thinking of a waterbirth? do they REALLY reduce the pain? experiences?

[needsanswers]

hi there, im currently 20weeks with number 2, 1st labour was litter ally traumatizing for me, i had nightmares for months and even my new midwife said i have 1 hell of a story and its unlikely for me to get a labour like that again.. anyway i have hurd alot of stories about water births and how they are ment to reduce the pain? some people tend to agree and some tend to think it slows labour down? i dont think i actually want to have the baby in the water but i would like to spend a majority of my labour in the pool with just G&A as pain relief, has anyone had any experiences with a 'normal' birth and then a waterbirth? would really love to get some feedback..

YES to a waterbirth - I would highly recommend it.

I was actually quite surprised how much pain relief it gave. When I arrived at the birth centre I was in a LOT of pain but the pool was running so I could get straight in. I immediately felt much more relaxed and the contractions more manageable. I was in the pool for about 3 hours and pushing for nearly an hour of that time. Amazing feeling when the baby is born - she just floated up to me in the water.

Good luck with the birth and sorry to hear you had such a bad time first time round. Second babies are usually much, much quicker and easier so hope things go well for you this time.

I had a waterbirth and I LOVED it. Sat in the bath at home for as long as I could, watching the Eastenders omnibus, by the time I got to hospital I was already six inches dilated and DS was born two hours later, I was in the pool for all of it. I loved that I could kneel up and the water supported lots of my weight, loved just being in the water - felt it was easier to move around. The room had dimmed lights so didn't feel that the water looked disgusting - anyway it was just me, DH and a midwife, who was rubbing my back throughout which also really helped. Oh, and I had my ipod plugged in, which also helped me, I think - and of course the gas and air was great (though this was taken away when I started pushing.)
The whole labour and birth felt really quick, and the water was lovely and warm, and afterwards I had a shower to wash everything off. Perfect. Loved it. Will do it again.

Having spoken to various friends, however, I do think that one of the deciding factors is how you feel about water anyway. I swim lots, and swam every day during my pregnancy (anywhere - a pool, the sea, a lake, a river.) I also love baths, and will happily wallow in them for hours. Friends who, like me, are 'bath' people more than 'shower' people felt similarly about the water birth. 'Shower' people tended to not equate water with comfort so much. So perhaps it is partly psychological?
Good luck! And I hope that your second birth goes much better than your first.

Whether water births have a significant effect on pain is an area which has seen a fair amount of research in the last 10-15yrs.

One group in particular has looked at over 12,000 births over 9yrs shows no difference in pain between those who choose water births vs those who choose bed births.

There was a small decrease in the number of women choosing analgesics when having a water birth but it was fairly small.

On the issue of whether water births slow labour, four trials have looked reported on this and they indicate no change in time overall.

Hope that is of interest.

Another here who laboured in the pool, but had to get out due to stuck baby. I loved the pool, i would highly recommend it. I was crying out for an epidural, my waters had broken at approx 4cm, was really struggling to cope even with tens and breathing exercises and all that jazz. I had meptid which just hadn't touched the sides, and was desperate for an epidural, but then once i was about 6cm, MW suggested the pool (was in my birth plan). That and the gas and air were enough to see me throught to the pushing stage. I loved it. It still hurt, but as most people have said, it was so much more manageable. Do make sure you go to the loo regularly; one of the reasons the MW thought DD may have got stuck was that i didn't go to the toilet at all once i was in the pool. After the labour i ended up having a spinal (for retained products) and had a catheter put in, and the MW drew off a full, bucket of wee! Lovely.
Good luck!

I had 3 lovely waterbirths, and for me it was the right choice. I tore with the first, not with the 3rd so not sure if water made a difference in that regard. I laboured at home and when I got to the birth centre I sat in the pool and told partner and midwife to sit in the other room (with the first one they sat and watched me which put me off, turns out I'm a private person when it comes to giving birth!).
There was a bit of blood but that was fine (sepia pictures afterwards fixes that and at the time I didn't care)
One thing I will say is that I think it's nice for the baby, all of mine were very calm when they were born and I was quite calm too, I think I would have had a very different experience if they had been born on dry land.
Good luck with whatever you decide :)

I'm 12 days overdue today and have hired a heated and filtered pool for a HB (BC in my town was closed down last month so now there is no where in our town to give birth other than at home :( ). Hopefully I will be able to give you an update soon, as long as I don't have to go to the next town and have a hospital induction!

