Feature by Maasa Uemura.

Are water births safe, effective, and low risk?

Giving birth is a life changing experience, but it is also a traditional and natural part of life which we have inherited from our ancestors through the generation.

However, this job is an unbelievably tough thing both physically and mentally and women try it for dear their life (it often leads to a serious condition or death).  That is why, we have been trying to manage to ease the pain as much as possible by means of medical intervention such as use of epidurals.  If we think about the birth of previous generation, they definitely did not use such interventions.  they were not even accustomed to giving birth in hospital.  Rather the midwife delivered the mother of the baby at home.

In recent years, giving birth in a birthing pool has become increasingly popular, since the advantages of water birth include making the mother cope birth pain in a better way, providing a deeper level of relaxation and comfort, increasing the sense of privacy, making it easy to change and move position, and saving a lot of energy.

Water birth  vs  Epidural

According to Janet Balaskas, a founder of the Active Birth Centre, “there is a difference between epidural and water birth in terms of pain relief.  An epidural takes away the pain completely”. On the other hand, water birth can moderate the pain to some degree and decrease the level of the pain because the mother can relax and get huge relief due to endorphins which have the same function as morphine (a narcotic drug). 

Any Risks ?

What are the risks of water birth? Some experts say babies sometimes gasp for air on delivery with the risk that water might enter their lungs. It is also suggested that there is a possibility of complications from bacteria in the water.  Ms. Balaskas says that although you can never get rid of the risks of water births altogether, because babies can gasp if distressed the risks in such births are less than the risks with epidurals or medical interventions.  In addition, some experts say bacteria are advantageous for the baby because they need to receive outside things to get immunity before they get out of the mother’s body.

Statistical proof

A survey was conducted in which by 1,500 pediatricians in the UK participated.

The researchers were looking at 4,000 water births during the period from 1994 to 1996 to see if the baby died, was born successfully, or needed special care following delivery in water.  The finding showed that delivery in water did not increase adverse perinatal outcomes.  Despite the fact that the specialists said more research was needed as to whether water birth is a safe way to give birth or not, since that research, they have come to be able to say water birth is allowed on the NHS.

Recommendations and guidelines

NICE (National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence) recommends that “before choosing epidural analgesia, women should be informed about the risks and benefits and the implications for their labour”. Ms. Balaskas suggests the mother should decide whether she uses an epidural or not after she has been in the birthing pool for half an hour.

Your choice

Water birth and medical intervention have both advantages and disadvantages.  Therefore, it is very important for mother to be consulted with their pediatrician about any relevant health conditions such as blood pressure before they make the decision.  Furthermore, they should not diminish any benefits to the baby and should not forget the physical connection between mother and baby.