Benefits of Water Birth

We begin our lives surrounded by liquid in the womb and this comfort stays with us through our lives. Most of us will find water to be of great comfort and repose. Humans are comprised primarily of water, a three day old fetus is 97 percent water and an eight month old fetus is 81 percent water. The adult body is fifty to seventy percent water. Most human babies, given the chance, can swim before they can sit or crawl.

Water has been used for thousands of years to ease labour and facilitate birth. Warm water reduces sensory stimulation and the pull of gravity so when a woman in labour is relaxing in a tub she is less likely to secrete stress-related hormones such as Noradrenaline and catecholamines which will raise her blood pressure and inhibit labour. Warm water will allow her body to produce “endorphins” which will compliment labour.

Buoyancy promotes better blood circulation and more efficient uterine contractions. More oxygen can get to the uterine muscles resulting in less pain for the mother and more oxygen for the baby.

Why doesn’t the baby drown?

This is a question that many women ask and has the most obvious answer. Your baby has been living in water for nine months inside your womb. The baby is receiving oxygen through the umbilical cord and its lungs remain collapsed until it is brought to the surface of the water. This does not mean the baby can remain under water indefinitely after birth; the medical norm would be to bring the baby to the surface within ten seconds of being born. There are however several cases of babies being left under water for several moments after birth without any problems at all.

The calming effects of water are truly miraculous and it is quite possibly the best medium for giving birth there is.

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