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Childbirth in the water

, medical expert
Last reviewed: 23.04.2024
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Childbirth in the water is a way of carrying out childbirth, in which the woman is in the water, and the whole process of the child's birth takes place there.

Traditional births have long ceased to be the only way to make a child. Traditional - in the sense in which they were accustomed to see in the twentieth century, when the practice of taking delivery in a medical institution was established - in a specially prepared room equipped with all necessary medical equipment and in the presence of qualified specialists. What just recently seemed to be a remarkable achievement of modern medicine, saving the life and health of many women and their children, now often does not cause former moms the same enthusiasm. They are looking for others, including more natural, in their opinion, options. One of them is childbirth in the water.

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Benefits of giving birth in water

According to their supporters, the benefits of childbirth in the water are enormous. Since the beneficial effect of warm water on a person is well known to everyone, a similar practice arose in its time. Childbirth in the water is used to reduce pain, to make the process of childbirth more comfortable for a woman, to alleviate the birth stress in a newborn due to the fact that when a child is born, the child finds himself in the habitual water environment for him. It is also believed that thanks to the genera in the water, the baby does not suffer from a sharp temperature drop, is not exposed to the unpleasant effect of blinding light, deafening noise, unfamiliar smells, too harsh, according to the adherents of this practice, for the child.

In addition, it is argued that childbirth in the water is more sparing, compared to traditional, for both women and children. So, for the newborn the threat of birth injuries is reduced, his placental nutrition during childbirth improves. Water acts as an anesthetic, relaxing and facilitating the process of childbirth. And, in order to get rid of the stress during childbirth in the water, it is enough just to take a comfortable pose in the bath. The main thing is that it allows to make its volume.

Also, to the benefits of childbirth in the water, the parturient women who ventured to such an experiment include the absence of excessive drug intervention and a significant reduction in the time of labor. In addition, most often the birth in the water takes place without breaks.

All these advantages did not go unnoticed. And yet, in the question of how great the benefits of childbirth in the water, to this day there is no unequivocal opinion. Moreover, in many countries of the world such practice is not approved or is under direct prohibition.

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Harm of delivery in water

What is the danger of childbirth in the water? The problem is that there have never been large-scale studies on the topic of genera in the water, and all discussions on this issue are, as a rule, devoid of a scientific basis. Moreover, it is often possible to find the opinion that the basis for interest in the genera in the water is only modern fashion trends.

What do doctors think about the dangers and benefits of childbirth in the water? First of all, any expert will say that childbirth can in principle be accompanied by many risks, and childbirth in the water - all the more so. In the lungs of the child can get tap water. In addition, if you get on the birth canal, non-sterile water can cause infection. Warm water also increases the risk of bleeding and, by slowing labor, creates a risk for the mother and child. All this leads to extremely unpleasant and very serious consequences.

Of course, we can not consider the birth in the water unnatural, because the fetus during the entire period of pregnancy is in the aquatic environment of the amniotic fluid. But the first sigh of a child is an extremely important stage in its development, when lung tissue is straightened. And there is no physiological expediency in artificially slowing it down, which happens when giving birth in water.

With regard to the aspect of painlessness of labor in the water, it is appropriate, for example, to mention at least "partner" births that are no less positively affecting a woman's well-being.

There are strict contraindications to delivery in the water:

  • heart disease;
  • excessively narrow pelvis and large fetus;
  • gestosis;
  • diabetes;
  • placenta previa;
  • threat of development of fetal hypoxia.

And, even if there are no such health problems, you still can not be careless at such a crucial moment. Therefore, it is very important to entrust birth in the water to an experienced midwife, it would be more correct to go to a maternity hospital with a specially equipped pool.

Home delivery in water

In the event that a decision is made on home births in water, it is extremely important to observe several rules. First of all, it is necessary to take care that the birth in the water is carried out by a qualified midwife with extensive experience of such work. In addition, the baby should be provided with comfortable conditions - a comfortable bath, a depth of at least 60 cm and a width of 2.2 m, with warm water (not lower than 37 degrees), which would be equally suitable for both mother and child. Water is required to be changed many times - no less than three to four times, to avoid the flowering of E. Coli, so it is necessary to monitor the purity very carefully. Do not add anything water (neither medicine, nor other means) so that the child does not accidentally swallow.

As mentioned above, the first stage of labor in the water is less painful than the usual births, and in general contractions last less. By the way, many women in the water suffer the stage of bouts, the births themselves they are already outside the pool.

At home births in the water, the parturient women often squat down across the tub during the outburst and take over its edge. Because before the child leaves, a certain amount of blood is allocated, the water can become clouded, so the midwife or assistant should insure themselves and keep their hands close to the child's head. If it turns out that the newborn encircles the umbilical cord, act like a normal birth, that is, gently unwind. With a wet child, you need to handle as carefully as possible so that it does not slip out of your hands. After all is over, Mom can get out of the water and lie down on the bed.

