BIRTH STOOLS

Evidence on Waterbirth

Introduction

Waterbirth is a safe and effective alternative to traditional birth. It’s also growing in popularity.

What is waterbirth

Waterbirth is a safe alternative to traditional hospital delivery. It can be used for many different situations, including:

• Cesarean section
• Birth before 37 weeks gestation (preterm birth)
• Twin or triplet births
• Labor induction or augmentation

When can you have a waterbirth

Waterbirth is safe for most women.

If you are healthy and have a low-risk pregnancy, you may be able to give birth in the tub. If your pregnancy is high risk, such as if you have diabetes or high blood pressure, it’s important to talk with your doctor before deciding on a birth plan.

You can also have a waterbirth if:

• You previously had an uncomplicated vaginal delivery (no tear).
• You gave birth via cesarean section (C-section) previously.
• You had no problems with any previous births or C-sections

Waterbirth history

A number of studies have been conducted to investigate the safety and benefits of waterbirth. These studies have found that there is no evidence to suggest that waterbirth increases the risk of adverse events for mother or baby.

An initial analysis by researchers at Flinders University in Australia showed no increase in maternal or neonatal morbidity associated with immersion during labour, delivery and postpartum period compared with land birth. The study also found no increased risk for women who gave birth outside hospital compared to those who gave birth on land.

In a Cochrane review of 11 trials involving 8353 women and 7046 babies, researchers concluded that there was “no convincing evidence” that water immersion during labour caused adverse effects for mothers or babies (though it should be noted that this review only looked at low-risk women).

Waterbirth is a safe and effective alternative to traditional birth

Waterbirth is a safe and effective alternative to traditional birth. Waterbirth can be used for both vaginal and cesarean births, as well as for women who have previously had a cesarean. In addition, waterbirth can minimize the risk of hemorrhage during delivery by reducing muscle tension, which in turn relieves pressure on the uterus.

Waterbirthing has many benefits: it decreases pain, reduces stress hormones in both mother and baby (which can lead to shorter labors), reduces the need for pain medication post-delivery, increases skin-to-skin contact between parents and babies following birth (skin-to-skin contact is shown to reduce crying in newborns), helps reduce hemorrhage during delivery by relaxing uterine muscle contractions (which reduces tension on the uterus), improves breastfeeding success rates by increasing milk production (due to increased blood flow into breasts), promotes bonding between parents and babies through touch/contact with one another after birth

Conclusion

Waterbirth is a safe, effective and popular alternative to traditional birth. It is not just for the wealthy or privileged, but offers a choice that all women should be able to exercise when considering how they want to give birth. While there are some risks involved with waterbirth, they are minimal when compared with those associated with other methods of delivery such as cesarean section operations or induction labor induction methods which involve synthetic drugs. In addition, research shows that babies born in water may experience fewer complications such as low blood sugar levels than those born outside of this environment since their mothers’ bodies are better able at regulating them during gestation periods due