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The last few years have been a tremendous period for water birth in North America!! The number of hospitals that have accepted water birth has grown exponentially. Currently, there are over 100 facilities that encourage women to labor and give birth in water. Global Maternal/Child Health Association has been integral in establishing water birth protocols for hospitals and providing educational seminars, materials, and birthing pools for midwives and their clients.
The water birth network now spans the globe as more midwives and doctors utilize the benefits of warm water for labor and birth. The Waterbirth International Resource and Referral Service, which is a project of GMCHA, has identified 43 countries where water birth is happening. An International Waterbirth Conference is being planned for February 18-21, 1999, in Clearwater, Florida. This event will bring together practitioners and parents from around the world. There are plans to honor gentle birth pioneer, Dr. Frederick Leboyer, as well as dolphin swim excurtions in the Florida Keys.
GMCHA is very pleased that the video, "Gentle Birth Choices" has made a big impact on childbirth practices in this country and has been accepted by many midwives as "the best video on childbirth today." Barbara Harper's landmark book, Gentle Birth Choices book (published by Inner Traditions) has sold well over 25,000 copies and is now available in Spanish and French. The book and video are now available in a beautiful boxed set. Barbara Harper's next book, "Waterbirth: Dispelling the Myths - Embracing the Magic," will set the standard for water birth in the US for the coming millenium.
Many people ask if it is safe to give birth in water. To date, there are estimates that more than 60,000 water births have taken place world-wide with no reports of life-threatening complications for either the mother or the baby. As a matter of fact, the statistics that have been generated from practices such as Dr. Michael Rosenthal's, of Upland, California, who helped 948 babies come through water, and Dr. Josie Muscat's, of Malta, who has assisted over 2000 water births, and those of Dr. Herman Ponette, of Belgium, who has supervised almost 3,000 births in water, reveal that it is actually safer for some women to birth in water. The National Health Service in England has encouraged the use of water by the installation of baths over 200 British hospitals. A study was published in the British Journal of Medicine in April, 1995, which detailed the results of over 12,000 hospital labors and births in water. Water birth has spread throughout Europe and is acknowledged by health care practitioners around the world as the best non-narcotic pain relief for laboring women. There is a great need for research, as with any new method or technology that is introduced for maternity care, but we now know that the use of water has been an accepted practice around the world for thousands of years in many indigenous cultures.
Here are some of the most Frequently Asked Questions about water birth.
How does the Baby Breathe? There is a complex physiological mechanism which inhibits the baby from taking a breath when it is born into water. It is commonly believed that the stimulus to breathe is from the baby's face coming in direct contact with air. Up until the time that the baby is lifted out of the water, the baby receives its oxygen from the mother via the placenta and the umbilical cord, just as it has for the prior nine months in the womb. The newborn baby also has an innate reflex - the dive reflex- which allows it to be in water without inhaling. That is why infants swim so easily in water and don't have problems with breathing.
Water Temperature
Water should be maintained at a temperature which is comfortable for the mother, usually between 95-100 degrees Fahrenheit. If the water is too hot, dehydration becomes a problem, as well as over heating which can often cause the baby's heart rate to go up. It's good to have plenty of cold wash cloths or a spray bottle with cold water available.
When to Get Into the Water
A woman should be encouraged to use the labor pool whenever she wants. In early labor, the contractions will sometimes space out or stop altogether, so the mom needs to get out of the pool and walk to keep the labor established. Labor often progresses quickly when a woman waits until her cervix is at least 5 cm dilated before getting into water. Most women do not want to get out once they get in!
Types of Tubs
The standard home bathtub and often hospital jacuzzi bathtub is just too small to be comfortable for the mother and midwives find it difficult to assist with a birth. Many women use the bathtub for labor but get out to give birth. The most ideal tubs are either inflatable or collapsible portable ones. GMCHA began offering portable tubs for sale and rental in April of 1989, and since have rented out over 1500 pools. Many couples have taken their tubs into hospitals or birth centers. Some very successful water births have taken place in these facilities. Fathers report that they enjoy being in charge of setting up and filling the labor pools for their partners. It gives them something practical to do for the birth in addition to being there for emotional support. There are many new pools being designed and manufactured in Europe and the US. These "on purpose" pools have been designed by mothers and midwives and have many features that make them ideal for hospital installations.
When to Take the Baby Out of the Water
We do not advocate leaving the baby in the water for any reason after the full body is birthed. Without hurrying, someone reaches down - it might be the mother, father, midwife or doctor - and gently lifts the baby up and hands the baby to the mother. Everything stops at that point as the new arrival and the mother luxuriate in the warmth of the water and the quiet that surrounds them.
How Are Complications Handled in the Water?
It is best to first remember that birth is not an emergency situation and that the majority of births will take place normally and naturally, especially if a mother's instincts are allowed to be followed. But, occasionally, situations arise that need the skilled intervention of an experienced birth practitioner. Almost any complication of normal birth can be dealt with in water. Cords around the neck slip off easier. Prolapsed cords can be left alone in the water and they won't stop pulsating. Breech babies are much easier to birth in water. Some hospitals in Europe even insist on water for breech or twin births. Stuck shoulders are not the same dilemma because the water buys time to allow the shoulders to turn at their own pace and the birth to proceed normally. It might take an experienced doctor or midwife a few dozen births in water to feel comfortable with handling difficult situations, but ultimately they begin to prefer water births. Mothers who have one water birth, no matter how difficult, will ALWAYS say they would never give birth any other way.
How Can I Have a Water Birth At My Hospital?
Water birth profoundly demonstrates that a woman is empowered by "giving birth," not "being delivered." Many health care providers are beginning to see the great numbers of women that are not satisfied with the "normal" hospital birth experience. As couples become more informed of their options, they are assuming more responsibility for their own birth process. GMCHA works diligently with couples who want to use warm water during their births in a hospital environment. Hospitals are more cooperative today than every before as more doctors and midwives see the benefits of allowing women to make their own choices.
Water birth is more a philosophy of non-intervention rather than a method of giving birth. Water birth shows us how simple and uncomplicated birth can be. Can you imagine the surprise and delight of the women who give birth and pick up their babies right out of the water?
It is essential that we adjust the way we bring our children into this world. By providing a safe and comfortable environment with plenty of privacy and a feeling of love and security for the mother, she is better able to release her baby with an experience of joy - her experience is the baby's experience. The use of water for labor and birth is one way of providing this opportunity for women and their babies.
For more information, resources or referrals to water birth facilities or practitioners, please email through our website link at http://www.waterbirth.org/ or email directly at: waterbirth@aol.com. You may also write to us at:
Waterbirth International, P. O. Box 1400, Wilsonville, OR. 97070
1-800-641-BABY