Easterners, Waterbirth?

Altalorraine · May 3, 2006

Is there anyone who's hospital does waterlabor or waterbirth pretty commonly? In CA this is rare at best. In talking to other nurses they tell me that back east it's much more accepted/routine.
I've been asked to write an article on water in labor and would be interested in your experiences re: caregiver acceptance of this choice, policies, maternal satisfaction etc.
:heartbeat:heartbeat

East coast here. We do not do waterbirth, though we have a tub for labor. It's rarely used. It's a pain in the butt to clean and it takes forever to fill up and drain, it requires one-on-one nursing care during labor, and nearly all of our patients have epidurals. In my own personal experience, the the safe temperature of the water (tepid) was too cool for my preference, so I didn't really love it. Plus I preferred to be upright and hip rockin'! But some people swear by it. Good luck on your article.

Altalorraine

birthmamaew · May 3, 2006

This is very amusing to me. I am origianlly form NY and now live in the mid atlantic area. I have often been told by some when asking about H2O birth at a particular institution;"This isn't California" But yes, where there are tubs there is a lot of water labor. Moms just hop out at the end. (Because that's so easy to do...)

RNnL&D · May 3, 2006

Wow. I'm a little surprised to hear it's not all that common in California, or New York. I am in Ohio and we do hydrotherapy for labor and water birth. Just over the last weekend, I had 3 deliveries. Two of them used the tub for labor. The other one didn't due to meconium. One of them was even on Pitocin. We just dc'd it once she was in good labor and let her labor in the Jacuzzi. We have four Jacuzzi rooms where I work. The birth center at another facility has three Jacuzzi tubs, while their regular L&D has normal size tubs with jets in the BR's. A smaller hospital in this area uses the blow up kiddie pools that are popular with the homebirth crowd. So I guess, if you're wanting to use water, check out the Midwest. :lol

It is more common for the midwife patients to labor/birth in the tub. But most of our docs are comfortable with pts using the Jacuzzi for labor. I have yet to see one attend a water birth though.

My last two children were both water births. :)

SuesquatchRN, BSN, RN · May 3, 2006

I thought you meant the baby actually being born underwater.

The hospital at which I am doing my maternity rotation has jacuzzis. I attended a birth a week ago - wonderful experience - and it was suggested to the mom that sitting in the tub would help ease her labor pains. She tried it, got out, and demanded drugs.

RNnL&D · May 3, 2006

I thought you meant the baby actually being born underwater.

Yeah, we do that too.

Gompers, BSN, RN · May 3, 2006

Anyone know how often this is done in Chicagoland?

I am a true Pisces and feel best when floating in water. I take baths everyday instead of showers and have been known to lay in the water and fall asleep for hours! I use baths to ease aches and pains on a regular basis, and to relax when I'm upset about something.

I've always thought about laboring in water - not sure about the actual birth - and wondered if it actually helps some women through the pain? I really do NOT want an epidural. When I have babies I'd really like to do a lot of walking around and I definitely want to try a Jacuzzi. With my mindset and a decent pain tolerance, is this possible?

Everyone I know tells me I'm crazy.

SuesquatchRN, BSN, RN · May 3, 2006

Anyone know how often this is done in Chicagoland?
I am a true Pisces and feel best when floating in water. I take baths everyday instead of showers and have been known to lay in the water and fall asleep for hours! I use baths to ease aches and pains on a regular basis, and to relax when I'm upset about something.
I've always thought about laboring in water - not sure about the actual birth - and wondered if it actually helps some women through the pain? I really do NOT want an epidural. When I have babies I'd really like to do a lot of walking around and I definitely want to try a Jacuzzi. With my mindset and a decent pain tolerance, is this possible?
Everyone I know tells me I'm crazy.

Sure, it's possible. It obviously helps some women or they wouldn't equip rooms with whirlpools.

My ob instructor had a daughter underwater in a real pool, BTW. She doesn't think it mattered for the baby, but SHE was more comfortable.

As to whether you're crazy, that's up to those who know you best.

anniesong · May 3, 2006

I'm in CT, and the facility where I just finished my clinicals did occasional waterbirths. It is a 15 bed unit (12 LDRPs and 3 extended stays) and has 2 "spa" rooms specifically for laboring in the tub, and the occasional delivery. In addition, there are (I think) two LDRP rooms with jacuzzi's in the room instead of only the shower (They are smaller, however, than the spa rooms, so I don't think they generally deliver in those).

Most of the MDs and CNMs at this facility encourage laboring in the tub as desired, but prefer not to deliver in there. There are a few who enthusiastically support a woman's desire to have a tub birth (if both mom and baby's health allow), and a some who refuse to do them and ask that moms get out of the tub come pushing time. Most just prefer not to do them.

That said, I have yet to have a patient even labor in the tub, never mind deliver. *shrug* There are some, but I wouldn't say it's been terribly common in the 4 months I was there. Not too sure about before that, however.

RNnL&D · May 3, 2006

I've always thought about laboring in water - not sure about the actual birth - and wondered if it actually helps some women through the pain? I really do NOT want an epidural. When I have babies I'd really like to do a lot of walking around and I definitely want to try a Jacuzzi. With my mindset and a decent pain tolerance, is this possible?
Everyone I know tells me I'm crazy.

Yes, it's possible, and yes, it does help some women through the pain. I think, with your mindset, you would be a great candidate for hydrotherapy during labor. From personal experience, I got in the Jacuzzi for delivery with my daughter, but did not labor there (arrived completely dilated). For my son, I labored almost my entire labor in the tub. It made a tremendous difference, even with that labor being shorter amd more intense. When I did get out of the tub and onto dry land, the ctx's were horrendous. All I could focus on was getting back into the tub, which is where he was born. :)

I love water birth, and wouldn't do it any other way.

Belinda-wales, RN · May 3, 2006

In the UK where I work as a midwife it is really common to use the birthing pool for labour and birth every low risk woman is offered the pool and many ues it.

madwife2002, BSN, RN · May 3, 2006

I(n the Uk where I worked we used the birthing pool frequently. I am an advocat for using the birthing pool during the first stage but due to some awful experiences I prefer the woman to be on dry land to deliver. Their are lots of really good research articles on waterbirth in the UK, especially in Southampton.