Why Choose a Birth in Water?

Every year thousands of women worldwide choose to have an active natural birth using a birthing pool.

Women often intuitively feel drawn to water around birth. Midwives often advise women to have a bath in early labour. During recent decades, a greater understanding of the value of water has developed.

The use of a birthing pool for labour is now very common. Waterbirth itself is on the increase.

Water is widely used to support a non-interventionist approach to labour and birth at home or in hospital. It is recognised as a safe option to support labour for healthy pregnant women. Waterbirth is within the remit of normal midwifery practice.

Relaxing between contractions in birth pool

comfort,freedom, privacy…

Using a birthing pool for labour offers great comfort and helps to reduce stress. A woman’s awareness is freed to effortlessly settle down in the warm, soothing, private environment.

instinctive mobility

Something almost magical often seems to happen as a woman steps into her birthing pool during labour. She experiences effortless mobility in the buoyancy of the water facilitating a surrender to instinctive behaviour. This allows her to be more creative about positions she can adopt for an active approach to labour and birth.

Mother, Father & Baby in Birth Pool after water birth

a rewarding experience…

The outcomes of using a birthing pool can be very positive for all concerned, whether it is used for labour alone or for the birth itself. The atmosphere created can positively affect both the labouring woman and her birth attendants.

Waterbirth can give the baby a gentle entrance into the world and can provide a rewarding birth experience for the mother herself. A great sense of satisfaction is often experienced by all concerned, including midwives & birth partners.

Blue Lagoon Birt Pools : A Birth & Resting

‘As I sank into the warm water I let out a deep sigh of relief and immediately began to relax. I was amazed at the difference it made.’

‘Is it right for me..?'

If you are a healthy pregnant woman seeking an ‘active’ birth, as a first time mum or otherwise, then there is every reason to consider the use of water as an option for you.

Do you feel drawn to water? Do you enjoy the comfort of relaxing in the bath? Do you like the feeling of freedom and buoyancy in the swimming pool or in the warm sea? If so, the use of a birthing pool may be attractive to you.

The importance of choosing the right pool. A rigid birth pool such as one of our hexagonal Blue Lagoon birth pools will provide you with an ideal structure, strongly built, reliable, attractive and designed for its purpose. It will enable you to brace yourself against the strong outer walls one moment and float comfortably the next. Your midwife will also appreciate the ease of access without fear of soaking herself if she needs to lean in to you at any time.

Cartoon : Relaxing in a birth pool

Talk it through with your midwife, ourselves, your birth partner and others who have used water for the birth of their babies.

Your midwife will probably be interested and sympathetic. If you feel there is any lack of confidence, hesitancy or opposition, contact the local Supervisor of Midwives. She is there to help both you and the midwives.

Her phone number is usually listed within your maternity records, or you could ask a midwife how to contact her. For North West England click here.

Relaxing in Birth Pool

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