So far the benefits have been lovely already, just being able to take some weight off my knees/ankles in the warm water for a start. Very surreal having what is potentially a spa in your living room though

I know quite a few people who have had WB, as our BC was the only place to give birth since they shut the antenatal part of the hospital and, as BC's usually are it was quite pro non-intrusive methods for labour. First friend laboured mainly at home, into BC pool and pushed her DD out in 2 hours without any stitches and the largest placenta the MW's had ever seen. Baby was 8.9oz. She said she actually forgot about the g&a until the placenta and only used it then! Secondly is a friend who just had hers on 10th July. She laboured mainly at home again and went in to their BC where she spent 4 hours pushing and had her son in the pool. Small tear with stitches. She was very pleased with her birth as she didn't have any meds other than G&A. Still, her milk didn't come in for 5 days, which I was quite surprised at, as I thought that one one of the benefits of not being drugged up to the eyeballs!

Everyone I've met who has laboured or birthed in a pool highly recommends it, which is obviously why I've chosen this route. Hopefully i'll be able to try it for myself in the near future!

I had a waterbirth 5 weeks ago, best experience ever. My first I had an epideral this time round I had no pain relief at all, the water helped. Yes it still hurt but the midwife helped wiv my breathing and kept me calm and I got out to be examined and as soon as I got back in the water I could tell I made the right choice as it eased the pain.
I wouldn't worry about it slowing labour down, waterbirths are meant to help it be natural, let baby come down the birth canel slowly so it stretches everything gradual and hopefully doesn't leave a lasting effect. I was in labour for 13 hours in total but stayed at home for 5 of those. Took 6 mins to push my girl out and it was amazing.
Goodluck and hope it works for u. X

I had a waterbirth for my 2nd labour. It doesnt take the pain away but I used G&A too and it was a really good experience. The water took my weight so I was able to get into positions that I couldnt have done on a bed. DS2 was 10lb 3oz and I really think it helped me to have a normal delivery.

I wasnt allowed one for baby no 3 and I was devastated. I definitely found it harder on dry land.

I had a very distressing first birth, with epidural that only worked on one side and massive tearing. Second birth was better, but I still tore. Third birth was in water and was utterly amazing. The water was warm, comforting, reassuring. It gave just enough pain relief that I was no longer overwhelmed by the contractions. I could certainly still feel them, still needed to 'moo' through them, but I could respond to them and do what felt right to me, rather than just wait until each contraction finished. The water gave me enough support that I was able to be upright, in positions that I could not have maintained on land, and I was able to stay upright and relaxed.

I was only in the water for about 10-15 mins before dc3 was born, in the water, but the effects were so helpful that I gave birth to an 11lb baby without pushing and without tearing. It was the most peaceful of my births - it almostdid not feel like hard work!

Needsanswers, have you had a chance to debrief with a specialist midwife? It's an opportunity to discuss your previous labour and go through your labour notes with a midwife who will understand, explain what happened, and accept fully your feelings about your experience. It's is an invaluable way of dealing with the distress that your previous labour has left. I found it very helpful in preparing for my second labour.

Also, IME, a positive labour experience virtually wipes out the distressing experience. I now remember that my first labour was distressing, but I remember it in an intellectual way, not an emotional way. It's a bit like remembering that labour was painful, but not remembering the actual pain.

I had a home waterbirth for DD2 after a traumatic syntocinon/epidural/forceps birth for DD1. It was amazing!

I had been having intense and painful back pain contractions for a few hours, but they were irregular and we all (including my doula) thought I was still in the early stages of dilation. Got in the water to have a little rest and I can honestly say that it didn't hurt from that moment on. Pressure, yes, but not painful as such. DD2 arrived within 45 minutes before the midwife could even get to us. Would 100% go with waterbirth next time, and wouldn't even consider going to a hospital where I wasn't sure I could have one. Would have to be a homebirth or MLU with pools in all rooms.

I think it's a really personal thing. I've heard others say that gas and air doesn't do much for them, but it sends me high as a kite. Now epidurals, there's something that didn't work for me...

PrettyCandles - totally agree. My great birth with DD2 has definitely helped heal the emotional side of DD1's birth. I just wish now she could have had such a lovely entry to the world too, rather than being hauled out by the metal salad servers.

