Childbirth in the water - to decide or not?

Nontraditional methods of delivery are becoming increasingly popular. This is due to the positive feedback from moms who gave birth to their babies in this way. Let's consider in detail such a technique as childbirth in the water, calling the algorithm, its positive and negative qualities.

How to facilitate childbirth?

The first birth in the water was carried out back in the 60s of the 20th century. Such unusual births made it possible to alleviate the sufferings of the parturient woman, reducing the burden on the female's internal organs, relieving the spinal column from excessive overstrain. Physicians who studied such a process of delivery made a scientific justification for this technique. The most famous of these is the Archimedes' law.

If you follow this simple rule, the pushing force of the water facilitates the painfulness of contractions. In addition, this method positively affects the health of the baby itself. Due to the fact that the fetus does not change the environment (from amniotic fluid enters the water), the birth stress decreases. However, the child spends less energy when born - the impact of gravity is excluded.

Is it possible to give birth in water?

Doctors do not give an unambiguous answer to this question. There are both supporters of the birth in the water, and opponents. The final decision to give birth in water is taken by the pregnant woman herself. But not all women in the situation can facilitate themselves the process of producing a long-awaited baby, giving birth in water. There are contraindications for this technique, among which:

Why give birth in the water?

Before you understand and tell about why you give birth in water, it should be noted that there are 2 ways of carrying out such a delivery:

  1. During the entire labor period, the parturient is in the water, the immediate birth of the baby occurs in the aquatic environment.
  2. The woman is in the water during the fights, with the beginning of attempts - the process continues in the classical way.

Women who choose to give birth in the water often start from the experience of their friends, who respond positively to such a process. At the same time there is a decrease in soreness, the process of contractions is easier to bear. It is also due to the fact that the mother can choose a comfortable pose independently, in which the contractions are less painful. Water positively affects the skin receptors, which transmit impulses to the nervous system. Warm water increases the elasticity of the tissue of the birth canal, which facilitates the fetal movement, reducing pressure on the pelvic organs.

Childbirth in the water - the pros and cons

As already mentioned, a positive feature of this method is a reduction in pain that is caused by contractions of the uterus. Immediately because of this, many women decide to give birth in water, the pros and cons of this method are not always taken into account. Among the positive aspects is:

As for negative qualities, they are reflected more on the newborn. Among them are:

How do women give birth in water?

Childbirth in the bathroom is conducted under the continuous supervision of the obstetrician. He directly directs the actions of the mother in childbirth, helps to relax and adjust to the process. During the entire period of labor, the maternity leave is in the water. The width of the bath for delivery in water is about 2 m (childbirth in clean water). Immersion takes place at the stage of active fights. The neck has an opening of 8 cm. The water temperature is 37 degrees.

A mother in company lies on her back or on her side. In some cases, a position standing on all fours is selected. At the same time, the water level should be such as to cover the nipples. This stimulates them, resulting in the production of oxytocin. The hormone increases uterine contractions, speeding up the process. If the intensity of contractions decreases, the woman leaves the water for a while, waiting for their resumption.

Childbirth at home in the water

Doctors do not recommend conducting their own childbirth at home in the bathroom, regarding such a process as very dangerous. Lack of experience, qualified specialists nearby, increases the likelihood of complications, among which:

In addition, childbirth in the bath increases the risk of infection. In medical institutions, using this technique, specially prepared water is used. Doctors categorically do not recommend exposing themselves and the baby to a risk, making a decision to give birth at home. In such cases, the likelihood of developing negative consequences, both for the woman herself and for the baby, is increased several times.

Childbirth in the water in the hospital

Childbirth in the basin, in a medical facility, was widely spread in the UK. In this country, special medical centers have been set up, which practice delivery by this method. There are all the conditions for this:

Before conducting such a delivery with a pregnant woman, several conversations take place. On them the future mother learns about the peculiarities of the process of birth, how to behave in this, to breathe properly. This helps to rule out the possibility of complications, among which:

Children born in water

Childbirth under water requires high training of specialists. In clinics that actively use this technique, the birth control algorithm is refined, but the risk of complications is always present. Particular concern of doctors is the condition of the baby born in the water. Because of this, doctors try to use a technique in which only the first part of the generic process takes place in the aquatic environment.

In addition, the opponents of this type of delivery are often among the negative consequences of the fact that the adaptation of these children to new environmental conditions is slower. In the opinion of neonatologists, labor stress also has positive features - it is a trigger mechanism for activating the work of systems and organs under changed conditions. In general, children born in water are practically the same as those that were born in the classical way.