Is A Water Birth For You?

When you think about labor and your birth plan it can lead you to a fork in the road. This fork has the potential to lead you down two routes, natural or medical.

For me I loved the idea of a natural birth, I didn’t want the epidural if I could help it and I really didn’t want to be drugged to the nines when my baby entered the world.  

With a natural birth emblazoned in my mind I set my sights on alternative pain relief. Water births started popping up on my Google searches, and the more I read about them the more that I craved one.

I loved the idea of floating around the pool and being able to change into the positions with ease, I read about people not tearing or tearing as badly during birth and these points were big selling points for me in making my decision.

For me a water birth was the very best choice, it allowed me to keep control and gave me my own little space away from prodding hands and internal examinations. 

It provided me with the space that I needed in a time that I needed it.

Being in the water can slow down labor and I was warned when I got into the pool that the contractions may slow down or could even stop altogether. This luckily didn't happen and I was able to labor in the pool before delivering my baby boy into the water. 

I then stayed in the pool in our own little space while we waited for the placenta to deliver. They even allowed Leo to stay attached to the placenta until it had been delivered. 

The whole water birth experience is a beautiful option to be able to have, it gives you space, comfort and for me security. Of course it won’t be for everybody and so many people will have experienced a completely different scenario to me, but for me personally it made the whole experience unforgettable. 

But what are the advantages to water birth and do I agree?

- The water alone can provide excellent pain relief without additional measures such as gas and air. 

- Getting into the pool really did offer a sense of relief, the water cushions you and takes away the edge. The heat of the water is comforting and relaxing, being deep enough to encase your entire bump. The water itself is a pain relief factor but admittedly I did huff and puff relentlessly at times on the gas and air. 

- You can still use gas and air (enthanox) should you wish.

- Some research has suggested that a water birth is less likely to lead to medical intervention such as forceps, ventouse  delivery, episiotomy, or tearing.

My whole water birth experience was amazing. I was left to my own devices, and told go with what my body was telling me. Every so often the midwife would ask me to raise my bump out of the water so that she could monitor the fetal heartbeat just to keep a check on how baby was doing. When I began pushing, within 10/15 minutes I had a baby on my chest. I had a small tear but nothing that required stitches and I felt that I got away so lightly because of the water. 

A water birth will be on my birthing plan for any additional babies I go on to have, not only is it a fantastic way to labor and give birth to a baby but I found those first moments with Leo magical.

Of course there are possible downsides to a water birth that you have to take into consideration when writing your birth plan or considering your options:

- Not every hospital or maternity unit has the facilities to offer a water birth.

- If you need medical intervention you won’t be able to continue in the pool and it can take time to get you into a situation where you can be better attended to.

- No TENS machine.

- In some cases it can slow down labor.

- No Pethidine or epidurals can be used in the pool.

- Water births are not advised if your baby is breech, being induced, have preeclampsia or are overdue/pre-term (there are other medical reasons that can prevent you having a water birth)

Do you have an experience of water birth that you would like to share?

A Birth Story - June 27th 2011

Leo Matthew was born on June 27th 2011 at 12:56pm weighing a healthy 7lbs 15oz, he surprised the world by making his appearance one week earlier than expected. I was due on the 4th of July 2011 and not due to finish work until July the 1st!

The whole experience was so positive and I could not have asked for a more amazing time of it.

I was niggling on Friday 24^th June, but I just carried on as normal, I finished work and attended my final antenatal class without even, for a second thinking I was going into the early stages of labor.

I left my desk cluttered under the pretense I would be back in the office on Monday morning, where I would have got my things tidied away for my impending leave….but I never got that far.

I went about my weekend as I normally would, I still didn’t mention how I was feeling to anyone, but by Saturday night I was getting more uncomfortable, even though I wasn’t feeling myself…I still managed to drive myself and the other half a 30 min drive for drinks in a nearby town! Although being heavily pregnant I did get ID'd....and to add more comedy to the scenario of a full term pregnant women going to a club…in labour…I was attending an acoustic night at my friends gay bar!

We sat and had drinks until the early hours and then I drove us back home again. I had no problem going off to sleep upon getting home but woke up at 5am and could not go back to sleep. I ended up getting up and watching some very early morning television, before being able to drift back off.

I wasn’t in any pain; the only description I can think of is a tightening wave low down in my abdomen (not at all what I expected contractions to feel like!).

By Sunday these tightening waves were coming more frequently but I still didn’t think anything of them, not for one minute did I realize this was it and labour was setting in!

It was a really hot day and I was hiding away from the heat to try and stay comfortable....by Sunday afternoon I had, had a show and decided that it may be best to give the hospital a call to find out what they thought. I was advised it sounded as though I was in early labor but it could take days…And to basically labour as long as I possibly could at home.

My younger sister had fallen out of a tree earlier in the day and my mother had to take her to hospital where they put a temporary cast on for her, I called her to let her know I was possibly in the early stages of labour, and then promptly told the other half, but he didn’t believe that it could possibly be labour!

He decided that I should go with him to look around a derelict cinema that is under refurbishment, So off we go to the building site for a good look around, up and down steep steps with this tightening wave in my abdomen becoming more frequent and more uncomfortable.

