any mama's considering waterbirth?

[ScarletBegonias]

tbh, waterbirth has never interested me. in any way at all. i was never even interested in waterbirth stories, and as a student midwife and birth story addict, this aversion has always puzzled me. what is even stranger about my aversion to waterbirth is that i take 1-2 baths per day, and usually spend most of my pregnancies in the bathtub. really. with dd, i spent 8-12 hours a day in the bathtub, reading.

i like my water to be CLEAN, and bloody-show-amniotic-fluid infused water seriously grosses me out. (i've never accidentally pooped or peed in labor, so that's not a concern for me). but the fact that i can't change the water if it gets fluids in it bothers me. not that the fluids bother me, i just don't want to floating in a pool of them.

also, both my other kids were born in the wintertime, so laboring/birthing in a pool sounded even less appealing.

but this time, idk, for some reason, i'd like to try it. (even as type this post it's appealing less and less to me) it's also the perfect excuse to add a professional grade birthing pool to my midwifery/doula supplies.

any thoughts? anyone else have a waterbirth or want to try one?

[christinep1976]

scarlet, i hope to have a homebirth, where i will definitely labor in a tub and perhaps give birth there as well depending on how i feel. i attended my best friend's past two homebirths, and the former was born in the tub, though with the latter she wanted to get out right before he came.

i am having my first appointment with the midwife practice (group of 3) in my area on thursday, and definitely plan to talk about this option with them.

i am like you -love a warm bath..so can't imagine i would want to get out...who knows though.

[Surfacing]

I've laboured in water and have dreamed of water birth but never done it. Don't want the logistics of setting up a huge pool in my house and filling it. I'd go in the bathtub though. Our local hospital has jaccuzzi's in the birthing rooms. It's against hospital policy to birth in the jaccuzzi, but I've seen a midwife allow her client to stay, and then when a nurse came in to check, the midwife said, "She didn't want to get out!"

Have you seen many water birth videos? There's Birth As We Know It directed by Elena Tonetti-Vladimirova http://www.birthintobeing.com Women birthing in the ocean -- now THAT would be powerful!!! -- a very cosmic trippy hippy feel to the DVD.

So really? The thought of stuff floating around you is unpalatable?

Have you ever seen this at a water birth you attended or saw or read about?

[*KaiMom*]

Loved loved loved my last water birth. My only regret was that I didn't get in sooner (I was scared to get in too soon and stop labor.) My water didn't break until right before pushing so I never felt like I was swimming around in a lot of fluid or anything. I see pictures from the birth and even after when I'm holding the baby the water is still very clear...but yes there was stuff in there.

The calmness of the water, the way my body felt weightless and the warmth were the attractions to the water for me...the baby being born in the water is just an added plus. Maybe you could just labor in a bath tub that way if it got dirty you could drain and refill easily? The awesome thing about being at home is that you can get in and out of the water as you feel you want to and there isn't any pressure to stay in one place or position the entire time.

[maranapanda]

I labored in water with my first, in a hospital. It was the only time during the whole birth that I had any peace. My 2nd was a water birth in a birthing center. I had the tub filled, then it was draining a little while I was in it as my doula was running warm water on my lower back. It was AMAZING. Toward the end I was so relaxed I didn't even experience transition or pain. I will have a water birth in my home this time.

I am a pooper in labor. I hate that this happens, it totally distracts me, every time, but there you have it. While I push, I get more than just baby! Honestly though, aside from that very brief flash in time where I simultaneously recognize, and acknowledge what has happened, feel a bit embarrassed, and make a sarcastic comment, I also move on all in one breath. Because, hey, I am pushing out a baby. Who the h*** has time for modesty? Not I. The birthing team scoops everything out with a little fish tank scooper net as soon as need arise.

A side note, under any other circumstances the idea of hanging out in a warm pool filled with bodily fluids and floaters would absolutely gross me out!

