WATER BIRTH: COSTS, ADVANTAGES AND CONTRAINDICATIONS

Water birth is an innovative practice designed to reduce pain related to childbirth, from the stage of labor to the actual expulsive stage. The most advanced hospitals have equipped themselves with suitable tools to fulfill the requests of pregnant women who want to try this experience, but many pregnant women are also trying the experience of water birth at home, with special inflatable pools that can also be rented. let's go in order: what are the costs, advantages and contraindications of water birth? If you are pregnant and want to decide how to give birth, it is good to first be informed about all the possibilities.

How does it work?

The water birth can be done as long as you have a physiological labor, that is, a pregnancy that is not at risk. At the time of labor, the pregnant woman is accompanied in the water in a special swimming pool, if it is a hospital, or in an inflatable tub filled with warm water. Usually one enters the water when the cervix is dilated by at least 5 cm, even if you can enter earlier to prevent even the first pains of labor and dilation. The obstetrician and the gynecologist are always with the woman, to check the heartbeat of the baby, the mother, and the water temperature. The woman can assume different positions to give birth: squatting, on your knees, or floating on your back. Once you enter the water the doctor may also ask you to get out for various reasons, and then come back later. For example if the water is too dirty, if labor it is too slow or just for normal checks. You can also leave the pool of your own free will: even if you have made this choice, no one forces you to go all the way and give birth in the water by force. The priority is always your well-being and your comfort, as far as possible. The father can enter the pool with the future mother, if the doctor agrees, but he will be asked to take a hot shower first. The fear of many mothers is that the baby cannot breathe when it is born, or that it swallows some "water, but the breathing reflex is not there" until it comes out of the liquid environment in which it lived, that is, the amniotic fluid.

What are the benefits of water birth?

Water birth has several advantages and benefits. First of all, water, especially for women who have a lot of confidence in it, helps to relax the muscles and the breath, facilitating the different phases of natural birth, from labor to expulsion of the newborn. Being immersed in water, then, allows you to move better and take different positions without feeling the pain that you would feel out of the water. The pregnant woman is immersed in water right under the breast, so she has a lot of freedom of movement. The weight of the body is supported by the water, and this allows not to tire too much during the different phases. In general, therefore, the water birth could be a good alternative to the epidural. Having a water birth also allows you to better regulate your blood pressure. Many women are obviously skeptical and afraid to try, but as far as the newborn is concerned, babies born in water are perfectly normal and healthy like anyone else. However, if you are not perfectly comfortable in the water, it is best to avoid, or at least check with your trusted gynecologist first.

Water birth: the video on how to manage pain

Water birth is one of the solutions, as we said, to manage and soothe the pain of labor and during the expulsive phase. This is also confirmed by our expert in this video, Tata Simona, who tells us which are the best methods to manage pain during childbirth.

Water birth at home. What are the costs?

It is possible to give birth in water in your own home, but you will have to think about the costs and equip yourself. In fact, it is necessary to rent a swimming pool for the birth, there are different types and the cost is about 400 euros. Sometimes, the chosen midwife, if she specializes in this type of birth, brings the inflatable pool with her, but it is more prudent to rent it for a few more days, before and after the birth, so as not to be caught unprepared. Rental is mandatory. for reasons of hygiene and safety, even the disposable bath sheet, which then remains in contact with the mother's body during childbirth. The costs seem high, but more and more associations of specialized midwives are emerging that offer lower prices, to prevent water birth becomes an "option only for those with more financial resources. All you need to do is consult first of all with your trusted gynecologist, and once you have the green light, you can look for midwives specialized in water births, even at home, in the city where you live.

Give birth in water: the contraindications to keep in mind

There are several contraindications regarding water birth, which however is not for everyone. In the case of breech birth, it requires the newborn to come out presenting the bottom first, and not the head, and this precludes the use of water birth. This type of practice is also not recommended for twin births, and obviously it is forbidden in case of premature birth. The residues of the water birth could then impress mum and dad, so we often tend to prefer the epidural because it appears simpler and more immediate. Water birth does not present specific risks or dangers, but is contraindicated in cases of which the expulsive phase does not proceed at the right times, in the case in which the labor lasts too long and when in general the gynecologist, also considering the history of the pregnancy in question, foresees or fears possible complications. Water birth is finally not recommended for all high-risk pregnancies and those that do not have physiological labor but require induced delivery.