Water birthing is a new trend which a lot of celebrities are vouching for. However, it is anything but a fad!
A completely natural birthing process, water birth is more than just welcoming a new life in a tub of water.
It works by inducing pain-free, non-medicated labour and provides a gentle and more comforting experience on the overall.
Thus, for moms who desire to have a natural birthing experience, waterbirth is a great option to consider.
Common misconceptions cleared
However, there are misconceptions related to the entire birthing process. Will any tub do for the process? Will this experience require special help? Is it safe for the mom and the newborn baby’s health? If you too have questions, here are some details you should take into consideration before taking the call.
1. You’ll need support from a midwife
If you are opting for a natural water birthing experience, be sure to get in touch with a midwife or doula, who can be of great help to assist you during the entire birthing process. The duties of a doula can include providing care, relaxing you, comforting you, making arrangements to ease pain, speed up labour. However, you should be looking at booking a doula as early as in your 5th or 6th month of pregnancy so that both of you are well prepared.
2. Water acts as a pain relief method
The natural birthing process is scary and painful and may have you experience hours of labour pain! While it is not at all harmful to choose an epidural to ease your pain and help you, during a water birth, no medications like epidural are allowed. The water itself, heated to a certain temperature acts as a natural pain reliever and helps ease up the delivery process. Hence, it is thought of as the best option for those who want medicine-free labour and delivery.
3. Water birth will make you feel relaxed and at ease
One of the many benefits of opting for a water birth is the relaxing benefits it offers. Water births are therapeutic, puts you at ease, induces relief and comfort, lowers your blood pressure and makes you feel comforted. The warmth of the water also ushers in an increased flow of oxytocin, the body’s natural pain relievers. Some experts say that during waterbirth, contractions can also feel less intense and shorter.
4. You may be shifted to a hospital
While a water birthing experience guarantees a relaxed and natural birthing experience for expecting mothers, there can be situations where the mother in labour has to be shifted to the hospital at once due to complications like a drop in the fetal heart rate, rising body temperature (if the water is too warm) or possible bacterial infections which can take place if the mom-to-be’s water breaks before she goes into labour. If you are at high risk of bleeding, being in the pool can be dangerous.
5. It’s not for everyone
Water birth may sound exciting to many and might even do away with the scary part surrounding labour and delivery. That being said, water births aren’t for everybody, including high-risk pregnancies and complicated cases, which require a doctor’s watchful eyes. In some rare cases, water birth also isn’t advised for women giving birth to twins or multiples. Taking advice and practicing the necessary precautions is extremely crucial.