It is important to remember that childbirth at home is not always without complications, but unlike a maternity hospital, you can not get instant medical help at home, and sometimes it takes minutes.

Childbirth in the water with dolphins

However, childbirth in the water has long been no longer something original. Then how about giving birth in water with dolphins? According to the supporters of such genera, dolphins produce a special sound that acts soothingly and pacifyingly and allows a woman to give birth easily and without pain. Moreover, a child born in this way will be more gifted and more intelligent than his peers, future mothers believe, and his intellect will be no less than 150.

All the attention the dolphins pay to the mother and child and are very friendly towards both of them. But prepare for such births should be done in advance - no later than the fourth month of pregnancy, a woman should start swimming with dolphins. This is done so that the future mother is accustomed to communicate with them and does not feel fear before them. The idea of giving birth in water with dolphins is that bathing positively affects the fetus, which in turn helps the expectant mother to relax and get rid of the fear of childbirth.

Of course, when giving birth in water with dolphins, a woman is helped by specialists, but she herself must feel at ease.

And, nevertheless, I want to remind you that the birth in the water with dolphins and the results expected from them do not have a scientific basis. In addition, all contra-indications that prohibit women from giving birth in water are also related to childbirth in the water with dolphins.

Childbirth in the water in Ukraine

Childbirth in the water in Ukraine has not yet ceased to be a curiosity. And although the very idea of such births originated as far back as the 60s of the last century and even became practiced in Soviet hospitals in the 1980s, for many mothers it is still exotic.

However, gradually childbirth in the water and in Ukraine are beginning to find their supporters. It is often enough to stumble on the Internet or television on the stories of moms who dared to give birth alone. And it is not always only about adherents of closeness to nature.

Although this can not be compared with the popularity of such practices in European countries. There, the birth in the water literally went into fashion. For example, in Great Britain special reservoirs are in eighty clinics. There is even a hospital where each room has a swimming pool for childbirth in the water. A small bath designed for home delivery in the UK can even be rented.

In Ukraine, childbirth in water is perceived, rather, as a kind of home birth. Future mothers prefer them, because the home atmosphere and the presence of loved ones help them to relax and overcome the fear of childbirth better than in the hospital.

Nevertheless, you should know that in Ukraine, home births are not allowed. Any types of obstetric services can be provided only in specialized public and private clinics. There, most often, this method is used only at the stage of labor as an anesthetic, the birth itself is natural.

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Childbirth in the water in Kharkov

In general, the supporters of childbirth in the water, Kharkiv has little to offer, which you can easily find out by reading the women's forums. There are quite a few clubs for young mothers, or just specialized courses in polyclinics, where they offer a diverse program for training women for childbirth, including through exercises for pregnant women in the pool. And it is much less likely to find a proposal for courses on preparing for childbirth in the water.

Generally, full-fledged births in water in Kharkov are possible only as a variant of home births. Memories of staying in a regular hospital often leave much to be desired, so it's not unusual for mothers, who give birth to, say, a second child, refuse to go to the hospital and give birth alone, surrounded by relatives. However, this practice is fraught with serious trouble, because the likelihood of complications during delivery is high, and since there are no home births allowed in the country, the problem of finding an experienced midwife arises.

As for maternity homes, only in one of them (maternity hospital No.6) future mothers are offered birth in water, but the jacuzzi is used only at the first stage of labor as an anesthetic. In the future, childbirth is traditionally held.

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Feedback on delivery in water

It is curious to know what the mothers themselves think about childbirth in the water. Estimates, in fact, vary and sometimes very much: someone after the negative experience of birth in the traditional way sees no alternative but to give birth alone in the bath, others express doubts about the advisability of such a decision and are afraid of complications due to the lack of timely qualified medical assistance.

"Of all three of my children, it was the one that gave birth in the water, the most hefty and smart. Wonderful child! And the birth was without pain, just pulled in the lower back. "

"I gave birth in water, at home, in the bath. Everything went perfectly. And anyway, if a person consists of 70% of water, is not it natural to give birth in water? "

"Those doctors who do not approve of childbirth in the water, hardly watched many children born in the water. And they, really, are born more zdorovenkimi, I speak by the experience - the second gave birth in a bath ».

"Microbes in the water? You can think in the hospital all sterile! There are even more germs, and even mutated! And water can be ordered clean, spring ".

"I gave birth in the bath, with my husband and midwife. No problems have arisen. These are my second births, the first were ordinary, in the hospital, and this is the most terrible day in my life. "

It is interesting that often women who ventured into childbirth in the water are categorically for this practice, proceeding purely from personal experience and dismissing the arguments of the doctors against. Those women who listen to the opinion of doctors, usually prefer the usual birth.

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