Water Birth Benefits and Risks

Giving birth to a baby is an unforgettable experience -- both because it means bringing a new life into the world and because it can involve a lot of pain and anxiety. Some mothers-to-be opt to give birth in a pool or tub of warm water. They believe it is a much more natural and less stressful experience for them and their new baby. There is also the idea that a water birth gives women more control over their own delivery by letting them choose something other than the traditional bed delivery.

Water birth is still considered an alternative birthing method, and not every doctor is convinced that it is safe. However, more and more hospitals are beginning to offer water births as a delivery option.

What is water birth?

A water birth is, as the name implies, giving birth in water. The idea is that the warm water replicates the feeling of the amniotic sac that has surrounded the baby throughout the nine months of pregnancy. A water delivery can be done in a bathtub, hot tub (with the temperature turned down), or other pool of water. You can have a water delivery at home, in a birthing center, or in a hospital.

During a water birth, both you and your baby should receive monitoring and medical care, just as you would in a hospital bed. While you are in labor, a special underwater Doppler device will monitor the baby's heartbeat. You can also receive medications through an IV while you are in the water.

Some women labor and deliver in the water. Others prefer to come out of the water for the actual delivery. If you deliver in the water, the midwife or nurse will gently lift the baby up to the surface and take the baby out of the water.

What are the benefits of a water birth?

There haven't been many well-designed studies to confirm the benefits of water births. Some people, however, believe that water is a more comfortable and soothing surrounding in which to deliver.

Here are some of the potential benefits of a water delivery:

• Water provides natural buoyancy, which makes the mother feel lighter.
• Water relaxes the mother, allowing her to concentrate on the birth.
• Water relaxes the mother's muscles, enabling her to move into different positions.
• Water eases the baby's transition from the womb to the world.
• Water reduces tearing to the perineum -- the area between the vulva and anus -- and, possibly, to the vagina and labia, thus helping the mother avoid an episiotomy or stitches.
• A water birth shortens the first stage of labor and reduces the need for anesthesia.

What are the risks of water births?

There hasn't been much high-quality research done on water births. Of the studies that have been done, a few cite some rare risks. Others find that water births are just as safe as (if not safer than) bed births.

Here is a summary of the potential risks with water birth that studies have identified so far:

• In rare cases, the baby may gasp while still in the birthing tub and inhale water. Although it was thought that babies' primitive reflex prevents them from breathing in until they are exposed to the air, some animal studies suggest that their bodies can override this instinct. Doctors in New Zealand reported in the journal Pediatrics about a handful of cases in which babies breathed birthing pool water into their lungs and nearly drowned. Breathing in water can also lead to too little sodium in the blood -- a condition called hyponatremia. However, at least one study that included thousands of water births reported no cases of babies breathing in water.
• There have been rare cases in which the umbilical cord snapped during a water birth and the baby needed a blood transfusion because of uncontrolled bleeding.
• If the water in the pool is not clean, there is a possible risk of infection. There have been isolated reports of newborns catching infections after coming intocontact with contaminated water during a water birth. Other studies, though, have found no additional risk of infection.