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You are here : home > Pregnancy > Labour and Delivery > Water Childbirth

Water Childbirth

Water Childbirth

Water childbirth method helps to ease the labour pain and facilitates smooth delivery. Read on to know more about the benefits of water childbirth method.

Water birth is gaining a huge amount of popularity these days. And it is not a new method as many believe it to be. It was as early as 1803, that the first recorded water birth took place in France; Germany followed soon in 1805. If you look back even more, you will find that the ancient Egyptians believed that their priests were born in or from water.

In recent times, in the 1960s, a soviet researcher named Igor Charkovsky explored the various aspects and probable benefits related to water birth. In the mid 1970s, this delivery method was tested on mothers who volunteered for it. Fredrick LeBoyer, a French obstetrician advocated the water birth method in his book in 1974.

In water childbirth method the delivery takes place by immersing the lower body of the mother in warm water. It makes the transition of the baby from the mother’s womb to the outside world a lot easier and also considerably reduces the possibility of various birth traumas.

Benefits of Water Childbirth

Here are a few benefits of water childbirth.

The Mother Experiences Lesser Pain –

Labour pain can be huge challenge to women who had even the healthiest of pregnancy term. Numerous studies reveal that water birth effectively reduces pain to a great extent. In fact, if you seek pain relief methods, water birth is second only to the epidural.

Pushing Becomes Easier and Fewer Stitches Required –

After labour, the second stage in the delivery process is the pushing. Water can induce a great amount of relaxation. It makes pushing a smoother and less painful action. In some cases, vaginal incisions are required to be made to foster the birth of the baby and there can be abrasions as well. In water birth, mothers are found to require a lesser number of stitches as well.

The relaxing properties of water are well known. A simple warm bath can substantially reduce stress. Even during labour pain and childbirth, warm water is found to provide the same dramatic relaxed effect. With more relaxation and less pain, mothers can better feel the experience of this unique process of childbirth.

Mobility for the Mother is Enhanced –

The mother can move easily and reposition herself according to convenience and aid the birth process when she is in the tub. The water aids her movement and she feels less encumbered due to her large form, which would otherwise be the feeling on the birth table. This enhanced movement helps in speeding up the labour and induce the desired amount of contractions.

During water childbirth mother can not only move her legs, squat if she feels like and circle her hips in order to reduce the pain and this in turn helps the baby to move down her pelvis. The pain felt is thereby much less in this process.

Pain Medications are Reduced –

While giving birth on the table, a lot of epidural anaesthesia is administered to counter the immense pain in the mother. But in water birth, it has been found that the requirement of the epidurals is substantially less as the pain felt is less.

Basically, if the pregnancy is otherwise normal and there are no serious complications, and of course if the doctor too feels that there is no harm in water birth, it is generally recommended that women choose this option. It not only reduces the use of drugs and medications, but the experience is a lot less painful too.




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DR.Fatima Poonawala
DR.Fatima Poonawala.11 years ago
i run a very personalised birth centre in bangalore where we offer warm water as an option for labour and delivery,as pain reliever.Do visit www.alfaclinic.net to get toknow us.
 
 
 
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Saina
Saina.12 years ago
good to know about water childbirth...if this is available in India then many women would benefit.
 
 
 
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Kirti
Kirti.12 years ago
Water childbirth helps in reducing the pain during delivery so is a much better option. The baby and the mother are at a relaxed state after delivery.
 
 
 
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Meher
Meher.12 years ago
Is water childbirth facility available in Mumbai? I am afraid that if I speak about water childbirth, my doctor would laugh at me.
 
 
 
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