I carried on as I normally would; I even managed to get one last shopping trip in at Tesco - even if it was just for ice lollies! The other half dropped me off at home and popped over to his Mother’s for the afternoon, I decided to stay at home as I was not at all comfortable by this stage.

By the time he came back at around 10:30pm I was even more so uncomfortable. So when everyone else went off to bed I couldn’t even lie down, let alone sit! My night consisted of pacing around the house..all night long! I couldn’t sleep at all as these tightening waves were very noticeable, but still not painful and still all in my lower abdomen.

The other half got a full night’s sleep until around 6am and I had spent the night pacing and eating ice lollies with the younger sister who was up with her broken arm.

The other half got up around 6am and called the hospital for me, they spoke to me and advised that as I was talking through my contractions that I couldn't be that far along, He rang back at around 7:30am and they said exactly the same thing, they told me to have a hot bath and call back after that.....by this point I was getting very frustrated! So we did everything that the hospital advised and called back one last time, and they finally gave us the green light to make the 20 minute drive in.

The other half had already got everything ready in the car so all I had to do was get into the car and be driven to hospital, but sitting was not going to happen! I essentially had to lie on my side in the front seat! It was the most uncomfortable and longest journey of my entire life. There was a pressure low down that I couldn’t begin to describe and there was a 'lump' pushing down. I was told a bit later this was the head coming down.

Upon getting to hospital I walked myself into triage....thinking that I was going to be sent home. They checked me over and find that I was already 9.5cm dilated! They too seemed very surprised that this was the case.

I informed them that I wanted a water birth and they said that they best get it all set up pretty swiftly and get me straight over to delivery! I had gone through the night dilating and only had paracetamol. I was very proud of myself.

Despite the earlier frustration before being allowed into hospital, resulting in me losing my temper and stamping my feet (in which I hurt my little toe, I had done it all with nothing but over the counter pain killers.)

They got me the gas and air, and as soon as I had this I could breathe through each contraction with no problem at all. The midwife said she had seen me while I was walking across the car park and she was very surprised to find out I was in labour. She was in the process of setting up the pool for me but as I had my gas and air, I was pretty relaxed and knew that very soon I would have my baby boy.

The midwife put her hand on my bump and asked if I could feel anything, I thought for a moment she was being funny and was referring to her hand being on my tummy, which of course I could feel. She informed me that I had just had a very strong contraction and should actually be climbing the walls at this moment in time, she was very impressed with how my body was coping with the contractions…and for that matter so was I.

 My Mum was back at the hospital with my younger sister getting her new cast put on for the long haul, she had been worried as she didn’t think I had been coping with the labour very well. No-one realized quite how far into the labour I acually was. The other half ran into my Mum while he was getting my bags from the car and came along with him to see me. She was immediately put at rest as soon as she saw how relaxed I was on the gas and air.

The midwife had everyone leave but my other half so I could get into the pool, and as soon as I got in I relaxed even more. The water offered a sanctuary, where I let the water completely take me over.

The midwife said to do what my body was telling me, she said if I needed to push...then I should push.....I couldn’t understand how I would know when to do this!.I had always thought this would be something they would check to make sure of the fact I was actually ready to push. Having the pool birth was brilliant as it gave me more control and there was no medical intervention.

I had got into hospital around 9:30am and was floating around in the pool for the first few hours, having chats with the midwife and the other half, but the other half was soon hungry and went to get some food from the cafe. The midwife had gone to let him out of the security door...  so she helped me out of the pool so I could use the bathroom.

As soon as I pushed down to go for a wee my waters broke! It was painful and I must have let out a scream as suddenly another midwife was helping me back into the pool, again once I got the gas and air I was able to cope and breathe through each contraction.

The urge to push had come in strong; I had to give in to my body and start pushing. The other half was still getting his lunch, apparently he was at this point debating whether or not to eat in or take away!

The first midwife had come back by now and the other had gone to find Luke.

By the time they had found him, the baby’s head was almost here, He couldn’t believe how quickly it had all progressed in the time he had been gone.

He never did get to eat his lunch....

I kept on pushing (this was the most painful bit where I had no problem screaming and shouting! according to other half all I screamed was AWCH!) I can remember thinking this is it...and stopped pushing....then in the next instance, I realized the sooner I put my all into pushing, the sooner I would have my baby and the sooner it would all be over.

So with four big pushes my baby was delivered.

He was put straight onto me for skin to skin, and he was left attached to the placenta until this was delivered naturally, and then Luke cut the cord.

I could not believe how my 9 months of pregnancy had now come to an end and I had an actual baby to show for it, and it had all happened 1 week early with me supposed to have been at work in the office.

It was all so natural and I can’t believe it all happened as it did, and so quickly!.Everyone was amazing, the midwives were so helpful and friendly and just let me get on with it in my own way, and it is by far the greatest experience of my life.

Leo Matthew was born on June 27th 2011 at 12:56pm weighing a healthy 7lbs 15oz; he is my little munchkin and just getting cheekier as time goes on.