At Home Water Birth

The Benefits of Water
for Labor and/or Birth      

As many of you know, I am planning on having a water birth, which is different in comparison to a "land birth" (this title makes me giggle) in that instead of lying down in a bed or squatting against a wall, I will be gently resting in a pool of warm water. 

On a side note here, before I get into all of the benefits and things like that...I just love water birth pictures...especially the one above.

                                                     

         

                                                          

I also love how water birth creates such intimacy within the family. Like with the following picture, dad is actually in the pool with her, which I think it amazing. 

                                                             

One of the things about water birth that is most appealing to me is that you have your own environment to work with. You're not on a table splayed open for all to see, but you have this place of safety and security where you can immerse yourself and be calm. Here are some other amazing benefits to giving birth in the water:

1. Greater comfort and mobility. The mother has much greater ease and freedom to move spontaneously and to change position to assist the descent of the baby.
2. Reduction of pressure on the abdomen. Buoyancy promotes more efficient uterine contractions and better blood 2circulation, resulting in better oxygenation of the uterine muscles, less pain for the mother, and more oxygen for the baby.

3. Promotes deeper relaxation. As a woman relaxes deeply in water, her hormones kick in and she starts progressing faster and with more rhythm; labor becomes more efficient.

4. Water minimizes pain so effectively that for most women other pain control methods are no longer needed.
5. Lowering of blood pressure. When anxiety is causing high blood pressure, immersion in water often helps lower it.
6. Change of consciousness. Immersion helps relieve anxiety and promotes relaxation. Water helps a woman to let go and focus inward as labor strengthens.
7. The warm water softens the vagina, vulva, and perineum, leading to fewer injuries to these tissues.
8. Greater involvement of the father. Because the mother's pain and stress is so greatly reduced, it is much easier for fathers to particpate and take a more active role in the birthing process. Many men are reluctant to become involved in the birth experience when they know that the mother is likely to endure intense pain, trauma and suffering during labor and delivery, but when the mother's pain is dramatically reduced, many fathers eagerly take a more active role in the delivery, resulting in a greater family bond. When fathers are more involved it increases the possibility of a joyous birth. Both parents and child get to share a wonderous experience that can enhance their relationships with each other for the rest of their lives. 9. Better parent-child interactions. A mother who has had a beautiful and empowering birth experience will have an especially positive association in her mind and emotions to that child; and a baby who has had an easy, non-traumatic, not painful, gentle birth will have an especially positive association to the parent. This exceptionally positive start to their relationship will likely enhance the parent-child interactions forever.

Because I'm giving birth at home and not at a hospital, I have to make sure that all of the equipment necessary for the birth is already there, and one very important thing for this water birth is a tub.
 

                               This one is from YourWaterBirth.com and came highly recommended to me by my midwife and costs $120.00. Then you also have to buy liners which are $15.00 each. Unfortunately insurance companies do not pay for things like home births, water births, or midwives, so everything that is included as a part of our birth journey, we are paying for out of pocket, because it is important to us. 
****A great baby gift for us would be this pool!!****
Out of pocket, we are looking at about $3,000 to have this baby, which is still 1/10th of what it would cost to birth in a hospital. It seems like a big expense but I know that it will be worth it. What better way to start out in life than in the best enviornment possible? This non-traumatic, gentle birth will be a wonderful welcome for our little one into the world. Don't you agree?