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Pregnancy

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Original poster

Your water birth experiences please

59 replies

Orissiah · 23/05/2008 19:21

Does anyone on MN have any tips on easing through labour and even birthing in a water bath? I am booked into a room with a water bath at my hospital and would love to know just how much it eases pain and reduces tearing and if there are any positions and movements I can use in the water.

Your experiences - good, bad, mixed - much appreciated.

O
39 weeks

OP posts:

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no1putsbabyinthecorner · 27/05/2008 13:48

Soory to waffle on, but I find you get more help and advice on here than anywhere else

Also think I need to check with Mw about birthing in water. Im sure I read somewhere that some mw will let you use the water but get out to deliver. If this is the case for me then will seem pointless hiring a pool, I may aswell just have a bath.

StarlightMcKenzie · 27/05/2008 13:51

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JessJess3908 · 27/05/2008 13:51

I am hoping to have DC1 in a pool in hospital.

Janet Balaskas Water Birth Book includes some research that says if you get in before you're about 5/6cm dilated then the water can slow your labour down. This might be why most hospitals have adopted the 5cm rule. It's quite a good book if you're thinking about going for a waterbirth, but i'd order it from the library rather than buying it.

Pickie - you must have a lovely big bath. I'm 26 weeks and my boobs and bump won't fit under the water any more

belgo · 27/05/2008 13:53

I used the pool for my first labour with dd1 (but wasn't allowed to give birth in it - hospital policy) - and I found it much better then a normal bath. I got in at about 5cm, and it relaxed me so much labour speed up! It was very hard going from that point.

DD2, as I said in my earlier post, was born underwater, in a pool I hired at home.

JessJess3908 · 27/05/2008 13:53

PS - I'd love to try having a pool at home, but we live on the 3rd floor and apparently the floor might not hold so we could end up giving birth in downstairs neighbours living room

no1putsbabyinthecorner · 27/05/2008 13:55

Hi thankyou for advice. Currently reading or nearly finished HomeBirth by Nicky Wesson as reccomended on MN.

I was also told I needed to be a good 5 cm or it can slow things down.
My contractions with dd were quite strong but stopped after having a bath and then started properly agin the next day.

Will try to convince dh of pool when Ive spoken to mw.

belgo · 27/05/2008 13:55

Jess - we were also worried about the weight of the pool on the first floor of our century old house. We did a trial run a few days before, and it was fine, we also had a very fast pump to empty the water if there had been any omnious creecking!

But I understand if you do'nt want to risk it.

StarlightMcKenzie · 27/05/2008 13:57

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no1putsbabyinthecorner · 27/05/2008 13:57

Not scared of labour or pain. Just the tearing again trying not to dwell on it too much but its quite difficult.
Tried to explain to dh this is why I want water. I understand may not prevent tearing but less chance of.

lilyelodie · 27/05/2008 13:57

I had a waterbirth with DS1 - midwife didn't check how dilated i was and it slowed the whole thing up by about 12 hours... but the actual experience (when i was dilated enough to get back in the pool) was great.

Had DS2 at home - thought about hiring a birthing pool but agree with the too much hassle comment (!). So no water birth but it was brilliant - the midwives were great and it was so chilled out. DS1 came down just as DS2 was born (apparently that happens quite a lot) and was very calm about his new brother and the whole experience. Definitely (assuming nothing unexpected) having a home (non water) birth for number 3!

fairylights · 27/05/2008 13:58

I had my ds (first baby so far) at home in a pool and it was a wonderful experience, the water was fantastic and if anyone had tried to get me out i might have killed them . It was a bit of an uphill battle getting the local midwives to agree to this as only one person on the team was trained in waterbirth who might not be available and it was my first etc etc..(lots of tears from me/stern head midwives being scary) but in the last few weeks - totally by chance - i was assigned a new, wonderful mw who was an angel and was the one trained in waterbirth. She delivered my son on her last shift in that job and worked a lot of extra hours to see it happen! Really hope i will be able to have ant future dc in the water too. All the best to you

fairylights · 27/05/2008 14:02

just to say - i did get in the pool before 5 cms and it probably did slow things down but we all thought i needed to be helped to relax a bit. Got out for a few hours and then got back in again for the last 3 hours or so (it was a long old labour!).
Not that i want to put a downer on WB AT ALL but i did manage to get a 2nd degree tear despite being in water - i had really thought i wouldn't tear and it was a bit of a shock. The stitching for it was worse than labour, almost! Just wanted to tell you that seeing as it was a shock for me..

JessJess3908 · 27/05/2008 14:05

Belgo - I can't believe you risked it!

But you're right, it would probably be fine - I'll have another chat about to the midwife nearer the time. It would be lovely to be at home - and getting me to hospital is one of DP's major worries at mo as we live in central london, don't have a car and there is no parking at hospital anyway.

no1putsbabyinthecorner · 27/05/2008 14:07

Fairylights I know what you mean about it being worse than the labour. I would have preffered it to be twins or more than the ordeal of the tear etc....

belgo · 27/05/2008 14:07

Jess - we did put the pool in the corner of the floor, which is where it is most supported. Also we calculted the weight of the water in people - about 10-12 people I think - so if our floor could take 12 people, then it would take the weight of the pool.

StarlightMcKenzie · 27/05/2008 14:12

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no1putsbabyinthecorner · 27/05/2008 14:31

Starlight That is a very good point about pool and bath.
I was also shocked when a mw last time was so shocked I was booking in at a different hospital (only because they had a pool, not to do with reputation)
she said why on earth dont you just have a bath at home and come in when your 7cm
How the hell am I to know how far dilated I am.

StarlightMcKenzie · 27/05/2008 14:36

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no1putsbabyinthecorner · 27/05/2008 14:37

LOL

ib · 27/05/2008 19:08

If you have fast and furious labours getting into the pool early might be a really good idea...I think the obsession with not slowing down labour often has to do with the need of the midwife to get off the job quickly rather than anything else.

Although in my case my waters had gone a good long while ago so we were getting a bit worried.

StarlightMcKenzie · 27/05/2008 19:23

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kookykid · 27/05/2008 19:41

I had a home water birth with my DD. My contractions were very close together and painful from the start. After an hour or two, I got the urge to push, but was a bit freaked that it was all happening so fast. I got in the pool and it was the most blessed relief EVER! It did slow things down for me, but it was exactly what I needed. My indep MWs didn't examine me internally at all throughout my labour, so have no idea how dilated I was. My escond stage took 3 hours with contractions every 5 mins til she was born (her head was under the water for 5 mins before the rest follwed!).
I would definitely use a pool again as I needed no other pain relief. Good luck!!

ib · 27/05/2008 19:46

Sounds plausible indeed. I was at someone's birth where there was a really supportive team of midwife and obstetrician and they never said a word about it being a bad thing to slow the labour - just told her the labour would slow if she got in really early, she did anyway and they took themselves off to the spare room to wait and leave her to it until she felt she wanted them there.

I think a lot of women are worried about slowing down their labour as a long labour can be very exhausting.

StarlightMcKenzie · 27/05/2008 19:51

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ib · 27/05/2008 22:12

Nah, was there as official photographer lol.

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