[Surfacing]

Maranapanda With my first birth I didn't poop but the second one I did. It happened naturally as part of the urge to push, I was going along with the ride, letting my body do what it needed to do... allowing myself to just bare down like a reflex. And it just happened. I asked my MW how things were progressing, she commented and mentioned that I passed stool... I was like HUH? ME? Yes you. Then I started laughing to myself -- it's not like someone else would have jumped up on the table and done it. I kept the giggles to myself because I thought I'd probably be the only one who found that funny. Funny what we find amusing or enjoy during birth.

I totally hear you about acknowledging, being embarassed, and all in one breath moving past it. It happens. Life goes on. They've seen it a million times.

*KaiMom* your water birth sounds HEAVENLY. The last homebirth I doulaed the Mama was swaying in the shower with her SIL, they were hugging and I directed the warm water on her back, plus poured water down her back. It sure didn't distract her from transition though. But of course each birth is different and she had a huge baby and the pain was inside where heat etc could not help. I saw another mama labour in the jacuzzi and that was helpful but she also opted for laughing gas.

Yay for water!!!

[othersomethings]

Yeah, it's squicky. But what woman doesn't need a shower after giving birth anyway? I kinda look at it the same way. It'll all wash off, the baby can wash off, etc.

I labored in a birth pool, and I sort of liked it. I would have liked it more I think if it hadn't been so full..it was full enough that my whole body was basically floating which was NICE except that meant in order to keep my head above water I had to rest it on the side and it made my neck so sore, and I couldn't relax, etc.....blah blah blah.

I also got super hot.

If I did it again, laboring in water, I'd make the pool a more reasonable temp and depth. Because up to that point, it really did feel fantastic relief.

I didn't birth in it though. And I don't know if I would have or not. I don't think the opportunity will arise this time since it looks like a hospital "family birth center" birth right now, but I know they have great tubs there so I'll probably be in them at some point.

[Enchanted Gypsy]

I LOVE water birth ! I was in the tub from the earliest possible moment and stayed there until DD was born under water. In fact I was in a bit to soon and my midwife had to ask me to get out as it was slowing my labor. From 7 cm on though I was there...

Yes, I did poop and yes the water was gross, but i didn't know it until it was all over. Will definitely be doing it again..the water did wonders for my sense of calm and pain relief...

[Lizzardbits]

i have wanted a waterbirth for oh, the last 13years! One of the many reasons i/we wanted a summer baby was a home water birth. I have dreams of an outdoor night birth under a full moon... we'll see!

[ScarletBegonias]

wow! so many of you are rooting for waterbirth!

surfacing: i have watched lots of waterbirths, and yes there was mucous and blood and vernix and other stuff floating in the pool. doesn't gross me out there, i just don't want to be in it. stuff like herbs and such is just fine, but wisps of mucous and blood and mucous-y blood winding around my body...............

i don't mind fluids, blood etc.,,. on me AT ALL, i just don't want to float in a pool of them, i can't see myself finding it relaxing.

but i am still being drawn to waterbirth this pregnancy.

i did spend quite a bit of time in the bathtub while in labor with dd, but i changed the water every time it felt icky, and most of the time i just had the water running on me. with ds, i curled up in our shower and let the water hit me for a loooong time. but the hardness was really irritating in labor, i just couldn't get comfortable.

what gets me about the birthing tubs is that it's pretty much impossible to change the water if it gets gross. i WANT water while in labor, just clean water.

i know, i have issues!

so beyond my insanity , what birth tub did you use? will you use the same or try a different one this time around? i like the bassine and have heard good things, but i know there are at least 2 other good ones out there. thoughts?

also, is there a way to continually drain the tub and add new water? i'm sure it would be a home-made rig of some sort, but i am open to improvisation, and dh likes to make stuff.

and thank you all for entertaining my idiosyncrasies and general weirdness!

[TopHat]

For my DD, we borrowed someone's who had just had a baby. It was like this one: http://www.qualityinflatables.com/56493.html. We cleaned it out with peroxide before and after use. We didn't fill it up until after I had been in labor for 12 hours and we didn't really change the water during the birth. We would take water out of it and heat it up on the stove to replace and keep it warm.