Not having a water birth? - Page 2

[riverview9]

I'm debating water birth or not. I hadn't thought of the hassle of set up and tear down. How do I keep my toddlers out of it? I'm' leaning towards skipping the water. Old tears and episiotomies worry me. I've heard water births are good for not tearing and I'm already shredded down there and worry an old cut will re open and become worse

[amberskyfire]

I had a dry land UC. Now, I think that water birth is probably one of the best things to happen to natural birth and I think that if a woman wants a water birth, she SHOULD do it and I think her decision is a good and intelligent one. I think it's great that so many women love water birth.

BUT, I have a personal take on it that gave me pause and caused me, ultimately, to choose not to get a pool and have a water birth.

First, I have to say that I am not a doctor (obviously) and not yet a midwife (I'm working my way toward it) so don't really pay much attention to what I have to say. These thoughts are pretty much just for me at this point, but some women I talk to agree with me, so it might be something just to think about.

I chose not to birth in water for several reasons, the first being that it's not natural. Humans were not meant to birth in water any more than monkeys, elephants or dogs. Now, this in and of itself isn't any reason not to do it, but what I considered is a fact that we know all too well and that is that birth is incredibly intricate and every single thing, no matter how unimportant it may seem to us at first, is incredibly important - usually so profoundly important that if you remove that step, everything else tumbles apart like a tower of blocks.

Could it be that cool air on the face during the tight squeeze or immediately at the birth is as important to the birth process as anything else? Could it be that this immediate shock of air as the blood rushes to the face is necessary? No one knows. There has never been any real study done on water birth. We only have water births because they can help reduce pain and because it seems more peaceful for the baby.

But is what appears to be more peaceful to the baby actually better for them? Is pain relief really better for the mother? When we hear the words "water birth is nature's epidural," how much do we really understand the gravity of that? We know that the pain relief that epidurals cause can slow or stall the progress of labor. In many cases, we also see this with water birth. The warm water can sometimes stall a labor. (Sometimes it seems to get labor going, but some mothers also seem to progress after having a spinal epidural, so there can be all kinds of experiences.)

And we also see in most cases that water-born babies do not often cry at the birth and many of them are slower to begin breathing. The parents say that this is because the birth was more peaceful because it was in water, but is what we see as "peaceful" really the lack of stimulus baby needed to begin breathing readily and properly on their own?

I don't know the answers to any of these questions, but neither does anyone else. All we have to go on is opinion so far. It was these thoughts and a lot of waffling over the idea that led me to finally decide: "okay, even if this really is better, it's not normal or natural and we don't know a lot about it so the real question is: do I NEED it? No? Then I'll do without, just like my great-grandmother and her mother before her and her mother before her and on an on, etc."

But that's just my psychotic thinking.

[zoebird]

i spent most of my labor on land, a bit of it in water.

like the PP, when the transition hit and it was time to go, i was out of the tub SO fast, and then onto the prepped place on the bed. I then did the hands-and-knees, sweating like crazy, screaming my head off, absolutely painless back bending business for however long, and birthed my son.

then, like a jack-rabbit, off like a flash back into the tub with the warm water and candle light. placenta came right out within a few minutes, got that into a bowl, put a warm towel over the baby, and then had some yogurt. 

DH helped me out of the tub (holding the baby's placenta bowl while I got out, giving me an arm to pull on), then helped me get my cozy bath robe on, and undies and mamacloth, and then *voila* into bed and right out to sleep.

[Paigekitten]

Originally Posted by amberskyfire 

Could it be that cool air on the face during the tight squeeze or immediately at the birth is as important to the birth process as anything else? Could it be that this immediate shock of air as the blood rushes to the face is necessary? No one knows. There has never been any real study done on water birth. We only have water births because they can help reduce pain and because it seems more peaceful for the baby.

I know with both my water births the midwives mentioned that if I got out of the water after the baby crowned, then I needed to stay out, because the temperature change could trigger the baby to breath and could potentially breath in the water after that point, instead of the cool air trigger as I brought her up out of the birthing pool being the trigger to breath.

