water birth

I think you will find it varies from hospital to hospital and provider to provider. I was GBS+ with both babies, had AROM with both babies, and labored in the tub as long as I wanted. Unfortunately I didn't find the tub to be a great relief, I am more of a walker. Many people find the tub really helps to ease their pain. GL!

I labored in water with my first after ROM. It didn't do much for my pain sorry to say but I had pit too.

Well thank you for the responses so far! No one has anything more to add! I thought for sure we'd at least have a few more people here with waterbirth experience. Oh well!

If anyone else has anything to had a would greatly appreciate it! :blushkiss

I labored in water after ROM. It was a huge help in managing pain and I stayed in there until I was ready to push. Good luck!

Waterbirth International - http://www.waterbirth.org - is a good informational site on waterbirth. Lots of articles and information, including journal articles and sample protocols.

Becki

The last hospital I did L&D at offered waterbirths- contraindications in that hospital were

This hospital had a very popular prenatal waterbirth class, but not very many patients opted for the waterbirth when the time came.

What was the reason for that? Thanks again for the responses!

I had a water birth with baby #3 and loved it. I found it helped me to get ontop of the surges. My MW ruptured my membranes for me while I was in there and I delivered in there.

I don't see how it would work to have had an epidural and be in the tub. I don't think I've ever heard of it. Perhaps a failed epidural. I had that for #2 and labored in the shower (no tub available) for a while and it helped immensely.

I labored in the tub after SROM for baby #1, and got out to push. For baby #2 I had a CNMW and labored and delivered in the tub.

That was all before I started L and D nursing.

I work in a very conservative/high induction rate hospital now, and we don't do waterbirths.

This hospital had a very popular prenatal waterbirth class, but not very many patients opted for the waterbirth when the time came.

What was the reason for that? Thanks again for the responses!

I thin a lot of people took the class as a way of exploring their options. Many people seemed to just feel that it wasn't right for them, "too icky", or decided they would prefer to have an epidural. I can't say I had many patients who came in planning on a waterbirth but choose an epidural instead solely based on discomfort. I did however have several patients, including a close friend, who wanted a waterbirth but had complications that did not allow them to deliver in the tub as planned. The few waterbirths I did attend however were so lovely, it's probably the rosy glow of my imagination but I always thought the waterbirth babies were calmer in the days after birth :)

The water helped during my second labor; during my third I couldn't really get into the groove with it and moved on to other methods.

I would ask about the policy re: water births at the place you plan on delivering at regarding laboring and/or delivering in the water and ROM, GBS, etc.

Where I currently work, practically everyone is strapped down to the monitors the minute they walk in the door (and we don't have telemetry); needless to say I barely even see anyone walking, much less using our tubs (although we do have jetted tubs in every room). It may be possible to labor in the water with intermittent monitoring here if a pt asked about it but I really doubt they would allow it after ROM, with GBS, or any other slightest reason not to (this is not me talking, just telling how it is here unfortunately).

Best wishes to you, I hope you have the birth you want!!