Planning a Waterbirth (at Home?)

The use of water for labour and birth

The Benefits:

Contractions will be less painful
No side effects on baby or mum
The warm water helps you to relax
Being relaxed helps your body to produce more endorphins (natural pain killers)
Being relaxed helps your body to produce more oxytocin (makes your contractions more efficient)
Less need for medical pain relief
Less need for drugs that accelerate labour
Shorter labour
Added privacy
Water supports your weight and makes you feel more comfortable and it will be easier for you to move and change positions.
You are more likely to achieve a natural birth
The birth is more gentle for your baby
Breastfeeding can be encouraged immediately
A more enjoyable experience of labour and birth

Things to be aware of:

Not suitable for everyone—under certain circumstances using water for labour / birth may not be recommended
Not available everywhere—your local birth unit or hospital may have limited or no pools
To hire or buy a birth pool for a homebirth can be expensive
Your home / hot water system may not be suitable for a pool

You can combine the water with the following methods of relaxation and pain management

Entonox (aka Gas & Air)
Hypnotherapy
Aromatherapy
Massage
Mood lighting

Cannot be used in the pool

Tens machine
Epidural
Opioids

Positions you can use in the pool:

On your knees, leaning on the side of the pool.
Squatting, holding the sides / handles of the pool.
Using floats such as a swimming noodle under your arms for support.
Floating on your back holding on to the sides of the pool
Floating on your front with your head on a waterproof pillow or a swimming ring
Sitting resting your back against your birth partner for cuddles
On your side, resting your head on a waterproof pillow

Labour and birth in water

Pictures provided by www.pregnancytobirth.co.uk

References

These are the sources of information used in this handout

* Birthplace in England Collaborative Group, Perinatal and maternal outcomes by planned place of birth for healthy women with low risk pregnancies: the Birthplace in England national prospective cohort study, BMJ 2011;343:d7400 (2011)

* Care Quality Commission, Women’s experiences of maternity care in England: Key findings from the 2013 NHS trust survey (2013)

* Cluett ER, Burns E, Immersion in water in labour and birth, Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews 2009, Issue 2. Art. No.: CD000111. DOI: 10.1002/14651858.CD000111.pub3. (2009)

* National Collaborating Centre for Women’s and Children’s Health, Intrapartum care: care of healthy women and their babies during childbirth. NICE Clinical Guideline 190,London: National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (2014)

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