What does bath and birth have in common?

So much actually! The floating feeling, warm water & the relief it gives either during pregnancy or birth… so great in so many ways!

What are the benefits of being in water during birth? It can:
Help you relax between contractions
Even the sight and sound of water can be calming
Help you cope with your contractions so they do not feel as painful
Help you experience less fear and stress
Lower your chance of needing pain medications
Make it easier to move and change positions
Shorten your labor

Tip for the pain relief effect to kick in the water has to fully cover your belly and breasts.

What are the risks of being in water during labor?
There are no known risks to you or to your baby if you use water to help you relax during your labor. Research shows no higher chance of infection for women or babies after labor or birth in water compared to women who don’t use this option

If you’d like to dive deeper into the topic, #MichelOdent is a great source for that! He owns the first article in the medical literature about the use of birthing pools (Lancet 1983) and is the one who introduced in the 1970s the concepts of home-like birthing rooms and birthing pools in maternity hospitals. Truly a very visionary and super experienced man!

A quick alternative resume on using water for birth:

http://www.midwife.org/acnm/files/ccLibraryFiles/Filename/000000004248/WaterBirthandLabor.pdf

Did you use water/ bath during your birth or would you like to? What was your experience?

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