Underwater births which was once seen as ‘alternative’ have become more popular in Australia with the number of underwater
births rising by nearly 40 percent in the past five years.
More and more women are using immersion in water as a pain relief option now and more hospitals in NSW are providing facilities for this, as well as facilities for water births. Research carried out by the British Medical Journal in 2004 showed that women who spent part of their labour in water experienced less pain than those women who opted for traditional forms of pain relief.
Celebrity mothers are embracing this growing trend and this endorsement is part of the reason for the growth among Australian mothers.
Advocates of water births claim that there are significant benefits to both mother and baby during an underwater birth. There is less use of analgesics and anaesthesia, which is safer. Pain during labour is significantly reduced by blocking nerve impulses to the brain and labour can be shorter. There is less pressure on the abdomen because of the buoyancy promoting more efficient contractions, better blood circulation, more oxygen to baby and mother and equal pressure on all parts of the women’s body.
Water relaxes the pelvic floor muscles reducing the risk of birth canal, vaginal, perineum and vulva injuries, which may require stitching.
For the baby it is claimed that underwater births mean decreased trauma at birth. It is an easier more gentle transformation from one womb of water to an external womb of water. There is also more blood to baby due to better circulation in mother.
It is also believed that babies brought into a world with less violence have a greater potential to use less violence themselves as they integrate into the world.
Despite the listed benefits of underwater births there are many medical professionals who advise strongly against them. An obvious caution is the fact that it’s unnatural for air breathing animals, including humans, to give birth underwater. There is a danger of water going into the baby’s lungs and if the baby’s brain is deprived of oxygen there is the possibility of brain damage.
Pregnant women need to make their own choice after considering all the options. A reasonable compromise is to use water therapy to relieve the pain of labour but then give birth in a more traditional manner.