Water birthing

[chillisbopper]

Hi again,

Sorry if you're all a bit sick of me today, with an unexplained mw appointment and a sick cat I've been on top posting form today. But I did actually try to post this a few days ago and then my phone app crashed and it didn't post, sooo I couldn't be bothered typing it all again straight away lol .

Also sorry if this has been done to death.

My question is about water birth...I'll keep it short (last time it was an essay !)

I'm due my first in November, a little boy , and I'm thinking of having a water birth.

I've read about it a bit and watched on 'Don't Just Stand There I'm Having Your Baby' and 'O.B.E.M' but I'd like some more honest opinions than a TV show...

Anybody got any experiences of water births they're happy to share? I'd love to hear them.

Also has anybody actually delivered the baby in the water (I read a lot of woman get out to deliver) and still had the injection to deliver the placenta? My NHS book says you usually get the injection after first shoulder is delivered but I can't see how that would work delivering in the water and I want the injection but I want to deliver in the pool so worried i'll have to choose...

Thanks in advance

My 4 healthy babies all born in the water. For what it is worth, I couldn't do a natural birth without the ease of movement and the comfort that being in the water brings.

It is just being able to contort yourself into whatever position feels natural for each contraction/push that is so great.
BUT - if I had known for sure, that like Brices, I could have a pain free birth with an epidural and have a healthy baby at the end of it, I would obviously have gone for the pain free option, it sounds wonderful!
Hard to remember exact details, but...
DC1, 5am-6pm, local hospital, all anaesthetists busy with car crash, so no epidural available, therefore only option went into pool at about 3pm, transition at 4pm, 2 hours(!) of pushing to get dd1 out, so thank God for the water - I so could t have coped on a bed drug free. Nuzzled in pool then got out for Vit K injection and managed 3rd stage. The pool was in an ordinary delivery room in the hospital.
Sadly lost a little girl at 24 wks, had to deliver her in hospital and they gave me an epidural which didn't work.
DC2 6am till 3pm. Because epidural hadnt worked on stillborn and i hated the pethidine they gave me then, we chose waterbirth in the new MLU wing of local hospital. It was so smart and i was the only person in the whole wing, so felt v special! except that my midwife had never done a waterbirth, which was slightly scary. Similar story to DC1 with 1.5 hr pushing stage, managed third stage.
DC3, 6pm - 12.30am.moved to new area, had to choose between hospital with no birthing pool and MLU with no drugs other than gas n air. Thought long and hard about it and decided to stick with what we knew, so went for MLU. Only person in there, so relaxed compared to medical atmosphere of hospital. Got in pool and things definitely slowed right down, which was incredibly frustrating. Desperate for epidural. On plus side, only 10 min pushing stage and no stitches, yay! Same calm easy post birth nuzzle in the bath, even fed him for quite a while before getting out and having injection for placenta.
DC4 (yesterday!) 6am - 12pm, again, only person giving birth in whole place, so v relaxed. determined not to get in pool so quickly this time, so tried to stay on my feet for contractions and waited till about 11.30, then couldn't handle contractions any longer, got in pool and things suddenly got going v fast and he popped out in 2 pushes, no tear, so relieved. Definitely the easiest birth, which I imagine is normal. I was in pool for maybe 10 mins with baby before crawling onto bed and lying on my back for injection and placenta.
One thing which I know v little about, is that DC4s umbilical cord had a true knot which can cause complications. No reason why, but I feel that if I had had interventions and epidurals, there would have been more likelihood of foetal distress and possible tightening of the knot, whereas relaxed natural waterbirth kept everything simple. No proof though, could be the opposite, just what I feel when am giving thanks for our luck that knot didn't tighten.
If I was to go for a 5th (not!) then I would be sooo tempted to try an epidural , but would probably stick with what I know...
Sorry to ramble on. First sleepless night!