed in the pool holding and bfeeding ds4 to deliver the placenta, it was lovely cant recomend it enough, i wanted the same for baby no 5, but had to have the syntocin drip so couldnt :(

PrettyCandles - sorry, yes, that wasn't my clearest post ever. I meant that if you give the injection late there has obviously been a longer period of time for heavy blood loss and in which a PPH could take place, but giving it later means increased risk of retained placenta. Glad all was ok with you in the end.

Oh yes, of course! Obviously correct. that I misunderstood.

It's not your fault, I read my post back and it does read the way you understood it.

Thanks for all the replies!
SecondElfLucky That is a good point, I thought it was unusual that not a lot of people request to use the pool, as I thought it would be quite popular. The MW did seem very positive about me wanting to use it, think she said something along the lines of it being a shame that not a lot of people request to use it. But I will definitely bring up the things you mentioned at the next app, so thanks for that!

So I think the ideal would be to stay in the pool and have skin to skin, maybe try BF, cut the cord when it stops pulsing, hand baby over to DP while I deliver the placenta in the pool without the injection. All this is obviously an ideal plan, and I realise, in reality I may be screaming for an epidural the minute I go into labour! and obviously if there is any problems I would get out of the pool.

4madboys Sounds like you had a really good experience, it is a shame you couldn't have a water birth with no 5 though. The no tearing part sounds good too!

Does anyone know if giving birth in water does reduce the chance of tearing?

I completely loved being in the birthing pool; it dealt marvelously with all my pain and was so lovely and calming. Shame I had to have a CS in the end, but DS was never going to come out in his position :-(

sparkly it was lovely! but tbf my birth with dd althought very different as i had the syntocin was still ok, i used a birthing ball lots and also the gas and air, that stuff ROCKS!!! and her labour was only 3hrs, she was back to back which was PAINFULL but it was ok and so worth it in the end, she was a teeny weeny 8lb the smallest out of my 5 so ironic that her birth was the most painful!

but i would always recomend a water birth or if you can have taht then try and stay mobile, birthing balls are great, as is being on all fours or kneeling and of course gas and air, but see how you feel, have a plan by all means, but yes listen to what your midwife has to say and see how things go.

hot flannels can be nice on your back as well btw, and i always needed something to hold onto during contractions, namely my dp, but heaven forbid if anyone touched me!!!

good luck and hope it goes smoothly :)

Be prepared that you might change your mind once in labour.

I worried for weeks about whether the pool at the hospital would be free for my much-wanted water birth.

When I arrived and contractions were in full swing, the MW told me that the pool was available and at that moment I couldn't imagine anything worse than being in water. I just wanted to pace around bellowing

Sparkly, be prepared, I wasnst thinking straight with DS2, and they gave me the injection before I thought to say no, then there was a mad rush to drag me out of the pool, I wasnt co-operating (was in a bit of shock I think).

It was a lovely way to give birth and I can highly recommend it.

Have you read water birth its a fantastic book.

DD was born at home in the water and I fed her in the water and placenta came away naturally, which was even more lovely.

sparkly, yes it reduces risk of tearing, get that book, its fantastic

re the injection as i was in the pool the midwife said she wasnt going to give it to me as everything else had been natural so she said i may as well go for a natural 3rd stage, she would have given it if i had asked, but i was happy for the natural 3rd stage, they really should NOT give you the injection without asking first if you want it!

oh what i will say about a natural 3rd stage and this may have just been me, was that the contractions to deliver the placenta were still quite intense, took my breath away a bit, i was holding and bfeeding ds4 still in the pool so that was ok as the water helped and i barely felt the placenta coming out, but i was suprised at the strength of the contractions AFTER i had given birth to ds4. it was fine tho and lovely like MJinsparklystockings says :)

I had DS 3 and 4 in the pool and would thoroughly recommend it. Ds 1 and 2 weren't in the pool and, although i had diamorphine and gas and air i found them alot more painful than birthing in the pool with only gas and air. I found it really hard to find a comfortable position when i wasn't in pool, couldn't bear to walk or squat but because pool had a little seat to sit on, i could just kind of sprawl!!

Plus labour time was much quicker (pushing stage for DS1 was an hour and a half, Ds2- half an hour, DS3 can't remember but whole labour from getting into pool to delivery was only half an hour, Ds4 - 4 minutes. I know they say it gets easier with each delivery anyway but i really think that for me the fact that gravity could help when I was in the pool made all the difference. Would strongly recommend it. Oh, and no poo in pool either so it doesn't necessarily happen!!

MW did ask me to get out a few minutes after delivery and i delivered placenta out of pool with injection. Was too spaced out to care really!

My waterbirth was dc3, the first two were on land. I tore with the first two, but not with dc3 - despite him being 11lb. I am convinced that this was because I birthed him in the water. I was in the pool for barely 10min before I was ready to push, so hardly long enough for the water to 'soften' my perineum (that theory has been disproved in any case, I think). The water allowed me to move freely, and to maintain a relaxed and upright position, which I would not have been able to do on land. I was also able to follow my instinct and not push, but just allow gravity and my insides to ease ds2 out. It felt like ages, but was apparently only 7minutes. A wonderful, gentle birth. (Not that the previous 2h of contractions had felt gentle!)

Wonderful experience, best of all 3 of mine. Calming and soothing. My husband stills winds me up about the midwife fishing poo out of the water with her fishing net! Luckily I was unaware of this at the time as I was concentrating so much. I had all sorts of worries too, such as what I was going to wear, come the time though I couldn't wait to strip off and get in the water, childbirth does strange things to us! Good luck.

Thanks everyone for sharing your experiences. Dare I say, I am actually kind of looking forward to the big day! Just need to bear in mind that the plan may well go straight out the window.

Can't wait to meet my little man, although I do still have 18 days until my due date, not that i'm counting or anything so trying not to get too excited as I could well still have a long wait ahead of me. Sorry that was a bit off topic...

It sounds like the MW tends to have less input in water births, did anyone find that a problem? Or does your body really just know what to do? It is a bit of a scary thought putting complete trust that my body will know when to do what, iykwim.

MJ Thanks for the book recommendation, will definitely look into getting that, although it may have to wait until i'm not quite as skint from xmas shopping!

• It is a bit of a scary thought, putting complete trust in the fact that my body will know what to do when, iykwim. Sorry, think I muddled my own brain with that one!

Sparkly Your body has known what to do and when to do it all through your pregnancy (and, for that matter, all your life if you think about it) - so there is absolutely no reason not to trust it to know what to do and when during labour and birth :)