Water Birth

Women who labour and or birth in water love the experience. Very few get out of the pool to give birth. The warmth is soothing to the contractions and the depth and buoyancy enhances mobility. It is not a new concept and there are reports of women giving birth in water throughout history.



Women need to feel safe in labour and often find themselves in small dark areas. A birthing pool has the same protective feel. Women who have water births have less intervention, quicker easy labours and less damage to the perineum. Babies that are born in water appear less traumatised by birth. Indeed often they do not even realise they have been born until they get stimulated by their mothers with touch and speech. There is no evidence that there is any risk associated with a normal birth in water.

Waterbirth is not an extra skill in the midwifery world and should be an intrinsic part of normal birth. This is not always the case and many women have been given the excuse that there are no midwives trained in water birth to assist them. The majority of women choose to use water at some point in the labour and/or to give birth in. We are happy to advise about the hire of pools and further discuss the benefits of a water birth. Many happy clients are also happy to share their stories on the telephone.