Water Birth: An In-Depth Look

The healing and pain relieving properties of water have been recognized over the centuries. Hydrotherapydefine, defined as the therapeutic use of warm water for the pain relief is a proven natural therapy.

Water helps women to cope better with pain and enhance those hormonesdefine which are an integral part of healthy birth. It is important to state here that water is not likely to take away the pain, however, it can make a tremendous difference to the woman’s ability to relax, and may well make the pain more bearable.

But remember, each person is different and may react differently to different comfort measures.

Buoyancy and mobility;

Water is buoyant and soft and carries the body’s weight. It thus buffers the pressures body weight and contractions create, relieving pressure on joints and muscles and create a further relaxing sensation.

This weightlessness increases the woman’s mobility. There is a sense of physical liberation. As a result, resting between contractions is much easier, and the woman is less likely to become fatigued or exhausted.

Suppleness:

As water increases the suppleness of our skin, the risk of tissue tearing is thus reduced to minimum. In upright position, the weight of the baby’s head and the warmth of the water on the perineal tissues make the stretching gentle and gives the tissue enough time to spread.

Relaxation:

Entering the birth pool during labor causes the woman to relax. It reduces stress hormones in the body; it lowers the heart rate and blood pressure; respiratory rate also lowers. Water helps warm up the uterusdefine as labor progresses, thus reducing cramps and tiredness. It helps relax the pelvic floor muscles which help the baby be born more easily.

The hydrostatic pressure of water relieves the discomforts of the contractions. Warm water also eases muscular tension and enhances relaxation during and between contractions.

Benefits to the baby:

Water birth has benefits for the baby as well as it often provides a gentler transition to the life outside the womb. The water temperature is kept close to that of the amniotic fluid in the womb and so there is no shock due to temperature change. The baby receives oxygen from the umbilical corddefine just like it has been for the past nine months.

The autonomic reflex also called the dive reflex prevents the baby from breathing under water after birth as the substance that is in the throat is swallowed but not inhaled. So it is impossible for the newborn to breathe until up in the air, unless in distress.

Further, a complex chain reaction of hormones and chemicals cause the breathing process to begin once it is out of water. After birth the baby is removed unhurriedly out of the water, face down so that water drains from the nose and mouth.