The "how to" and the benifits of water-birth discussion thread. - Page 2

[JeanetteL]

I loved my waterbirth

Just wanted to add that I LOVED my waterbirth. I wasn't sure I would want to deliver in the water, but wanted the tub filled as an option.

We bought an inflatable kiddie pool with inflatable bottom. It only cost 20 dollars and worked wonderfully. We filled the pool with a hose from the bathroom using a waterbed kit (also helpful for drainage). I don't think I would ever pay for the rental of a birth tub, this was perfect.

I believe the water really helped with pain management. My labour stalled for a short time due to a swollen cervical lip. I had to stay on my hands and knees in the pool and had horrible back labour in that position. I think the pain would have been so much harder to endure without the warm water.

At one point the water had cooled too much, so the MW's emptied some of it with mixing bowls and filled it back up with the hose shortly before the baby crowned.

Bella was not suctioned and breathed fine. We covered her with a towel after she was born and kept pouring warm water from the tub over the towel to keep her warm while we sat there. We did wait for the cord to stop pulsing before cutting it - the placenta was already bulging out of me at this point. My MW did not want me to deliver the placenta in the pool, but it fell out as soon as I stood up. I have some amazing pictures of the water afterwards, there is a very cool web like pattern on top of the water, MW said from the surfantant.

My birth story is posted on this forum if anyone would like to read it to learn more about one experience of waterbirth. I would definetely reccomend it!

I was on a waterbirht email list during my pregnancy and one of the members had a great signature line "Water babies rise to the top!"

Jeanette

[sully]

I'm thrilled to read all of these stories- I'm planning a hospital water birth sometime soon! I'm due with my 2nd child on the 21st of this month and really really want a water birth. The hospital where I'm birthing is very progressive and has a water birthing room, as well as a few other jacuzzi rooms for laboring but not birthing. Last time I had a horrid birth experience and did spend some time in the jacuzzi, but had to get out when I became clostrophobic in the tiny room where the jacuzzi was. The water birthing room is large so hopefully that problem won't happen again!

[pie]

Good luck to you Sully... I can't wait to hear how it goes honey!!

[Alexander]

Mamapie!
You just got here?

Where you b''n

a

[valeria_vi]

I had a waterbirth question and my thread got 0 replies. i still am very interested in the info. http://mothering.com/discussions/sho...&threadid=5628

[Alexander]

Originally posted by valeria_vi
I had a waterbirth question and my thread got 0 replies

Hi valeria_vi,

Geeze, your post was only up for a couple of hours! You got to give us time to come accross it ya know

But I've put something up that I hope will help

a

[valeria_vi]

Originally posted by Alexander


Hi valeria_vi,

Geeze, your post was only up for a couple of hours! You got to give us time to come accross it ya know

But I've put something up that I hope will help

a

Alexander,
if you look carefully at the DATE, you will se that my post had been on the board since FEBRUARY 5th.
but thanks for replying.

[barbara]

Alexander,

Thanks for all the helpful posts on waterbirth.
I have a question ~
why are we boycotting colgate and what is the problem with anti-bacterial? sorry for my ignorance.

[organicmama]

Hi all! I had a water birth with my 2nd baby & we are planning a home/waterbirth for our third due the end of June. We are so excited! All of the information so far has been very helpful & supportive. I am a little nervous about getting it right since you only get one chance at it! I like the water really nice & warm. I remember last time we ran out of hot water & it was very irritating to me to get chilled. I told my doula to expect to be boiling water this time!

Also, Alexander, thanks so much for pointing out the drawbacks of using candles. I make my own beeswax candles & was planning to give one to each mama that comes to my blessingway & also use the same votive size all around the room for lighting if it's dark when I labor. What do you think about getting candles holders that are deep & diffuse the light? That would be ok, don't you think? I find candle lighting so soothing & relaxing plus the smell of beeswax is wonderful. Of course, we could blow them all out at the last minute but then it would break the mood, I'm thinking. Plus, I have a strange feeling about blowing out the candles as candles symbolize life in so many ceremonies (such as weddings). I really want a very beautiful, spiritual experience... Any thoughts?

[temama]

Lotus birth???

Someone please tell me about Lotus birth...I want to check out all of my options...I had three pretty bad hospital births...didn't really feel I needed to be there because I used no drugs. They did have me hooked up to an IV because I tested positive for group be strep for bb1 & 3. Water broke with number two and was given pitocin just 2 hours after when I showed no signs of having contractions and was already 2 weeks past due date. Want plenty more children and want to do it at home in the water!!! Another question...I have a huge 42" garden tub can I give birth in this????


Carey

An informed decision is the only decision...

[Alexander]

> Alexander,
> if you look carefully at the DATE, you will se that
> my post had been on the board since FEBRUARY 5th.
> but thanks for replying.

Duh!

Sorry! Silly me!

Wait a minute. Are we in March already???

