Natural birth into water. The benefits and danger of childbirth in water

Giving birth to water - a fashionable trend or a natural way of delivery, undeservedly forgotten by women? The article will talk about the advantages and disadvantages of childbirth in water, about who is allowed and to whom such non -traditional methods are strictly contraindicated.

Giving birth to water is non -traditional for the women in the Soviet Union countries and the usual abroad method of delivery. They differ from the usual birth in that during the fights a woman periodically plunges into a bath or a pool of water, and at the time of the appearance of the child, he must be there so that the baby will immediately find himself in the aquatic environment.

You can give birth in water both in a specialized clinic, where there is all the necessary equipment and prepared personnel, and at home - with a midwife, in your bath or a specially installed inflatable pool.

Natural birth in water. Should I give birth to water?

To decide whether to give birth to water, you need to think well and weigh the pros and cons of this type of childbirth. Giving birth to water to women with poor health, narrow pelvis, and pathological course of pregnancy are strictly contraindicated. If the fetus is too large or there is a threat of hypoxia, it is also better to refrain from water birth.

If there are no obvious contraindications for childbirth in water, a woman needs to prepare for them in advance: decide exactly where they will be conducted and find a doctor who has experience in conducting such childbirth.

What is the birth in water better than ordinary birth?

The advantages of childbirth in water over traditional birth:

• shortened time of fights
• relaxation of the muscles of the hips, back and abdomen
• a woman practically does not feel pain during fights
• the probability of ruptures is reduced, since the vagina becomes more elastic and at the same time elastic
• all the movements of the woman in labor in the water are smooth and neat, which allows it to occupy the most convenient poses during contractions and childbirth
• in water, blood pressure does not “jump” and does not exceed normal values
• a child who appeared in the water is immediately washed from blood and mucus
• the child smoothly moves from one environment to another, without sharp temperature changes, brightness of light and noise level

Important: despite the obvious benefits of childbirth in water, this practice is prohibited in many countries due to the existing danger to the mother and child.

Video: childbirth in water

Is the birth harmful in water?

There is no need to deny the naturalness of childbirth in water, because the child spent all 9 months from his conception to the water. However, in addition to benefit and relief, water birth can harm the health of the mother and child, namely:

• the child can take his first breath under water, which is fraught with the development of pneumonia
• urgent use of medicines under water is impossible
• the process of heat transfer is violated in water
• aggressive tap water microbes can be many times more dangerous than any hospital microbes
• if the woman in labor does not leave the bathtub until the appearance appears, the water can fall into the bloodstream
• in warm water, after 3 hours there is an E. coli, which is actively multiplying and poses a threat to both the mother and the child
• the midwife may not immediately recognize the onset of bleeding in the water
• the fetal heartbeat is difficult to listen to when a woman is in water

Important: in addition to these dangers, there are certain inconveniences associated with the organization of childbirth: the need to change water every 2 to 3 hours, since it cools very quickly for a doctor who cannot fully control the process.

Features of childbirth in water

The popularity of childbirth in the water is explained by the fact that the woman in labor during them does not experience such pain and stress as during ordinary birth. So that the pursuit of painlessness does not turn into tragedy, a woman must fully understand what difficulties in the process of delivery she may encounter.

Firstly, in case of complications, the provision of medical care will be difficult. It makes no sense to add any medicines to water, and a lot of time can be spent on extracting a woman in labor and its transportation.

Secondly, you need to be prepared for the fact that the tactics of conducting childbirth may have to be changed. As soon as the woman in labor feels discomfort, malaise or panic, a child who takes birth will immediately ask her to leave the bath to continue the process in traditional conditions.

IMPORTANT: In order for the birth to go into the water successfully, the woman must be prepared. To do this, from the first weeks of pregnancy, she needs to attend special courses and perform exercises in the pool recommended by the doctor.

What equipment is needed for childbirth in water?

For childbirth, a bath or pool will first be needed in the water, where these same births will occur. When women decide to give birth to water at home, for these purposes they usually plan to use a regular bath.

However, this is wrong. The size of the container for childbirth in water should be more than 2200mm in length and 600mm in depth. Such dimensions will provide the woman in labor and the ability to take the desired convenient pose. Pools and baths of the necessary sizes are available in specialized maternity hospitals. There they can also be rented for home birth.

Important: water for childbirth can be either the most ordinary tap and purified. But preference is nevertheless given to water that has undergone multi -level processing or filtering. Sea salt is added to the prepared water.

In addition to the bath, a water thermometer will be needed. Even a slight decrease in degrees should be a signal for immediate regulation of water temperature.

To maintain the woman’s head, you will need a special rubberized pillow, and for quick cleaning of feces, if they are released, a plastic container should be prepared in advance.

The rest of the equipment, which can be useful during childbirth, is exactly the same as equipment for traditional genera. It is necessarily located in a doctor’s arsenal in a hospital or a home midwife.

How to prepare for childbirth in water?

Preparation for childbirth in water begins with attending courses in which future mothers inform about the advantages and disadvantages of this type of delivery. When a woman understands what she is going on and realizes all the risks, there is more hope for a successful outcome of such clans.

Physical training consists in the regular performance of pregnant women in the pool or natural reservoir. This helps the body get used to the aquatic environment.

If home birth is planned in water, then it is necessary to install the pool in which they will take place in a separate room in advance. The future mother needs to be used in advance, try to move in it.

