Water labor &/or birth

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Specializes in L0-high risk OB, PP/NBN, Med/Surg.

I am currently working in a "conservative" L&D area & recently a couple in the community has gotten consent from their OB & want to try a water birth here. Some progress towards full scope women's birthing options has occured over the past year & I have been promised water birth will become an option, but you all know how long bringing in a new procedure, a questionable procedure at that takes. Anyone out there gone from the 1970s to the present with birthing options at your facility? Any suggestions about how to best go about convincing conservative physicians, overworked nurses & anxious Risk Managment that this is an evidence based & safe option for some women? Anyone willing to share a P&P? I was doing water labor (evenwith underwater telemetry & oxytocin on a battery run pump) in another state (UT) a few years ago with excellent outcomes & super patient satisfaction I know it works. This is another state (NV) & it's hard to go back in time..... Help!

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Specializes in OB, lactation.

You could also try asking around at this policy sharing group to see if anyone can share their policy with you if you don't find luck here:

http://health.groups.yahoo.com/group/pnrnpolicies/

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Specializes in L0-high risk OB, PP/NBN, Med/Surg.

Thanks mitchsmom! I am willing to share what I know & have. I didn't get where I am on my own. Good to know others are willing to help too.

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Specializes in OB.

We do water labor at my facility, they MUST be low risk, no pit, no mec, reactive NST with doppler monitoring. We do NOT do water birth. We have accidently done water birth though. I don't want to be flamed but I agree that water birht at my facility is not safe, the way the bathroom is set up it would be very difficult to manage if an emergency happend, like shoulders or PPH. I think that if the tub is designed properly it could be safe. All of these things need to be considered before a facility allows water births.

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Call Barbara Harper at Home - Waterbirth International she'll set you up with everything you need!

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Specializes in Community, OB, Nursery.

Hey, I was going to suggest that too! Her (Barbara Harper's) book Gentle Birth Choices is awesome and contains many great suggestions as well.

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