Water birth?

[KKx]

Hi, Anyone had a water birth and would they recommend it?

haven't had one... as pregnant with DC1, but am planning to have one.

Everyone i have spoken to about it has nothing but positive experiences.

Hope you get the answers/experiences your looking for.

Good luck

yes two would highly recommend. will be having a third in feb. all at home though.

Had 2 no other births to compare it to - but they were great!

I am a very shy person when it comes to my bits and it felt very discreet underwater, the water soothed my contractions. I would love to have another baby if only to just go through it all again.

I planned one, bought the pool, got in and .... hated it. The midwife said she's never seen anyone get out so fast!!

I thought I'd better warn you that they're not for everyone. With me it was a combination of having to take off my TENS machine that was taking the edge off the pain, and trying to get in too late (as I was starting to get the urge to push).

In general though I've just heard good experiences

I had my dd 5 months ago & she was a water baby.

I went in the pool in hospital. It wasnt planned they said there was one availible & if i would like to use it so thought why not.

My dd was back to back and they thought it might help.
But my back was really sensitive & painful to even touch and i found the water made it more uncomfortable on my back but by then i was past caring and carried on in it and dd was born in the water. I dont regret it coz it would be nice to tell her when she is older she was a water baby.
I did find it relaxing despite the pain & the room was decorated in pastle colours and you can have the gas & air in with you.

The water has to be set at a certain temp and tbh i like my baths steaming and found the water a bit colder for my taste lol.

xx

a vote for water here. It is rarely referred specifically as a form of actual pain relief
(alongside gas and air etc) but water has been shown to decrease the pain of cx, although, as someone has posted, not everyone will like the experience. I had a home birth and went into a warm bath in early labour (to see how i liked it) and then was in and out of the inflatable birthing pool through advanced labour. Sometimes i felt too warm and got out for a few cx but getting the change was as good as anything. Actually giving birth in water was amazing. It is said (anecdotally) that water babies tend to be calmer than babies born on dry land but are still very alert and that was certainly true for mine. Babies going into water ghave a few seconds (or longer) under the surface when they are still getting oxygen from the placenta. Thet dont ge or need the urege to breathe via their lungs until they break the surface and that in between swim ismazing. Have a look at twins born in a perspex pool (great view) on youtube

uk.youtube.com/watch?v=tdN4xdvIhGg

(you will have to sign in as content is deemed too much for under 18s)

Am hoping for a water birth myself, am currently overdue so keeping my fingers crossed i don't need to be induced. This may seem like a stupid question but is there not loads of blood and poo floating about in the pool???? sorry to be gross

any poo is sieved out by the m/w's and put into a bucket (you provide both of these) The water is amazingly clear until the placenta is delivered if you choose to do that in the water (I do).

Whether there is stuff floating in the water will not bother you when you're in there tbh.

storky Delivering the placenta in the water was a BIG sticking point with my mws. They weren't happy to do it all. Said they'd never heard of it. How did you manage it?

I delivered both placentas in the pool... there was no suggestion at all that I should get out - was sat in the water cuddling DS's Funny how different midwives seem to get in a fizz about different things.

2 waterbabies here as well, both born in our bath and also placentas delivered in the bath no problems at all. Would strongly recommend a water birth. Warm water is relaxing and good form of pain relief IMO

Well I delivered the placenta in the pool, because, well quite frankly how do they think they can stop you?

They finally agreed to it anyhow when I gave them more scary things to get into a tiz about. i.e. not cutting the cord until the placenta was delivered (in the water)

KKx The pool stops anyone from getting to close to you unless YOU move close to them. i.e. they'd have to run round the pool and you could easily just move to the otherside if they bothered you.

I think that's what I liked about it the best. My own space and an element of privacy!

I delivered ds1 on all fours in the pool and lifted him from between my legs up to the surface.
The m/w asked if I wanted to get out to deliver the placenta but after being in that position (with spd) I was quite stiff so just sat back on a little stool to wait (physiological 3rd stage).

I'd said I would try and stand for them to catch it, but my legs were like Bambi's I'll be honest!

After what was maybe a couple of minutes after clamping/cutting I delivered it. The m/w just reached in grabbed the cord, lifted it out and transferred it to a towel to check it was all there. It was.

