I need links on why waterbirth is safe!

[huggerwocky]

Please,. I am having a heated discussion with overly mainstreams moms about waterbirth.They claim the babys could drown.Has there ever been a case of this actually happening?Do you links stating if it is not the case?It's getting difficult for me with english as a second lamguage and 20 women claiming me being ignorant yada yada yada...

[amydidit]

http://www.waterbirth.org/spa/content/view/34/40/
A couple relevant passages:

A second inhibitory response is the fact that babies are born experiencing acute hypoxia or lack of oxygen. It is a built in response to the birth process. Hypoxia causes apnea and swallowing, not breathing or gasping. If the fetus were experiencing severe and prolonged lack of oxygen, it may then gasp as soon as it was born, possibly inhaling water into the lungs.[2] If the baby were in trouble during the labor, there would be wide variabilities noted in the fetal heart rate, usually resulting in prolonged bradycardia, which would cause the practitioner to ask the mother to leave the bath prior to the baby's birth.

One more factor that most people do not consider, but is vital to the whole waterbirth and aspiration issue, is the fact that water is a hypotonic solution and lung fluids present in the fetus are hypertonic. So, even if water were to travel in past the larynx, they could not pass into the lungs based on the fact that hypertonic solutions are denser and prevent hypotonic solutions from merging or coming into their presence.

http://www.matsumidwifery.com/waterbirth.html
Relevant Passage:

Yes, waterbirth is very safe, in fact worldwide statistics show that waterbirth, without the use of drugs, is the safest way to be born. The concern of most parents is will their baby inhale water and drown? Babies have what is called a dive reflex which causes them to swallow instead of inhale when water gets in their mouth or nose. They swallow and then hold their breath. Because they are still attached to the umbilical cord, they continue to receive all their needed oxygen through it, making it unnecessary to breathe up to several minutes after birth. However, we always gently but immediately bring the baby’s face out of the water after the birth to initiate breathing. When the baby’s face comes in contact with cool air, it is believed that this is one of the main things that stimulates him to breathe and most babies begin breathing within seconds of this.

[huggerwocky]

I also mentioned the dive reflexed and was told it would be irresponsible to not take into account that a baby might be born without that reflex.what do you say about that?I was also told if drowning was no issue why care providers would be so concerned with the release of meconium before birth?!

[amydidit]

I would probably answer back with "What if your baby was born without the breathing reflex? What if your baby was born without the blinking reflex? What if your baby was born allergic to oxygen? Or with 2 heads? Yes, things can happen, but they are very rare."

As far as meconium is concerned, I don't believe drowning is the concern, but if there is meconium present that indicates that the baby is either stressed, or was stressed... if a baby is stressed then a water birth wouldn't be avised and further action would be taken to prevent aspiration.

It sounds like these people refuse to listen to reason and the truth. I doubt there is anything you can say that will convince them.

Sad.

[homebirthing]

Just for the record, it is hospital policy, NOT meconium, that is making it to where it is not allowed for any woman with meconium presenting not to be able to give birth it the water. If they don't see it, and the baby is fine, women give birth in the water at the hospital. It has never presented a problem in the births that I have attended. At home however, you are still able to give birth in the water. It is the same for suctioning. Why would you immediately detatch a baby from a great source of oxygen if you don't want them to breathe? You wouldn't! When my third was born, in the water BTW, there was meconium present and my midwife did some gentle suctioning while Mallaigh was still attached to the placenta. She didn't start to breathe right away, but she was getting all of the oxygen she needed from me. People choose to be ignorant sometimes, and all of facts won't change anything. It is sad.