With all the water currently around Canterbury and the South Island, it seemed timely to talk about water birth.
What is a water birth?
Water birth is the process of birthing your baby in water. Generally, this is done in a birthing pool that looks like a giant spa bath (without the jets) or a deep ‘paddling pool’ (if birthing at home)—and yes, you can have a water birth at home!
The pool water is kept at around the 37-degree mark, which is especially important close to the birth. This temperature is similar to your own core temperature, the temperature your baby has been experiencing in the womb. Keeping it at 37 degrees also prevents you from overheating and helps you maintain your and your baby’s heart rate within a normal range.
Why have a water birth?
Being immersed in water has been proven anecdotally, both from my work experience and in scientific journals, to give birthing mums incredible relief and support during labour and birth. Combining heat and buoyancy gives a therapeutic effect, minimising the need for further anaesthesia.
Having a water birth also gives you a higher chance of having a spontaneous vaginal birth, with one NZ district health board (DHB) recording 84% of mummas experiencing this when they laboured in water. Supporting the belief that labouring in water was also of greater benefit than not using water in your birthing experience.
A further bonus of labouring in the pool is having your own personal bubble - unless someone wants to hop in with you, and there won’t be too many willing people aside from maybe your partner who may. This is your space. The physical barrier is a great reminder for those who are with you during this sacred time.
Anything special I should know?
When you are close to birthing your baby in the water, you will need to ensure your bottom half remains submerged. Babies have lived in fluid for 9 months and, therefore, do not need oxygen from the air as we do; instead, they receive this through their umbilical cord. When babies are exposed to air, they take their first breath, which changes the mechanism of the baby's circulatory system, causing gateways in the heart to close.
Once this phenomenon has occurred, your baby will not be able to ‘breathe’ in water as they were able to in the womb. By staying submerged in the pool, there is no risk of the baby breathing in air and then breathing in water. A great role for supporting people is placing a hand with a little pressure on Māmā's lower back as a reminder to stay low. Support people are often treated with a smile or wink from the new arrival while the baby is in the water.
One thing to remember is that often, water-born babies don’t necessarily make a lot of noise immediately. The general belief is that there is less stark temperature difference than birthing in the air. Imagine being outside on a hot summer day and then heading into your 24-degree air-conditioned house; there’s a noticeable difference! While you wait, don’t be afraid to say hello to your little one. They love the sound of your voice, a familiar and welcoming sound.
Where can I have a water birth?
In Christchurch, the option to have a water birth is at the following units:
Home - your midwife may have one available for you to borrow, or you can hire one
Christchurch Women’s Hospital (2 out of 13 rooms have a birthing pool)
Kurawaka Waipapa
Oromairaki Maternity*
Rangiora Community Maternity Unit*
*Not all birthing rooms may have a birthing pool.
Is it safe?
Here in New Zealand, the New Zealand College of Midwives (NZCOM) guiding statement explicitly encourages all women to be given the opportunity to labour and give birth in water. Within normal parameters, there is minimal risk to mum and baby.
Some women are concerned that their midwives won’t know what is happening. Worry not; midwives are well attuned to hearing and seeing how women behave in labour; having you on ‘dry land’ or in a pool doesn’t change this. There is no need to leave the pool for your midwife to listen to your baby’s heartbeat or check your well-being (unless absolutely required for either your or your baby's safety), and most midwives can also perform an internal examination (with your consent) in water too. It’s generally a good idea to get out and have a wander every 1-2 hours and nip to the wharepaku.
Now that you’ve learnt more about waterbirth, is this something you may add to your birth preferences?
References
Harper B. (2014). Birth, bath, and beyond: the science and safety of water immersion during labor and birth. The Journal of perinatal education, 23(3), 124–134. https://doi.org/10.1891/1058-1243.23.3.124
Munroe K. (2019.) Use of Water for Labour and Birth. https://edu.cdhb.health.nz/Hospitals-Services/Health-Professionals/maternity-care-guidelines/Documents/GLM0037-Use-of-Water-for-Birth-and-Labour.pdf
Maude, R.M., Kim, M. Getting into the water: a prospective observational study of water immersion for labour and birth at a New Zealand District Health Board. BMC Pregnancy Childbirth 20, 312 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1186/s12884-020-03007-6
CDHB. (2021). Maternity Quality and Safety Programme. https://www.cdhb.health.nz/wp-content/uploads/26486305-cdhb-mqsp-annual-report-2019-20.pdf