Considering a water birth - any experiences/advice?

Lydia.42

Hi

My OH and I are due to have our first baby in May. I am keen to avoid hospital if possible, and give birth at home.

Obviously even with the best laid plans, things can change, but if all goes to plan i would like to go down the route of a water birth. I have looked on the internet and found kits for approx. £80 basic (pool/hose/foot pump - no fancy electric pumps, etc), and just wondered if anyone had any experience of the pools themselves/home births/water births, or any advice at all really.

Many thanks guys

shaileytuff

good on you, with both my pregnancies i was keen DH thought i was being 'fashionable' so agreed would go to hospital and birth in their water pool as a compromise

First labour - didn't have time 1hour and 24 minutes after arriving (1 day past due date) DD1 arrived

Second time, midwfie stalled filling the pool and 41 minutes later DD2 arrived

But how i wish i could of experienced a water birth and don;t listen to the scaremonger's who will try and put you off

Mimosa_Miminski

I've had 2 home births, and due to have home birth no 3 in a couple of weeks. I would recommend them.

On the waterbirth side - haven't tried it. With homebirth no. 1, I got in the bath as the contractions got stronger - and got out again after a few minutes as it seemed to amplify the pain rather than helping. It was truly horrible - so I don't think water is for me.

Homebirths On the plus side:
It's a lot more relaxed, and I think your own home is a lot cleaner and less dangerous than hospital!. You get the individual attention of one midwife from whenever you call them, and midwife number 2 comes about 30 mins before birth (one looks after you, and one after baby).

They bring their own sandwiches, provide coverings, and clean up afterwards - so no mess. After home birth no 2. I went upstairs for a quick bath, and when I came down 15 mins later - the place was immaculate including cream carpets!

you're in your own home which is great after the birth - you can get in your own bath, get a snack out of the cupboard, people don't tend to visit for a few weeks (whereas they seem to all crowd in to hospitals), you've got all of your clothes, toiletries, home comforts available - and not just the contents of a hospital bag, you get into a normal routine much quicker.

On the minus side of homebirth - It's hard to keep your home in a state of readiness - you don't know when baby is going to come out, so have to keep the place ready and tidy. Can't think of any other minuses.

A few tips: Stock up the freezer with home cooked meals (and homemade health cakes frozen too), buy a big bag of healthy nuts to snack on (full of B vitamins - good for beating the baby blues), get some cheap plastic table cloth material to protect surfaces (99p a metre in Dunhelm), I like to bite on a frozen flannel personally (so have lots of those individually wrapped in the freezer), I also had isotopic drinks ready for after the birth to restore fluid/energy.

All the best
Mimosa

inkie

As a midwife who is pro-home birth, and has delivered lots of babies in water, then if you are suitable for a HB then go for it. But, please check with your midwife that the staff in your area are experienced in waterbirth, as not all MWs are.

across

i swear by water and had baths with both my births and spent a lot of time pacing up and down i also swear by gravity didnt even need gas and air with any of them so it wasnt that bad i guess! on my second i planned a water birth but never made it to car let alone birthing pool in hospital but having it in my bedroom was the nicest thing ive ever done even though it was by accident (i never really wanted to go to hospital from the start if i'm honest!so i should have booked a home birth properly!!!!!!!!!!)there is nothing nicer than your own bath and bed and a new little bundle to look across at in luxury! have a wonderful time! my births werent that bad it's worse having a filling at the dentist at least you get a little cutie to cuddle when its all done and hubby can do tea and toast so you wont miss out!!
remain focused and relax as i imagine the more tense you are the more it would hurt like period pains so dont be scared your body knows what to do just be patient and go with it, very best of luck and go for it! xx:T

bumpybecky

Congratulations

I've had three babies and planned home water births with all of them

We didn't manage it with dd1 as when the waters went there was meconium there and we had to transfer to hospital as it is a sign of distress and she might have needed help (she didn't!)

With dd2 (may 2000) and dd3 (feb 2005) we managed home waterbirths both were very different, but fantastic

For the second two births I've had the sort of pool that can be left set up before hand and stays warm with an in pool heater. This is a lot more expensive than the standard pools, but you know it'll be there ready when you need it. IMO it's worth the expense

Not sure what else I can say, but if you've got any questions give me shout

jopsey

I did the hospital water birth ,did think about home birth but with it being my first birth and didn't really have a good pregnancy I opted for hospitial.

My experiance was brilliant didn't have the shortest of labours but the midwive's were brill and the one who delivered my son stayed an extra 2 hour's after her shift ended ,she was fab and on her way out said I will see you at home for your next birth .

............ not for a while I hope !!!

overlykeensaver

I tried a water birth at the hospital rather than at home. I found it very relaxing in the water but to be honest I think they let me go in the water too early. I was only 4cm dilated and afterwards I ready that the water can slow you down if you are put in too early.

Not sure whether it was the water but I sure took a long time to get fully dilated! Also, because my waters had broken over 24 hours earlier, I had to keep having my drip updated so had to get out of the water. You are so light in the water (wonderful!) but having to get out was hideous because I became so heavy that I could hardly walk - felt I was being dragged to the floor!

Anyway, not the best experience in general for me , but I would say, if you can get in the water at the right stage in your dilation, and can stay there, it will be lovely!

MJMum

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Pink_butterfly_3

MJMum wrote:

I recommend TENS though.

I would definately agree with this! Tens machines are wonderful!! I had one on throughout my entire labour with my first and nearly all the way through with my second.

With my first, the midwife ran me a bath after the labour pains started to get really bad. I had to take off my tens machine and after about 5 mintues the pain was so agonisingly bad that i was shouting for someone to get me out! I was desparate to get my tens machine back on! Once i got close to the pushing stage, the midwife asked me if i wanted to get into the birthing pool! Not on your life love, i believe was my answer!!

With my second, it was all alot quicker (and much more painful may i add!) but I had my trusty tens machine on from the minute my waters broke! As i started pushing i yelled at my husband to take it off (he was asleep on a chair, its very tiring for men you understand) and i just pushed without any pain relief. I didn't even bother with gas & air as all it did was distract me the first time round and prolonged the horrible pushing stage for hours and hours.

Don't get me wrong though, i quite happily sucked away on the gas & air all the way through the contractions - and in between too!! God, i love gas & air, its like angels breath....:rotfl:

Anyway, this all has nothing to do with water births so sorry about my ramblings!!!

Mummy_Jo

I was induced with No1 after waters breaking and nothing happening. WIth No 2 I felt I didn't want to repeat my hospital experience so I went to Chippenham Community Hosp which is a midwife led unit and delivered in the pool. It was amazing. I had complete control. The only time I was examined was because she felt that my waters may need breaking this time - and they did and boy did she come quickly. It was really relaxed - the pool was massive and I had loads of space to move and change positions etc.
I never really felt comfortable with a home birth and as a first time experience it may not be what you expect. I would recommend checking out a local midwife led unit if you have one. Its the next best thing as far as I'm concerned.

I also tried Hypnotherapy for the pain which worked a treat. With No1 it was a v diff birth and the consultant to came in to see me thought I'd had an epidural - I was only using gas and air the rest was down to hypnotherapy with no 2 I had nothing just myself and I wasn't actively trying to go into trance but the midwife was sure that I was using it as I was so calm. I use it still to help with pain (I have permanent SPD).

ITs a very exciting time for you. Have you thought about keeping a diary so you can show your child what decision making processes you went through? Obviously when they are older and you would need to make sure it was kept for a child's eyes!! lol

Good Luck

Jo