Water Births

Question 1

What is a water birth?

Answer

Over the past few years, the concept of easing the discomfort and pain of labor and delivery by submersion in a tub of warm water has become increasingly popular around the world. Water births can reduce the need for other pain-relief techniques and for medical intervention.

Water births are intended for women who have had healthy, complication-free pregnancies.

Question 2

How does it work?

Answer

Water births take place with the mother sitting or lying in a large bath or small pool. The process takes place in the presence of a personal midwife, within a dedicated delivery room that is specially designed for this purpose with a focus on safety and privacy.

For women who are pre-determined to be at low risk of complications during delivery, a water birth offers a unique birthing experience and a special, relaxing, embracing environment in which to welcome your child into the world.

Question 3

Is a water birth a possibility for anyone?

Answer

The determination of whether a mother is eligible for a water birth will first be made by a midwife and doctor specially trained in this process.

Our goal is to provide an optimally safe environment for mother and infant and to keep medical intervention to a minimum, so as to allow the natural process to dictate the birth.

The following conditions must be in place to allow for a water birth:

* Second or subsequent delivery (not a first-time birth)
* Single fetus with head-first presentation
* Normal pregnancy without any complications or risks
* Fetus weighs no more than 4.5kg
* Healthy fetal monitoring results
* No previous Cesarean deliveries

Should any complication or concern arise during the course of the delivery, the medical team will of course intervene and transfer the mother to a delivery bed or, where necessary, for surgical intervention.

Question 4

Relaxation

Answer

The warm water helps the mother to relax and remain calm throughout labor. Tension can cause a slowing or pause in contractions, thus lengthening the labor and delivery. When the laboring mother is relaxed, the process can proceed more easily and effectively.

During the active birthing process, the water helps limit the release of stress hormones such as adrenaline, and promotes the release of hormones that help speed up the delivery, such as oxytocin, which helps regulate the contractions, making them more effective. The body then releases additional hormones - endorphins - that help the mother better deal with the contractions and reduce pain.

Question 5

Privacy and personal control

Answer

When you enter the warm and soothing water, it's almost like a world of your own, separate and protected from everything going on outside. With the lights dimmed and the room quiet, you’ll be able to focus on your personal needs and truly connect to the birthing process. The floating sensation also helps ease your overall comfort and allows you to move and maneuver more easily with less physical stress.

Natural births - and water births in particular - have become increasingly popular in recent years, and almost all leading medical centers offer special delivery rooms fitted with birthing pools. The advantage of a water birth in a medical setting over a water birth at home is that should the need arise, the medical team is on hand with the expertise and equipment to handle an unexpected emergency.

Question 6

Pain Management

Answer

Submersion in warm water is soothing and helps you deal better with stronger contractions. Water birth has been shown to significantly reduce the need for pain relief medication.

Question 7

Shorter Births

Answer

As the contractions are better regulated and more effective, and the mother is calmer and more in tune with her body, the delivery process generally moves more quickly and smoothly than in a delivery bed.

Question 8

Satisfaction

Answer

Our overall experience has shown that most mothers who choose a water birth report considerable satisfaction with the process and generally choose this option for subsequent births.

Question 9

Are water births safe?

Answer

We certainly understand your worry that during a water birth your infant might ingest water taking his/her first breath. But it’s important to know that healthy newborns don’t take a first breath until the face, nose, and mouth are exposed to air and detect the temperature change. An infant born underwater is protected by a sort of “underwater reflex”, whereby the instinct is to keep the breathing channels completely closed and thus prevent any ingestion of water.

Throughout the birth, the midwife will constantly be monitoring the infant’s pulse and ensuring that the oxygen levels are normal- just as in a non-water birth. There is no medical research or evidence indicating that children born underwater have any related respiratory or breathing issues as compared to those born with more traditional methods.

Question 10

When should I get into the water?

Answer

Our recommendation is to enter the water once the delivery has advanced to a more active stage when the contractions are regular and more intense, occurring every 3-4 minutes, with 4-5 cm dilation and near complete effacement. Entering the water too early can cause the contractions to slow down considerably or even stop. If that happens, the mother might take advantage of that brief respite to relax, or get out of the water and wait for the process to resume on its own. The midwife will of course be available to help determine the best course of action.

Question 11

What is the ideal water temperature?

Answer

The recommendation is that the water should be between 32 and 37 degrees celsius. Warmer water could increase body temperature of both mother and infant, which needs to be avoided. The midwife will regularly monitor the water temperature alongside continuous monitoring of the fetal heartbeat.

Question 12

What happens after delivery?

Answer

After the infant is delivered, you will be asked to exit the water for the delivery of the placenta, primarily because it is important to monitor the volume of bleeding at this stage, which is difficult in water.

We welcome you to come and speak with our trained team of water-birth midwives. This will give you an opportunity to ask any other questions you may have, and to see firsthand why more and more couples are choosing to embrace the water birth option at Shaare Zedek.

We wish you a safe, healthy, and rewarding birthing experience!

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