For the second one, they asked me did I want to do the 3rd stage in the water and I just said yes. Same process really only this time they were expecting it sooner, so one m/w kept a hold of the cord end- no traction though. We kept that one and buried it under an apple tree in the garden .

There hasn't been much blood lost in the water with me, I think they estimated both times about 50 ml, which is practically nothing.

I laboured mainly in the pool in MLU for 8 hours - was lovely, with g+a and partner scratching my neck. Thoroughly enjoyable except when we got too engrossed in chatting to the midwife and I forgot to huff g+a.

Unfortunately I didn't dilate at all in that time, and for various reasons had to get out and then needed an epidural not for labour pain. But I don't think it would have been better without. I hope to have another baby and stay in the MLU.

I had DD2 at home in a pool, and I loved it! I was having a tough time out of the pool (as you do in labour!), my TENS was starting to annoy me and I wasn't happy. I got into that lovely warm water and it was blissful! Well, until the next contraction anyway!

I was great being about to move about without any effort - I really struggled to move about while in labour with DD1 and so ended up flat on my back... not a great way to give birth.

DD2 was back-to-back, so pushing took a bit longer than the mws were expecting, but I still say that it was less painful and easier than pushing DD1 out. Water rocks!

I delivered DD2's placenta in the pool too - I opted for a natural third stage as I wanted the cord to stop pulsating before it was cut. Once the mw finally did cut the cord, I just gave a quick push and the placenta came out. It did mess up the pool a bit so if by some horrible chance I have another baby (2 is enough for me thanks!) I'd prefer to deliver the placenta outside the pool.

I've had one dry land delivery in hospital and two home waterbirths. I didn't have any pain relief in any of the births, and I didn't find water relieved the pain of the contractions at all.

But it did provide some sort of distraction, something to aim for. It did help with my mobility between contractions and it helped to get me into a good position for the birth. I gave birth leaning with my front against the side of the pool, and that's a good birthing position.

I do know one girl who was convinced the water would take away the pain, after one contraction in the pool she realised it wouldn't take the pain away and she got out and had an epidural.

I had a water birth at the hospital. I had hoped I might but as the hospital only has one pool I didn't think it was likely.

It was a wonderful experience - I have very happy memories of the birth and 5months on I still try to recall it while nursing little one in the early hours (the memories were that positive it helps me sleep!!)

Anothe of my NCT group purchased a pool and planned a home birth - she ended up with a c-section in hospital - so try to keep an open mind about it!!

I was at home trying for a home waterbirth. I didn't know whether or not the water was helping the pain as I laboured in there for most of the first stage. Hours into the second stage and having to get out to find out what was wrong, it became apparent that labouring out of the pool was much more painful. Moving around was difficult too having been used to the support of the water. I was desperate to get back in but wasn't allowed to.

Water was wonderful. I got in when about 8cm dilated and delivered DS in teh pool. Got out to deliver the placenta (but that was my choice).

Personally didn't think the water helped as pain relief but just made everything more bearable as the water supports you and my legs were getting wobbly before i got in from being on all fours.

definately recommend it.

hi guys, I'm hoping to have a hospital waterbirth next week, too...

but bit scared by reports such as belgos i.e. that it actually doesn't help the pain all that much....my best friend just had her baby the other day and said there's not a chance she could've gone right through without an epidural or pethidine at the v least - & she has a much higher pain threshold than me!!!

That said, I'm more scared of the pain of actual delivery than of the contractions...does it help a lot with that?? If it just distracts, relaxes & makes u feel less exposed through contractions I HOPE I can cope with those. Who knows...

I'm scared!

xx

Fab. Had one with my 3rd.

IMO it did f-all for the pain TBH. I still felt far more relaxed, secure and comfortable though.

so all you ladies who've gone through without anything else but g&a have found the pain bearable, however yukky??? Jeez, you're so brave....I'd love to think I can do the same but I truly don't know...

I think the contractions are worse than the pushing tbh. I didn't deliver myself though as I needed an em cs (not quite the water birth I planned). Contractions are strange because you have to just endure them for hours. When pushing, you have something to do and I found that while pushing it didn't hurt at all.

I had a couple of goes with g&a but didn't like it. Obviously after 6hrs of pushing and no baby I had a spinal block for the cs but the pain was manageable up to that point.