You might be aware that your little one is floating for nine months in your womb. How about welcoming your little one in the same soothing environment? Yes, it’s possible!

Water-birthing is a safe and natural option in which you can birth your baby in a warm birthing tub. It’s a wonderful experience as it is less stressful for you and is very gentle for your baby. Your baby makes its way from a water-filled womb into a similar environment.

If you’re interested in a water-birth, it’s best to talk to your midwife or inform your obstetrician to meet the midwifery team to discuss this option. Selecting water-birth is an informed choice that the mother makes. But, the expectant mother has to be in optimal health before choosing water-birth.

During labour, your midwife provides you personalized care and recommends certain exercises that will help encourage the progress of your labour. It is advised to have a water-birth if you do not have any medical complications. You will need to discuss your treatment plan with your obstetrician if you choose this birthing option with some medical concerns. Your obstetrician and midwife will help you with an individual plan to support your choice of birth.

Ideal for water-birth –

• Pregnancy without medical complications
• Single pregnancy
• Absence of high blood pressure or bleeding disorders
• Free of infections

Benefits of water-birth for a better birth –

 Helps you relax:

Achieving maximum relaxation is of crucial importance for an easier and less painful labour. The warm water is soothing, which helps your body produce oxytocin often known as the love hormone. Oxytocin reduces stress, calms you and helps with pain during labour.

Ease of movement:

Labour in water can make you feel lighter and enables you to assume any position that is comfortable for you. You can move freely in any position during labour. This freedom of movement can itself reduce the sensation of pain.

You can either select to birth your baby in an inbuilt pool or an inflatable pool. You must check with the site you choose to birth what are the available options they have.

Privacy:

Water-birthing can provide a greater sense of privacy, reducing anxiety and fears. For many women, it is more comfortable than labouring out in open giving them a protected space.

Speeds up labour:

Increased relaxation can allow you to dilate quickly resulting in shorter labour.

Improved circulation:

Promotes efficient contractions and improved circulation that reduces your pain and delivers more oxygen to your baby.

Reduced interventions:

Giving birth in water reduces the incidence and severity of medical interventions. It even helps lower your blood pressure that is caused by anxiety.

Additional benefits of water-birth for your baby could be ease of stress and providing a similar environment to being in your uterus.

Birthing your water baby

You and your baby will be monitored during your childbirth. The temperature of the water would be maintained for the safe birth of your baby. Throughout your childbirth, the temperature will be maintained regularly.

Placing you in a pool changes the atmosphere in your birthing room immediately. Midwives create a relaxed and calm atmosphere during your labour and work in collaboration with the obstetrician if you have identified concerns. They keep a check on your baby’s heartbeat, your pulse, temperature and blood pressure.

Your midwife will inform you when your baby is on its way. After your baby is born, your midwife takes care of you and your baby.

If your midwife observes any concern related to you or your baby’s heartbeat, she will share her concerns and advice you to come out of the pool. Your midwife is trained to resuscitate your baby if required and during any fluctuations will alert her team to take precautionary measures.

One of the benefits of water-birth is that your baby will appear far more relaxed. Your baby won’t cry until s/he is dried and exposed to air. Once your baby arrives, he/she will be placed upright or you could choose to lift your baby to your chest where you can finally meet your little one face-to-face.

To encourage you to experience the beauty of water birth, we’d like to share a short story of a mother who opted for water-birthing at Fernandez Hospitals.

Hema was a young woman who decided to experience water-birth at Fernandez Hospital. Kathy was Hema’s midwife who guided her during pregnancy by motivating and teaching her exercises with all the positions that could make her labour easy.

Our team explained to her how water-birth could be helpful for her childbirth, and she was happy to opt for it. Hema and her baby were continuously monitored for any deviations by our team. During Hema’s childbirth, no complications were seen and she gave birth to a healthy baby.

When asked about how comfortable Hema was throughout her birthing process, she said:

“We were 100% satisfied with the services provided by Fernandez Hospital and thanks for the natural birth process through water-birth and Fernandez midwives. I feel every mother should experience natural birth in the water-pool. I would like to thank Kathy and her team for providing the motivation and positivity”