What's a water birth like? (2024)

What's it like to labour in a birth pool?

Being relaxed also helps you to breathe calmly. It means you're less likely to take short, shallow breaths, which can make the pain of contractions worse.

In active labour, labouring in water may help your body release less of the stress hormone adrenaline and more of the labour hormone oxytocin. This stimulates your labour contractions to be strong and regular (Simkin and Ancheta 2011).

Your body may also release more endorphins (RANZCOG 2017). These are the hormones that help you cope with contractions (Buckley 2011, RANZCOG 2017, Simkin and Ancheta 2011). A birth pool provides the perfect nest for you to labour in (Cunningham 2016), and will work best if you're immersed up to your chest or shoulders (Simkin and Ancheta 2011).

Once you're in the warm waters of the pool, you're in your own world and can labour undisturbed. If the lights are dimmed and the room is quiet, the effect will be heightened (Buckley 2011, Cunningham 2016), which may help you feel more in tune with your labour.

Being in water buoys you up and makes you feel lighter (RWHM 2013). It's easier for you to move about, so you can make yourself comfortable (RWHM 2013, Simkin and Ancheta 2011). The best position for you to take is the one you feel most comfortable in. Although when it comes to the pushing stage, your midwife may be able to help you get in a good position that will help your baby move more easily through your pelvis.

A useful rule of thumb is to keep your knees lower than your hips. But you can easily adopt lunge positions in the pool too (one knee down, one knee up), or kneel in the pool while you lean on the side. These positions can help your baby descend as you push and make the pushing more comfortable for you (NCCWCH 2014).

Being in warm water can make it easier for you to cope with the pain of contractions (Cluett et al 2018). It's just the same as having a bath to soothe a tummy ache or backache.

If you're having your baby in a hospital or birth centre, you'll have someone with you at all times, whether it's your midwife or your birth partner.

Using a birth pool for labour is often such a positive experience that many mums want to use one again when they have their next baby (Cluett et al 2018).

What's it like to give birth in water?

When your baby is born, he'll be brought to the surface of the water to take his first breath. Your midwife or doctor will slowly bring him to the surface, or show you how to do it yourself.

The reason for this gentle approach is because of the risk of the umbilical cord snapping or tearing. But this is very unlikely, affecting just one in 300 to 400 water births (Burns et al 2012, Cunningham 2016). And there's not enough research to say whether it's more likely to happen during water birth than giving birth in air (Cunningham 2016).

In any case, a snapped cord is not a life-threatening emergency for your baby. Your midwife will be trained for and alert to the possibility of it happening.

What's it like for my baby to be born in water?

You may be worried that your baby will inhale water with his first breath if he's born in a birth pool. When it comes to breathing, though, your baby won’t take his first breath until his face, mouth and nose come into contact with air and a change in temperature (Harper 2012).

Babies born in water are protected by the "dive reflex" (Harper 2014, RANZCOG 2017, RWHM 2013). Your baby will instinctively close his airway, stopping him from breathing in water (Cunningham 2016, Harper 2012, RWHM 2013).

Your midwife and doctor will also monitor your baby during your labour to make sure he's getting enough oxygen. There’s no evidence that babies born in water suffer from breathing problems any more than babies born in air (Cluett et al 2018, RANZCOG 2017).

Experts believe that babies are only at risk of overriding their dive reflex and inhaling water if:

• their oxygen supply via the placenta is affected in some way
• they're stimulated by touch or a change in temperature before the rest of their body is born
  (Cunningham 2016)

Your caregiver will guide you to make sure you don't bring your baby's head to the surface before the rest of his body is born. She'll monitor your baby for any potential problems (Cunningham 2016). If she thinks that there's a problem with your baby's oxygen supply, she'll ask you to stand up out of the water so that she can help your baby as quickly as possible.

Why would I need to get out of the pool?

• You feel faint or drowsy.
• Monitoring your baby's heartbeat shows that there's a problem (NCT 2019, RWHM 2013).
• Your labour is progressing very slowly. Your caregiver may suggest getting out and moving around for a while until your contractions get going again (Simkin and Ancheta 2011).
• You start bleeding during labour (NCT 2019).
• Your blood pressure goes up (NCT 2019).
• Your temperature goes up (NCT 2019, RWHM 2013).
• Your baby's first poo (meconium) is detected in your waters (NCT 2019). If you’re in the second stage of labour and meconium is detected, you may be able to stay in the pool depending on how much there is. Your caregiver will check your baby’s heart rate for signs of distress.
• The pool water gets very dirty and there's not enough time before the birth for your midwife to change the water.