WATER BIRTH
Massage is an ancient tradition handed down from generation to generation in many places in the world, but it’s not just that.
The water:
• Relaxes the pelvic floor and prevents episiotomy,
• Neutralizes gravity allowing the woman to save precious energy that will be needed in the expulsive phase,
• Speeds up the dilation of the cervix and therefore decreases the duration of labor,
• Promotes rest between one contraction and another,
• Thanks to the increase in humidity, it makes breathing easier,
• Promotes the production of endorphins which relieve pain by providing a sensation of widespread well-being, consequently the demand for an epidural is significantly lower in women who give birth in water.
I slept in the water during transition and active labor. I ate and drunk, I was relaxed and I felt totally in control of my body.
Simona, mum of Mattia
Another great benefit of water is certainly intimacy: the water helps you relax and concentrate, it promotes physical and emotional openness, allowing women to let go and be guided by the generating force.
For the baby, birth in water represents a gentle birth, a non-traumatic passage from the uterus to the world: in fact, he will find himself in an environment with muted lights and sounds, very similar to the one in which he has lived up to that moment. The baby is also immediately placed on his mother’s chest for skin-to-skin contact, essential for newborns.
I chose the water birth because it seemed to me the most natural way. I gave birth in birth pool kneel position so I didn’t see the baby coming out, but my husband told me that he was born practically asleep.
Anna, mum of Giacomo
But the water birth can be a moving and suggestive experience also for the partner who will be able to enter the pool together with the mother and thus have an active role during labor.
In addition, you can make the experience even more intimate and familiar by choosing a home birth in the pool.
It is important to know that not all women can have a water birth. There must be the right conditions such as a low-risk pregnancy, a baby in cephalic position, a healthy mother, a healthy baby with no signs of fetal distress. However, it is very likely that you can give birth in the pool where there are suitable criteria. In any case, if you have the desire to give birth in water, it is important to talk to the doctor or midwife you are being followed and to discuss this possibility with them.
Doula Alessandra – Deeply Mum