Water births

By Clare Winter

In the 1970’s Michel Odent, a French obstetrician, discovered that many women giving birth in water had a quicker and easier delivery than those labouring on dry land. Midwife Clare Winter looks at water births, 30 years on

In the 1980s women in the UK began to rebel against what they saw as the ‘medicalisation’ of the birth process. Doctors were encouraging women to have their babies in hospital, where the latest technology could monitor and determine the course of labour. But many women wanted a greater degree of control over how and where they gave birth. When Michael Odent’s film about water births was shown on TV, the idea caught on. Here was an option that gave women the opportunity to have a more natural birth – and there were other advantages, too.

So why do people want a water birth?

There are psychological benefits. Feeling more in control, the woman in labour is less stressed. Lower stress levels reduce the perception of pain, and help the woman to feel more confident about her ability to give birth.

The pool provides a private, quiet environment

The buoyancy of water helps mobility, so women in labour can get into a comfortable, upright position which allows more room in the pelvis for the baby to come through

Women feel warm but not too hot or sweaty

Warm water helps blood circulation so that the oxygen supply to the baby is good

The warm water allows the blood vessels to open, and so improves blood pressure

Here’s what iVillagers say about water births:

‘I had my first baby in water, and out of all of my labours, it was by far the best. I won't fob you off and say that it didn't hurt, but the water helped tremendously – I blew bubbles over the surface to keep me calm.’