Whatcha wear for a water birth?

[Kanfuzed123]

I’d love water in labour… not sure if I want to birth in it but I’d like the option of water and lots of movement and walking around.

I don’t own a bikini (and I’d never wear one again) and I don’t like my body so being totally naked isn’t an option for me. Do I get a tankini, but a maternity one? Any cheap places? Don’t want to invest lol.

What did you wear for yours?

I just wore a bra and nothing else, but I hadn't planned to get in the pool ahead of time, was just offered it and went for it on the day, so I just stripped off what I was wearing and got in.

I wore nothing, it was great for immediate skin to skin.

I also delivered the placenta in the pool.

I wore nothing, but since I was mostly underwater I didn't feel exposed.

How did everyone find water with the discomfort?

I found it massively helpful. I didn’t need anything else. I was offered gas and air (I was at home but the midwife had some in her car) and with each contraction, I kept thinking: ‘I’ll ask her to get the G&A for the next one’ but then just kept going and before I knew it, I was transitioning and I didn’t want the drugs then because I knew I needed to focus on the pushing.

Contractions were still painful (very painful at transition), but being in the water somehow made it feel manageable. I felt more in control than I had during my first birth where my overwhelming feeling during transition was that I wanted someone to kill me so I wouldn’t be in pain anymore

It was honestly a wonderful experience and 13 years on, I still reminisce about it sometimes.

I hope you’re get to have the water birth experience you’re hoping for.

@Sexnotgender no, they told me I had to get out and onto the bed to deliver the placenta, so it was a very undignified climb out of the pool and waddle across to the bed, dripping wet! It was actually very unpleasant and uncomfortable but the birth itself was great.

It was my 3rd birth (first water birth), so I wasn't too bothered as the water birth was the best one. It just made a lovely experience not very lovely (if that makes sense) and I assumed that was normal as otherwise why would they make me get out of the pool?

That’s a shame @JacquelineCarlyle mine was my 3rd too and only water birth. Different hospitals must have different policies.

@Sexnotgender I think sometimes it has to do with the experience of the midwife, mine was happy being able to identify a safe amount of blood loss in the pool. Hence why I could stay in!

[quote PinkPlantCase]@Sexnotgender I think sometimes it has to do with the experience of the midwife, mine was happy being able to identify a safe amount of blood loss in the pool. Hence why I could stay in![/quote]
That also makes sense. I lost very little blood so they were probably happy I wasn’t a risk.

Oh that would make sense - I didn't question it at the time as assumed it was standard. (I just isn't like that part very much).

I did have 2 midwives the whole time also and was told that was usual practice for a water birth.

I was desperate to get in the pool as I was in the bath until we left for hospital. I think also I had lots of positive associations with the bath as a relaxing and calm place. I agree with PP who said it helped create a sense of 'hands off'.

Turned out my cord was quite short so when I sat at the side with baby afterwards I was having to squat a bit to keep her above water, so opted to cut cord and get out a little sooner than I planned.

The only drawbacks I'd say to actually delivering in the water was they struggled to find her heart rate between contractions as I was leant on side of pool, and had to kneel back to let them at me. They seem to assume when they can't find it then it must be bad, so there was a lot more pressure to get her out than there needed to be (in my opinion). Next time I either want a pool-friendly CM telemetry band or no monitoring for second stage, as the coached pushing didn't go well for me.

[quote PinkPlantCase]@Sexnotgender I think sometimes it has to do with the experience of the midwife, mine was happy being able to identify a safe amount of blood loss in the pool. Hence why I could stay in![/quote]
That would make sense for me too. They'd said before that they like you to deliver the placenta on land, but I lost hardly any blood with my daughter ... but like I say, the placenta was delivered before she'd even finished giving me the injection.

I bought like a swimming skirt thing but when they were trying to listen to the baby it kept floating up in everyone’s way so ended up taking it off and I just wore my bra and nothing on the bottom. I was beyond caring about who saw my vag at that point 😂🙈