If in a room specially designated for childbirth in the water is very hot or very cold, it is necessary to install equipment that can at the right time adjust the air temperature (it should not exceed 22 ° C and be not lower than 21 ° C)

Important: a large number of towels and cotton napkins should be prepared in advance to wipe the child dry as soon as he is extracted from the water.

The birth of a house in water: how is the process of childbirth in water?

Home birth in water begins, like any traditional ones, from fights. When a woman feels the first contractions, she calls a doctor or a midwife (douole) who will help her in childbirth. After the doctor examines the woman in labor and determines the disclosure, the woman can begin to prepare for childbirth.

IMPORTANT: Home birth in the water can take place in a family circle - with the participation of a husband or other close relatives of the woman in labor.

On tangible fights, the midwife helps a woman move to a bath with water to facilitate condition. She shows the best poses and teaches the woman in labor to breathe correctly on a fight. The water temperature in the bathroom must be controlled, and the water itself is periodically replaced.

IMPORTANT: During homework in contractions and attempts, a husband can support a woman, do her massage and even plunge into the bath himself.

When the child appears in the water, he is often left there for 10 - 30 seconds. The baby can swim or lie motionless, the main thing is that at this time the umbilical cord remains whole. After the midwife removes the baby from the water, his body is blurred with dry clean napkins and first applied to the mother’s chest.

Then the midwife lowers the water, and is prepared to take the last, which is born some time after the child. The placenta that appears is transferred to a glass container and left for several hours so that all umbilical cord blood passes the baby. After that, the umbilical cord is cut and treated with the umbilical wound to the newborn.

The child is taken and taken to the room, and they help mom carefully get out of the bathroom and move after the baby. In the room, the doctor examines the woman and conducts the necessary processing. After all the procedures, a woman can drink warm milk or tea and rest.

Video: a woman gives birth at home in the bathroom

The birth of a child at home in the water: how do newborn, born in water behave?

The birth itself in water is less traumatic for both the mother and the child. The kid practically does not experience discomfort, leaving the mother’s womb, because he immediately finds himself in the usual water environment. Thus, the transition of the baby into the air is softened and facilitated.

Video: newborn child in water

The child, finding himself at the bottom of the bath, usually performs with pens and legs similar to swimming movements. The baby is not yet used to the fact that it is no longer constrained by a tight space and is happy to flounder in water.

When the baby is on his mother’s breast, he begins to actively suck. After birth and the first attachment, the children born in the water are calmly falling asleep for several hours.

Childbirth in the water in the hospital: is it real?

The birth in the water in the conditions of the hospital is real, despite the fact that very little modern clinics provide women with this opportunity.

The maternity room should be equipped not only with water tanks, but also with special monitors and sensors that allow you to control the condition of the woman in labor and fetus. All procedures should be as safe as possible, and for unforeseen cases, the clinic provides for the intensive care unit.

Important: childbirth in the water should be carried out under the guidance of an experienced doctor and midwife who have undergone preliminary training.

The maternity hospital, which give women to give birth in water, usually have such advantages as:

• individual shower and toilet
• rest for relatives
• postpartum processing and observation room
• kitchen section

Important: when choosing a clinic for childbirth, water must be interested in whether the institution has documents that allow such a practice.

Water birth at home: tips and reviews

Katerina, 34 years old: I planned to spend my third birth at home. I always dreamed of giving birth to water and now, finally, I decided on it. I am sure that both pregnancy and childbirth are absolutely natural processes for a woman. If there are no health problems, then childbirth should pass easily and painlessly. I found a midwife in advance, who agreed to help me in my idea. Throughout pregnancy, we called up with her and talked for a long time. She devoted me to all the subtleties of water birth, explained what consequences could be. When the fights began, I sent my husband and older children for a walk, and called my assistant. An hour later, she had already examined me and issued a verdict: "Opening of 9 centimeters."

For some time I spent in the room, and when the opening was complete, I moved to the bath, which the midwife had already prepared for me. It was convenient for me to sit in the water, across the bathroom. In the water, the midwife opened the bubble and my attempts began almost immediately after that. The son was born from the fifth attempt, while I did not feel pain. The midwife took the baby from the water not immediately, but after he swam a little. After the midwife lowered the water, I gave birth to the last. For some time, the baby and I were in the bath, then the midwife cut the umbilical cord and took the child. When I left the bathroom, the baby was already sleeping, processed and wrapped in diapers. The husband and children returned home in the evening, just at the moment when I fed our new family member. They were very surprised at my cheerful state, because after previous hospital birth, I felt much worse.

Adeline, 23 years old: I wanted to give birth in the water, like my friend. My husband and I agreed with Doula, who led home birth into a friend's water. Until a certain point, everything went according to plan, as I imagined. But when the pain became unbearable, I could no longer control myself and greatly panicked. Water could not save me from this pain or alleviate it. I remember that I screamed and asked to call the doctor, which greatly frightened both my husband and our assistant. The husband called an ambulance. By her arrival, I no longer realized. My birth in the water at home ended with an emergency Caesarean section “on land” in the hospital. Doctors said that we were still very lucky. Because of the narrow pelvis, I would not give birth to myself, and everything could end deplorable. As it turned out, childbirth in the water is not so beautiful, safe and painless, as described in fashion magazines.

Whatever decision the future parents make, they must remember that official medicine is configured against childbirth in water due to the high risk of possible complications. The greatest danger lies in wait for the baby, who, instead of the first breath, can take a sip of water, which is fraught with the development of pneumonia and even death. Going to the water birth, the expectant mother is obliged to listen not only to her heart and body, but also to the voice of the mind.

Video: Dr. Komarovsky about childbirth in water