Cripes!



a

[Alexander]

Originally posted by barbara
Alexander,
I have a question ~
why are we boycotting colgate and what is the problem with anti-bacterial?

Because, casual use of anti-bacterial products leads to bacteria that are resistant to those products. Then we have fewer things in our armery to combat the more serious ones.

a

[Alexander]

Originally posted by organicmama
Also, Alexander, thanks so much for pointing out the drawbacks of using candles. I make my own beeswax candles & was planning to give one to each mama that comes to my blessingway & also use the same votive size all around the room for lighting if it's dark when I labor. What do you think about getting candles holders that are deep & diffuse the light? That would be ok, don't you think? I find candle lighting so soothing & relaxing plus the smell of beeswax is wonderful.

Any thoughts?

I think your idea of using difuse light is wonderful. Make sure that they shades don't catch fire!!!

However, I'd be reluctant to use bees wax.

I think there is a chance of of producing aerosol particles (this is what you smell after all), and in that there is the (very real chance) that botulism (of often found in honey, which is why we do not feed children under 2) will be carried in the aerosol particles.

It would be dreadfully sad if this happened, on the first day of life.

No then to bees wax.

a

[Alexander]

Re: Lotus birth???

Originally posted by temama
Someone please tell me about Lotus birth

Another question...I have a huge 42" garden tub can I give birth in this????
Carey

Lotus birth. There is already a thread on this.

Garden tub. Yes, if it is clean, and you can get in and out easily.

I strongly suggest you practice once a month to get used to the amounts of water involved, the time it takes, the practicalities of getting in and out.

Hope this helps.

a

[temama]

Alexander-

Thank you for the info...I will use my garden tub. I know that better than anything else as I use it daily and sometimes for hours on end when I'm pregnant. And Lotus birth...Christina Wadsworth at midwiferytoday.com gave me awesome information and I have decided to practice this on my next child.

I also wanted to add that its wonderful to see such dedicated partners these days. Unfortunately I think that here in Louisiana they fathers need some help in that department, DH excluded.

Thanks again,

Carey

[organicmama]

Huh!?! Aeorosol particles? from candles? I've never heard of such a thing. My 5 y.o. son has had 3 heart surgeries & for a long time couldn't tolerate the smoke & suet generated by regular candles. Now I make my own raw beeswax candles. They burn clean with little or no smoke, last longer with less dripping & smell fresh & clean. They don't leave a smoke residue on things in your house like other candles do. Typical candles are petroeum based (non-renewable & toxic). Plus, I recently found out that beeswax candles emit small amounts of negative ions, like a rain storm, which helps to purify the air. If you want to know more about beeswax candles, check out: http://www.beeswaxcandles.com/

How can I get more info on the possible botulism hazard?

[Alexander]

Originally posted by organicmama
Huh!?! Aeorosol particles? from candles? I've never heard of such a thing. My 5 y.o. son has had 3 heart surgeries & for a long time couldn't tolerate the smoke & suet generated by regular candles.

any small particle (suet or smoke) is an aerosol particle.

To tell you the truth, I didn't know about the advantages of bees wax, and based my idea on the experience of regular candles. Thus, the problem may well be much less than I worry it to be

a

[violet]

water hoses

We test-filled our pool. It takes about an hour because we have to stop to let the waterheater catch up. We are using a big red hose that says on the label you can run hot water through it. We had a RV/trailer hose before but it said not to run hot water through it. Then a friend just recommended we use a RV/trailer type hose because typical garden hoses are not considered safe for potable water. We don't have a typical garden hose; we have the rubbery hot water hose. It's not really like a garden hose at all, but since it's made out of rubber/plastic chemicals and who knows what, is it really safe? So if I don't want toxins in the birth pool, is there any type of hose that is safe? It's a big pool and I don't really want DH running around with pots of hot water when he should be hanging out with me. Hurmph. Just when we thought we had it all figured out..... any thoughts?

V.

[Alexander]

where is the pool?

a

[violet]

sorry for my slowness to respond Andrew; it's been one of those weeks.

Our "pool" is actually a big rubber horse trough (so Why I'm worried about still more rubber/plastic is another question--perhaps I should be worried about that too!! I'm getting to the stage where if I'm not careful, I will start to worry about the most pointless things.) We plan to put it either in the living room (lots of natural light and high ceilings, close to the backyard for cleanup, but far from the bathroom.) Or we will put it in the extra room which means we can leave it set up, I'd be close to the bathroom, a shower, and my bed, but the room is small. Either location is near a sink that we have an adaptor for, but only the living room is near the kitchen for the pots of hot water thing.

I don't like plastic in general--I know that some plastics are made with pretty toxic stuff and others aren't so bad but you really have no way of knowing. We have thoroughly washed and aired out the tub and we can run tons of water through the hose prior to the event, but we'd just never really know would we. So I don't know what I'm looking for here. Reassurance that everybody uses plastic birthing tubs and garden hoses or perhaps I should just jump in our tiny little bathtub and call it a day.

puzzled, violet