Do you find the warmth of a bath soothing? I’ve often sunk into a bath with aching bones or period pains and it’s felt like heaven. There’s so many birth stories out there confirming that water can have a soothing effect during labour too. 

If you’re considering a water birth I have great news for you – it’s considered by many experts as a safe and beneficial option for so many. There’s a really good amount of evidence out there now, and overall it’s good news. But this is still a very personal decision, and to help you make the right decision for you- here are some of the pros and cons.

If you’d like to know more about your birth choices and decision making, check out my hypnobirthing courses.

Pros

The first step in working out if a water birth is right for you, is how do YOU feel about it? If the warm, cosy vibe resonates with you then it has the potential to be just the right environment for your body during labour and birth. Basically, if you think it will help you to feel relaxed, then that’s amazing! This works with the science of birth, that if you’re nice and relaxed with plenty of oxytocin flowing, then labour could run more smoothly. 

Usually in a water birth, you’d be in a hospital water bath especially made for birth or one that blows up at home (birth can happen in a normal bath, but this can be pretty cramped and not quite as clean.) This means you’re sort-of in a ‘nest’ which creates this private space for ‘hands-off’ care. 

The warm, soothing nature of water could promote the release of your endorphins – the body’s own pain relief. This could also reduce anxiety and blood pressure. 

In fact, warm water has many potential benefits in labour, including: 

– Helping to relieve the pressure as baby decends into the pelvis,

– Helping to soften the perineum, possibly reducing the incidence of high degree tears,

– Helping to lower the rate of intervention,

– Helping to ease baby into the world. 

Overall, the research into the benefits of water birth found: 

– Decreased need for other pain relief,

– Increased maternal satisfaction (more positive experiences),

– Less likely to have intervention, 

– More likely to have physiological labour. 

Cons

It’s important to consider what being in a birth pool might mean for you, so here are some things to consider:

– You will need to get out of the pool if you require an epidural or opioid-based pain relief,

– If you need CTG monitoring, some hospitals have waterproof / wireless monitoring, but some don’t,

– You may need to leave the pool if there are complications,

– A pool may not be available if you’re giving birth in a hospital or birth centre.

The research suggests that there are no difference in outcomes for birthers and babies in water and out of water for most studies across the world.

In England, there’s “No association between water birth and specific adverse outcomes for either mother or baby.” (Aughey et al 2021)

Overall, water birth is shown to be a safe and beneficial option for most birthers and their babies. So there needs to be a really good medical reason to take the option off the table (or just personal preference of course!)

For more information on this subject, check out sarawickham.com.

If you’d like to know more about your rights and water birth, take a look at @Emma_ashworth_birth_rights on instagram.

For support and information antenatally or postnatally, take a look at my courses and services.