This is a great video we found that discusses the facts and benefits provided by a water birth and natural childbirth. If the video does not load properly, we have added the video transcript below!
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Marie Black: Hi there, I’m Marie Black, and I am a life coach based out of Austin, Texas. And I am also recently pregnant with my first child, and I’ve been doing a lot of research on natural childbirth, and picking a childbirth mode for myself, and so I want to talk to you about that today, and specifically water birth, which is what I’m excited about, and what I am going to choose as my mode of birth.
Why I like water birth is there’s just a myriad benefits to both mom and baby. So I think, for the mom, ladies, you’ll like this, the big thing for me is that it can really, really help, I’ve heard, almost by 50%, cut pain. So I think most women, when they talk about childbirth, there’s a lot of fear around it. Mostly fear of the pain. Or fear of the pain, and then also fear for the baby’s health.
So how it helps relax you is, ladies, I know you’ve probably, when you’ve had a really stressful day, you get in the tub, and you’re like, “Ugh, this feels so good.” It’s just something about water. It’s very, very relaxing. You can hear the water, and be in the water, and it will really help promote relaxation and when you’re more relaxed, you’re less likely to feel pain. When you’re tense, and you’re bracing, if there’s any kind of stimulus that could be perceived as pain, you’re gonna feel it more than if you’re relaxed. That’s just a general rule.
Another thing it does is it softens your birthing tissues. Specifically your cervix, your vagina, and your perineum, helps keep them really soft so that it eases the baby out more easily.
So another big benefit is that it can actually help to stimulate your labor. And they say that, and when I mean they, the place that I’ve been doing a lot of research is a website called Waterbirth.org. And I highly recommend them. Check them out. They’ll answer all your questions. But Waterbirth.org says that if you want to know if you’re in high time active labor, you do a trial by water. So you get in the water for about an hour. If your contractions start speeding up, then you are really in active labor. If they slow down, then you’re not, so then you would get out of the water. They suggest walking, doing things to stimulate labor naturally. And it’s a really good test, because I think, also, when you’re anxious about, “Am I really in labor? What’s going on?” The anxiety can also kind of … that’s a form of fear, and that can tighten you. And when you’re tighter, you’re gonna feel more pain. So it’s a great way to test whether or not you’re in active labor.
So some of the benefits for the babies, which was just a huge selling point for me, on the water birth, is when they enter the world, the water is set between 95 and 100 degrees, which is very much like the human body temperature, 98.6. Also, in the womb, they’re encased in an amniotic sac, which is the amniotic fluid, when you hear, “My water’s broke, or I’m gonna get my water’s broke,” that what it refers to. So they’re already in a liquid environment, so by moving them from a liquid environment to another liquid environment, it really, really helps kind of ease them into this world, versus the womb world. And that’s much easier, I think, on their nervous system. It doesn’t overstimulate them, it doesn’t put them into fight or flight. Adrenaline doesn’t course through their bodies.
Most of the birthing rooms are kept dark. The water is a dark environment, like the womb, and so they can just ease nicely into this world, versus it being cold, and there being lights, and all that, which is not as good, in my humble opinion, on their nervous system.
If you’re concerned, and I certainly was, about if they’re gonna take a big breath underwater, and it will get in their lungs, and will they potentially drown, first of all, they’re not underwater very long. It’s just like they come out, depending on the midwife or your birthing assistant, they will just stay there for a moment, and then they’re allowed to kind of float, and then the natural course of getting the baby to breathe outside of the womb, those events will take place. So there’s really not a lot of concern, but you can definitely do some research on something called the dive reflex, which is what’s going on when they’re coming out, and they’re underwater momentarily, and it’s really not a huge cause for concern. But research it, if you are concerned.
So for me, these were great selling points for going ahead and trying the water birth. Cutting the pain, keeping relaxed, so that you can really enjoy the birth experience, because it is a huge, huge life experience for women. And by being able to be present, and more relaxed, and not fearful of it, it can really enrich your life, I think. And then I think there are sizable benefits for the baby, as well.
A lot of hospitals don’t offer tubs. I think that’s changing quite a bit. A lot of them, they will have showers, and you can have the shower help you with the pain, but it’s not quite the same. So if you’re looking to do a water birth, you might have to do it at home, with a licensed midwife. They’ll get a birthing pool, or help you find one. Or there are birthing centers, which is where I’m gonna go to, and they will have tubs. But do check at your local hospitals, if that’s something you want to do. They may have tubs, and I know there’s a great video on YouTube through Baby Center, I think, BabyCenter.com, with a great birthing pool at a hospital, so check that out. So good luck, have fun with your birth. Enjoy it.
Thank you so much for watching the video. I really appreciate it. Feel free to give me a thumbs up, to leave a comment, and also to subscribe to the channel, because that’s what keeps us going. Thank you.
If you are looking for midwifery services, you can call us at (719) 249-6008. We will be happy to discuss natural birth options with you.