To water birth or not?

My mummy wont tell me but where exactly do they come from

I wouldnt recommend water birth unless you can tollerate a lot of pain.
THEY GIVE YOU NO MEDS!

I am 35 weeks at the minute and ive been wanting a water birth from the start.lol.Ive read so many positive things about it and toured the water birth suite at my hospital and it looks great!! I really hate the idea of an epidural and the benefits of being in the water are great.My fiance has no problem with it and ive a feeling im going to have to find an excuse to stop him getting in with me!! at the end of the day its you in labour and you are the one giving birth so go with whatever feels right for you. You can actually find videos on youtube etc of women in water births.Alot of them are beautiful.x

Water birth is a method of giving birth, which involves immersion in warm water. Proponents believe that this method is safe and provides many benefits for both mother and infant, including pain relief and a less traumatic birth experience for the baby. However, critics argue that the procedure introduces unnecessary risks to the infant such as infection and water inhalation.

Benefits For the baby
Childbirth can be a strenuous experience for the baby. Properly heated water helps to ease the transition from the birth canal to the outside world because the warm liquid resembles the familiar intra-uterine environment, and softens light, colors and noises.

For the mother: Pain management
water birth is an effective form of pain management during labor and delivery. Water birth is a form of hydrotherapy which, in studies, has been shown to be an effective form of pain management for a variety of conditions especially lower back pain (a common complaint of women in labor)

To say is shortly, numerous studies have concluded that there is a definite “benefit from hydrotherapy in pain, function, self-efficacy and affect, joint mobility, strength, and balance, particularly among older adults, subjects with rheumatic conditions and chronic low back pain.”

Full immersion in water promotes physiological responses in the mother that reduce pain including a redistribution of blood volume, which stimulates the release of oxytocin and vasopressin, the latter which also increases oxytocin blood levels.

No evidence was found that this benefit was associated with poorer outcomes for babies or longer labours.” It has also been found that in waterbirths the buoyancy of the mother and the baby allow for a gravitational pull. This pull not only opens up the mother’s pelvis but also allows the baby to descend more easily.

When compared with conventional pain management techniques for labor and delivery (e.g. anesthesia and narcotics), hydrotherapy is also possibly a safer alternative. In studies, epidural anesthesia (EDA) is correlated with an increased rate of instrumental (e.g. forceps in childbirth) delivery rates and also cesarean section rates.

Intact perineum/decreased episiotomy
Water birth is believed to aid stretching of the perineum and decrease the risk of skin tears. Support from the water slows crowning of the infant’s head and offers perineal support, which decreases the risk of tearing and reduces the use of episiotomy, a surgical procedure which can cause a number of complications. Indeed, there is a 0% episiotomy rate in the waterbirth literature.

Risks and concerns
A large-scale study of waterbirth in the UK (1994-1996) showed a decrease in perinatal mortality (1.2/1,000 for waterbirth vs. 4/1,000 for conventional birth during the same period). While of the 150,000 recorded waterbirths worldwide between 1985 and 1999 problems comparable to non-water births did arise, “there are no valid reports of infants deaths due to water aspiration or inhalation”.

Infection
Another concern is that the water could increase the risk of infection. In a randomized controlled trial of the effects of water labor in Canada, no difference was noted in the low rates of maternal and newborn signs of infection in women with ruptured membranes. Due to the rigorous protocols for cleaning birthing tubs between labors (especially in hospitals), there is little (if any) risk of transferring bacteria from infant to mother or mother to infant.

Slowed labor
Due to the documented relaxing effects of water[citation needed], laboring in water is sometimes associated with a decrease in the intensity of contractions, and is thus thought to slow labor. While home birth experts (e.g. Harper, RN) argue that this must be evaluated on a case-by-case basis, some hospitals have adopted a “5 centimeter” rule, allowing women to enter the tub only once the cervix has already expanded to 5 centimeters.

Maternal blood loss
For care providers who are inexperienced in delivery in water, it may be difficult to assess the amount of maternal blood loss. While well-developed methods of determining maternal blood loss in water do exist, many providers prefer to deliver the placenta “on land” for this reason (e.g. the University of Michigan hospital).

On the other hand, some doctors and midwives see that waterbirths have actually been known to reduce the amount of blood loss. The water surrounding the mother actually lowers the mother’s blood pressure and heart rate. Mothers still lose significant amount of blood through the passing of the placenta.

All of the above was taken from the wikipedia. Please read there for the full context.

My mom has had 9 kids (18 really, but 9 were miscarried). The 1st was born in the hospital, the rest of us were born at home. Out of all of those, the last 3 were supposed to be born in the water-1 didn’t make it there, was born on the floor. The rest of us were born on the bed.