[indignantgirl]

Originally Posted by amberskyfire 

I don't know the answers to any of these questions, but neither does anyone else. All we have to go on is opinion so far. It was these thoughts and a lot of waffling over the idea that led me to finally decide: "okay, even if this really is better, it's not normal or natural and we don't know a lot about it so the real question is: do I NEED it? No? Then I'll do without, just like my great-grandmother and her mother before her and her mother before her and on an on, etc."

This whole post was great!  The "do I NEED it" question becomes my motto during my pregnancies, this last one more than any other because it was UP as well.  I was flipping through the book Birthing from Within and didn't find much that interested me until I got to the section about "Do Nothing Extra".  It struck a chord within me and would constantly run through my head, especially when I would start wondering things like "should I get an ultrasound" or "should I do this or that, get this or that, just in case".  As long as whatever was in question felt like "extra" I could put it out of my mind until the time came (IF it came) that it no longer felt "extra".

I just had my third UC and I always felt a desperate need to be OUT of the water when things started getting serious.  The water, the thought of actually birthing in the water, made me feel less secure than being on dry land.  While I appreciate the various shades of "normal" during births (breech presentation, shoulder/cord issues, etc) and have always felt like I would know how to handle them if they arose, I didn't feel confident of being able to do the things I'd need to do while in the water.  Or while trying to get out of the water.  Since I UC, I have to feel like I am able to handle whatever birth throws at me.

If I had a few extra sets of hands during births, like midwives and doulas, I might feel differently about water birthing.    It just hasn't felt right for me so far.

[jaylily]

Wow, interesting thread! I didn't have water births and don't really plan on it in the future, though I've thought about it a lot, but I don't think it would be practical for us and that doesn't really bother me.  So it's just not something I'm set on.  I do labour a bit in the tub though.

[huskermommy]

I'm glad this topic was started... I felt quite alone in my view of water birth! I tried it with my 3rd UC. We had moved to a house that had a jacuzzi tub and I thought, what the heck I'll give it a try! After all, everyone I talked to said how great it was. Well, that was not my experience! I greatly disliked the counter pressure. It just did not feel right. I also, like other posters, felt like I wasn't secure or "grounded". I like to sorta squat/lean over a bit during pushing. I guess to be on "top" of things? I don't know but I feel much more in control. As an added thing, my DD didn't have that "new baby smell" which I was REALLY looking forward to during that pregnancy....

I do believe a woman should do what she instinctively feels is best. I also agree with amberskyfire on a lot of what she wrote. The whole "the way nature/God intended" thing has always crossed my mind.

All in all, I would not do it again. I didn't feel nearly as clean sitting in the water afterwards either. Birth is messy, but sitting in floating fluids wasn't fun for me. Give me my uncleaned/undried off baby, but keep the rest on the chux/towels !

[sara-on-the-lake]

My first mw-assisted homebirth was a waterbirth.  I think I was still learning what my body does on its own, and as I had been laboring in the water, and it was an induced labor (castor oil), and the midwives were "observing" me, it was 3 in the morning, and I just didn't move.  But the one thing I've always said about that birth is that I just didn't feel like I had anything sturdy to push against.  The walls are just inflated with air!  I had nothing firm, solid, whatever,  that allowed me to brace myself against the forces of pushing.  I have not birthed in water again in the three births since, and I think the only way I would consider it again is if I had a jacuzzi tub, one made of solid material.  Our old house had a garden tub, which I did labor in for the last two births, my UCs, but it was a very narrow oval shape, and didn't really give me enough room to be free to position myself how I needed to.  Too small, unfortunately.  All my births since that one waterbirth have been hands and knees, supported by my couch or my bed.

So my personal opinion is the water is amazing for labor.  I wouldn't labor without it, and since where we live now we have a standard small shower tub, I will be setting up a birth pool.  I don't really see myself birthing in it though, again because it is inflatable.

And I have to agree with the previous posters that I did feel somewhat skeevy laying in that water immediately after birth.  It got messy quick.  But it is nice to have the pool already filled for use during labor, get out to birth, then get back in with baby after the placenta delivers to just....be.  Very nice.

[Devaskyla]

I didn't have a water birth for my UC with ds2, but I did really want one. I did have one for my UC with ds3 and I've already got my pool so I can have another with this baby if I want to. Or if I have time to fill a pool.