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Are Water Births Safe?

mom giving birth in birthing tub with midwife's assistance during water birth
Water birth can allow a woman to give birth undisturbed and with dignity.

It has advantages for both mother and baby and women have been birthing in water as far back as Egyptian times. In fact, there are petroglyphs depicting water birth of babies destined to become priests or priestesses.

Water births are safe for most women with healthy pregnancies who deliver at 37 weeks or later.
read more about water birth

Benefits for Moms

Benefits for Baby

  • You may feel more relaxed and better able to cope with your contractions
  • Since the water provides a greater sense of privacy, it can reduce inhibitions, anxiety, and fears.
  • The effect of buoyancy lessens your body weight, allowing free movement and new positioning.
  • Buoyancy promotes more efficient uterine contractions and improved blood circulation resulting in better oxygenation of the uterine muscles, less pain for you, and more oxygen for your baby.
  • The water seems to reduce stress-related hormones, allowing your body to produce endorphins which serve as pain-inhibitors.
  • Your cervix may open up faster and help to shorten labor.
  • Warm water is soothing, comforting, and relaxing.
  •  Water causes the perineum to become more elastic and relaxed, reducing the incidence and severity of tearing and the need for an episiotomy and stitches.
  • Provides an environment similar to the amniotic sac.
  • Eases the stress of birth, thus increasing reassurance and sense of security.
mom and newborn baby bonding in birthing tub after water brith

Safety of Water Birth

Water births are generally considered safe for women with healthy pregnancies who deliver at 37 weeks or greater. Water births are associated with:

  • similar or lower rates of infection in mothers and babies
  • less chance for transmission of GBS from GBS+ mothers
  • similar or better results on tests that evaluate the baby’s well being after birth ie. Apgar Scores
  • similar or lower rates of babies admitted to special care units
  • similar or lower rates of baby deaths

What if my baby tries to breathe underwater?

A number of factors inhibit babies from breathing underwater at the time of birth:

  • Hormones
    In the days before labor begins, breathing activity or “practice breathing” that baby does in utero decreases dramatically because of prostaglandins (hormones released by the placenta which also play a role in starting labor).

  • Temperature
    Newborns are sensitive to temperature. They are stimulated to breath by the cooler temperatures of air, compared to the warm environment inside the mother. When they are born into warm water, they aren’t stimulated to breath in the warm water.

  • Dive Reflex
    Babies are born with a reflex that helps to prevent them from gasping for air when they are born underwater. They are in a water environment in utero and are born into a water environment. They will take their first breath as they are brought up above the water.

  • Hypoxia
    ​Babies are born experiencing acute hypoxia, meaning they are temporarily lacking oxygen which inhibits breathing.

More Water Birth Resources

• https://waterbirth.org/
• https://evidencebasedbirth.com/waterbirth/
• https://www.motherrisingbirth.com/2017/05/water-birth.html
• https://www.tommys.org/pregnancy-information/labour-birth/where-can-i-give-birth/how-prepare-water-
birth
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Kind Words

I am forever grateful  for the knowledge that my husband and I obtained in the Bradley class. If I had walked into that hospital without the knowledge I am convinced that I would have been talked into having a cesarean delivery. The fact that my husband was able to advocate for me while I was in labor with his knowledge base made all of the difference in the world. After our baby was born the nurse told me that we were the only ones that were able to have a birth without an epidural that day! I know that the Bradley class helped keep my baby strong enough to withstand that many hours of labor. At 3 weeks early his only setback was jaundice, which was treated in the hospital. —Brittony​
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