There are millions of women today who would prefer to give birth without medical intervention, unless there is a difficulty or an unforeseen complication. In looking for an alternative to the high technological obstetric deliveries, most women desire to have an empowering birth experience which is gentle and loving, as well as safe for their baby. Many women today are aware that the experience of birth affects not only their own lives, but more importantly, the lives of their babies. Therefore, women seek ways to avoid unnecessary trauma or violence at the time of birth. To this end, women want to avoid the routine use of powerful drugs, chemicals, artificial hormones and surgical instruments whenever possible. This is one of the main reasons that women today all over the world are exploring the use of warm water immersion during labor and birth.
Water birth is more a philosophy of nonintervention than a method of delivering babies. Giving birth is an involuntary act. It happens naturally and powerfully without problems, especially when women are allowed to draw on their instinctive natures. Using water in labor facilitates the natural process of birth. When a woman enters body temperature warm water, it soothes and comforts her. She relaxes in the bath and she enters this bath usually halfway through her labor. The first thing most mothers experience when they sit in the birthing pool or tub is the "aaahhh effect" - instant and unimaginable relief. It's a feeling of being suddenly physically liberated. Instead of feeling like a beached whale, like most of us feel when we're in labor, you suddenly feel like a playful and loving dolphin. The water reminds you to relax. It offers you buoyancy, allowing you ease of movement and the ability to change positions without difficulty. The warmth soothes and softens the perineum, usually eliminating the need for episiotomy and reducing the chance of tearing. The water also increases the sense of privacy and creates a sense of intimacy between partners. A woman is more able to feel the sensuous nature of the birthing process and is better able to yield and surrender to the intense and powerful energies that are moving through her. Because of this, the following benefits have been observed in over 50,000 cases worldwide. Women experience faster and more efficient dilation which results in shorter labors. There is a lowering of blood pressure which has been seen to an advantage for women who have high blood pressure in labor. It also gives you the ability to rest more completely between contractions which can conserve a woman's energy and allows her to cope more effectively with labor.
At the time of birth, a woman should not be forced to leave the bath or the pool if her labor has progressed normally,the baby has been monitored by auscultation and there is no evidence or indication of fetal distress. To understand how safe water birth is is to also understand that there are complex hormonal and chemical mechanisms at work in the baby to absolutely prevent it from breathing until it has been removed from the water. The normal mechanism for initiating the breath is the air upon the baby's face. Babies are not left in the water for any reason after their full body has been birthed. Someone reaches down, it might be the mother herself or the father, the midwife or doctor. I've even seen a 10 year-old help at this point and they gently lift the baby out without hurrying into the mother's arms.
Every woman who has birthed in water when asked if she would do it again, has resoundingly said yes. As a matter of fact, they usually say I would never do it any other way the next time. Water birth, according to anthropological references has been around for thousands of years. It is only since the mid 1970's that the medical establishment has started to embrace this safe and gentle alternative. Hundreds of hospitals in Europe and over 60 hospitals in the U.S. and an equal number of freestanding birth centers offer women this superior option for non-narcotic pain relief. Water is good for mothers in labor. It's good for babies at birth and it's great for their care providers.