Lots of clients I birth with want a waterbirth or at least water around for use if they decide on the day that it’s what they want. I have a few birth pools a large hard sided one which is most popular and has plenty of room for women and their partners to get into to relax.
Setting it up is the fun part. It is possible sometimes to leave my pool with women before the date, but not always as I often have a few women in a month. It is easy here to hire one that is almost identical and this is an option for families who feel better with a pool prior to early labour. To be honest I usually drop the pool in when in early labour then can go and come back. We have had a few times when the pool wasn’t ready to get into before the birth happened but all of them had a pool in advance so it wasn’t tardiness on my part that prevented a water birth.
Some women are convinced that they want water and then on the day want to get out of the pool and vice versa some women feel they won’t birth in the water and then just don’t want to get out.
There are many types of pool. I also have a made in water, it takes much less time and water to fill so for times of water drought, people with limited hot water tanks(especially in the Adelaide hills) this is a good option. you can buy them here if your interested.
At the hospital there is lots of policy and procedure surrounding waterbirth and in this state you have to sign a form. The statement at the bottom says “The only thing you can do in the water that you can’t do on land is drown”. this is meant to scare you even before you’ve thought seriously about it. Babies don’t drown because they have a dive reflex. Your endorphins naturally rise when you get into warm water and the safe secure feelings are boundless. You can’t get this in the hospital even if you do get in the water. also you have to have a midwife who is ACCREDITED. What about the women. Surely they are the ones giving birth. How can we give birth without accreditation I ask myself.
Here is a pile of waterbirth information proving that waterbirth is safe and water is extremely helpful when in labour. I’d like to thank my friend Tania and birth matters who compiled this for a homebirth study day that we ran last year.
Waterbirth Information
Books
Janet Balaskas, New Active Birth, HarperCollins, 1989
Janet Balaskas, The Waterbirth Book, Thorsons, UK, 2004
Sarah J Buckley Gentle Birth, Gentle Mothering, 2005
Pam England, Birthing From Within, Parera Press, 1998
Barbara Harper, Gentle Birth Choices, Healing Arts Press, 1994
Sheila Kitzinger, Birth Your Way, DK Ltd, 2001
Roger Lichy & Eileen Herzberg, The Waterbirth Handbook (The Gentle Art of Waterbirthing), Gateway Books, UK, 1993
Michel Odent, Birth Reborn – what childbirth should be, Random House, 2005
Videos/DVDs
The Art of Birth – Shea Caplice
Born in Water – a sacred journey
Water and Birth – Janet Balaskas
Birth Into Being – the Russian Waterbirth Experience
Water Babies
Mila’s Journey
Dusty’s Big Day Out – Di Diddle
Books and Videos/DVDs available at Birth International online
Useful websites
http://birthinternational.com
http://www.midwiferytoday.com
http://www.sarahjbuckley.com
http://www.birthlove.com
http://www.waterbirth.org
http://www.aims.org.uk
http://www.maternitycoalition.org.au
http://www.storknet.com/guests/harper.htm
http://www.sheilakitzinger.com/WaterBirth.htm
http://www.birthbalance.com/home.asp
http://www.activebirthpools.com/articles.html
http://www.aquabirth.co.uk
http://www.compleatmother.com
http://www.waterbirthinfo.com
http://www.gentlewater.co.uk/index.htm
http://www.madeinwater.co.uk/pool.html
http://www.cares-sa.org.au
http://www.withwoman.co.uk
Many of these sites are for birth pool hire overseas, but have excellent references, and FAQ pages, along with great links to other sites.
Compiled by Birth Matters Feb 2007. For further information call Tania on 8339 4074 or check out http://www.sabirthmatters.org.au/
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