Definitely a fan of waterbirth here - with DS I just planned on water for a stage of pain relief but I was so much more comfortable in the water than out that I decided to deliver him in the water, and it was an amazingly peaceful experience which I would love to have again.

It still hurt, so don't assume it will "relieve" pain. But I just felt more comfortable and able to move with the contractions. And I felt quite calm and in control of things (because all the MW's did was check the baby's heartbeat with an under-water doppler). I didn't feel calm, in control, or at all comfortable to move with contractions when in labour with DD on "land". Though it did improve greatly once I used gas & air (I hadn't needed to use that with the water birth).

The water birth did slow things down a bit for me too, the MW's actually got me to get out at one stage and walk up and down the hall a couple of times, that was bloody hard to do, but it did get things moving again and I was so happy to get back in the water. Even during the crowning stage my contractions were still 5 mins apart and the MW's felt that this was probably why I didn't tear (although DS had a big head).

Kiteflying If you spend a little time in the pool, you soften up and are less likely to tear.

Labour much more manageable in the pool - although I had to get back out again as DD was stuck with her hand on her head. Would definitely do it again.

I think what I'm most worried about wrt water birthing is the logistics of it all - like if you get out how do you dry off? what do you wear? doesn't the water get all scratty with blood and hence you get covered in blood yourself?

Also having to 'see' everything.... if you're lying on a bed and all the gruesome stuff is happening down the business end then you don't get exposed to as much of the horror do you, whereas if you're sitting in a pool then aren't you pretty much the only one who can see what's going on?

Or do you just not care by that stage as long as it eases the pain and the baby is fine?

This is DC1 for me, so genuine questions which I think I might be too scared to ask a MW in case she thinks I'm fussy or vain or something.

Well, when I got out, I did so with a towel round me and made my way back to bed. You're very hot by the time you get to the stage they let you in the pool so you're dry again quickly.

Someone else who went all the way will have to tell you about the blood - they do remove bits of poo with a sieve!

I had really wanted a waterbirth with DS, but when my labour started, I got into our bath at home to relax a bit, and it did absolutely nothing, in fact it was more painful, as I just couldn't get myself comfortable. I think that panicked me, as I worried that I'd wait ages in agony for the pool to fill up, then it wouldn't do me any good, and I'd have to get out and have an epidural anyway. I decided to cut out the middle bit and just go straight for the epidural! I still plan to try for a waterbirth when I have the next baby though!

I would highly recommend waterbirth from a pain relief point of view, but would agree that it can slow labour down, I got in far too early with my DD and ended up having a long labour. Would advise hanging off til you're a good 6-7cms before getting in if you can!

DS was a waterbirth. Totally unplanned. Midwife suggested getting in the pool so I did. I thought I would get out for the delivery but stayed in for it. DS arrived an hour after getting to the hospital. I was in the pool for about half an hour. I'm not sure if my pain was any less than first labour but it really relaxed me. Delivering him was a totally amazing experience. Do it if you can.

HPonEverything, you can wear a bikini top. I packed one but forgot to put it on - so was naked and completely beyond caring (gas and air probably helped with this!)

There isn't much blood till the end, and then you get out. The water washes it off you anyway.

The midwife wraps you in a towel but you do have to stagger over to the bed to deliver the placenta which I admit was a low point!

I had wb for both ds's - blardy marvellous. If you find a warm shower soothing when You are shattered then my Theory is that you'll find a wb beneficial. Can't recommend it enough. You need to bore all the relevant nurses, midwives etc that you want a wb though in order to maximise the chances of getting the pool! I was like a broken record.

HP I can only answer for myself but I found it quite 'tidy' in that the blood washes away and the MW catches any offending bits with a little net - I got quite interested in the process witH DS1 (I blame the gas &air) - agree re the stagger but wasn't too bad.

You don't have to stagger across the room and deliver the placenta out of the pool. It's more common to do it actually in the pool. So don't get out unless you want to.

There isn't much blood during the birth, and just a little when the placenta is delivered (unless there's a problem of course), and afterwards you get out and wrap yourself in a proferred towel, then people often go for a shower, although you're pretty clean anyway.

Forget bikini tops and all that stuff. Most people pootle about quite happily in the buff, and in terms of seeing your undercarriage, mws often have home made little mirrors on sticks to have a quick check if they need to. Normal births work best when people are left alone anyway.