How common are water births?

[UnitedKungdom]

I have 3 kids and have had 2 water births. I'm 38 weeks with #4 and it's dawning on me that they are actually pretty rare due to many reasons. I know most people seem to aim for one but few get one. Feeling slightly panicky that I've used up my quota of waterbirths and can't possibly be lucky enough to have another one. I can't imagine giving birth out of water now, probably because my non water one was fairly traumatic.

Very rare for hospital births due to availability of them, but very common for home births as you can request a pool well in advance

I had one in a birth centre. I hadn't especially wanted one or even considered it but on the day I was in labour there was one in the delivery room so I got in. I really liked it but wish I had been more prepared and taken along a nice bikini top!

I've had 3, but had my children at home in my own birth pool!

Mine were both in hospital. There are 2 birthing pools in my hospital and from what I understand they are usually empty as few women meet the criteria when it finally comes to it.

Yes, I probably should have added that I wouldn't have been allowed a pool birth any of the 3 times had I gone to hospital to give birth.

It seems they had a conveyor belt of women having water births the day I gave birth and they just managed to clean the room and the pool was just filling up so I could jump in and push! It puts me off having more babies as I know I would only want a water birth and I'd be so scared of the pool not being available.
The one at the local hospital is very nice though...actually some women i've known have requested water births when they didn't want one, just to get the nicer room.

I didn't have one with any of my 3- really disliked being in the bath in early labour with ds1 and got out asap so didn't even think of it for the next two! I only know 3 people irl who've had one.

Wanted one first time around - waters broke early so wasn't allowed.

They were still filling the pool up in the MLU with DS2 when his head appeared! I still jumped in and managed a couple of pushes in the water 😅

you'resovain sounds like we had identical experiences!

Both my births were in the pool - first a standard labour in the midwife unit, second in a labour suite following induction. I know the latter is rarer as the labour suite at my hospital had had the pool for 6 months, and it was the first pool birth my midwife had attended in that time as, if you're in the labour suite, chances are there are more complications than if you're in a midwife unit. I was like you though, after my first water birth I really wanted one again. Good luck!

I really wanted one, had one in my labour suite, but baby jumped from 1cm to 9cm dilation in about an hour so it was half filled before I had to push. Never got in the damn thing!

I laboured in water every time (at home) but only actually gave birth in the water once. The births out of water were just as lovely, but both times I'd got out of the water to find new positions to push in. For me, the labour was more important than the birth I think. But I did go for home births mostly because I wanted to be sure of a pool in labour, and for both availability and (for at least one of them) criteria, I couldn't be sure of it in hospital.

One in a birth centre and one at home. Such amazing pain relief.

Sinceyouask, just to say that the bath is nothing at all like the birthing pool. I found the bath intolerable. You can't glide around changing positions, you are trapped and I found it horrific. The birthing pool is a totally different set up. Just FYI if you were to go again.

I think actually delivering in water is uncommon, the mlu I wanted to have my dc at it was 5%.