Waterbirthing Anyone??

[MamaEm24]

DH and I are planning for baby #3. My 2 previous births have both been in hospital, in the bed, very routine. I will have a midwife again with this pregnancy (when it happens) and am considerign very strongly to have a water birth. They offer this in our hospitals birthing center. I was curious as to if anyone else has had a waterbirth or have any thoughts on it. Thanks in advance!!

[Raven]

I had a water birth with my first I really loved it! During labour it was very relaxing and calming and eased the pain. I would recommend it to anyone who wanted to have one.

[georgia]

i had my last two in the water at home. wouldn't give birth anywhere else--the water was so wonderful!! you might want to check out waterbirth.org. a book i really enjoyed was _choosing waterbirth_ by lakshmi (sp?) bertram.

best wishes to you!

[MamaChel]

My last birth was a waterbirth (barely, LOL) It was wonderful. It really helped me deal with my son just shooting out. (<10 minutes 'pushing') Definitely check out waterbirth.org

[alegna]

I had my dd at home in water. I'd never plan any different.

-Angela

[2+twins]

My last birth was a waterbirth. I'd highly recommend trying it. I "plan" to waterbirth this time around as well, but for some reason I'm having a hard time visualizing giving birth that way, so I guess we'll see if it happens. I'm thinking it might just be b/c I gave birth so fast last time that I'm anticipating no time to get in the water this time around.

[erth mama]

i was sure i wanted a water birth, having attended several as a doula. When my labour came on my dh set up the pool we rented and it looked inviting enough. But i wouldn't get in, 40 hour labour and i spent 10 minutes in it. Birth is so unpredictable......

[danav]

I haven't had an actual water birth, but I did labor in the birth tub for the majority of the active labor last time...got in soon after I got to the birth center (I was 6-7 cm), got out an hour and a half later when I started pushing. It was AMAZING how helpful being in the water was in handling the labor! I was able to get into much more comfortable positions than I could have anywhere else (in my case, leaning forward over the edge of the tub letting my body float behind me in a deep squat) and the warm water itself provided a ton of pain relief - I remember as I stood up to get out the pain instantly changed dramatically.

This time I am planning a full water birth (although open to birthing wherever feels right at the time) and really looking forward to it!

[Peppamint]

My 2nd birth was a waterbirth @ home... LOVED IT! If you like birth stories, it's on my website at http://www.busybusymomma.com/JBS.html

I'm planning another wb @ home, as you can see in my siggie.

[babyrnlc]

I planned a waterbirth this time and I had a few contractions in the tub, but ended up having her on my bed. I was checked (one time) and dilated to 5 and then had several intense contractions and thought I was still barely dilated and the tub didn't seem to help the contractions much, but it really helped to relax in between. I went to the bathroom and had 3 intense contractions and came back to the room quickly and the bed was closer so I jumped in and then felt the baby coming. My labor was only an hour long.

I did get to take my herbal bath in the birth tub after and it was great!

I will have a tub at my next birth too, I want all the options I can.

[jenny-g]

I wanted to, but then I found out two things. (In Il, it's hard to do anything "natural" but have birth in a hospital with midwives, so that's what I'm doing.) One, they only have ONE TUB in our horrible overcrowded old hospital, and there's a lot more than one person laboring at a time. Second, they have a weight limit of 225 for anyone wanting to actually give birth in the tub. (I wanted to slap the MALE midwife who told me that.)

But, they assured me I"d still be allowed to labor in there, if I can actually get to it when it's available. Sheesh. -j

[nepenthesea]

I'm planning a water birth. I love water, and think it would be the coolest thing ever to birth in water. My midwives did tell me, though, that there's a possibility that when the time comes, I may not feel like staying in the water, or even getting in in the first place. So, for now, it's a plan, and we'll see how it goes in March

[camprunner]

I had one a week ago. The water really helped out with the pain and made me relax. The only issue I had was going to the bathroom. It was what I would imagine it would be like to have your epidural turned off midlabor so you could walk to the bathroom. When we watched the video it was amazing how I was in transition and probably the pushing stage, having a real conversation between contractions and listening to the midwife's instructions.

[TamaraR]

I would absolutely recommend having a water birth.
While I have no other birthing experience to compare it to, I can't imagine not having the option. I was able to doze off in the water during my 36 hour labor. What a relief!

[alegna]

Originally Posted by camprunner

I had one a week ago. The water really helped out with the pain and made me relax. The only issue I had was going to the bathroom. It was what I would imagine it would be like to have your epidural turned off midlabor so you could walk to the bathroom. When we watched the video it was amazing how I was in transition and probably the pushing stage, having a real conversation between contractions and listening to the midwife's instructions.

Um.... I didn't get out of the tub to go to the bathroom....

-Angela