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FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
Is every woman a candidate for a water birth?
So long as there are no medical contra-indications, any woman is a possible candidate for a water birth. Once health concerns are set aside, it is important to think (and be realistic) about your philosophies, thoughts, and fears relating to birth. This realistic appraisal will be helpful in assessing whether you might be a realistic candidate for a water birth. It is best to set-up an appointment with a water birth consultant/doula.
What's the difference between water immersion and water birth?
Water immersion means that the woman labors in water but gets out of the tub to deliver the baby. Water birth means that the woman labors in the water and delivers the baby into water.
Where can you do a water immersion or water birth?
You can do a water immersion or water birth at home, in a hospital, at a birth center or in the ocean.
What are the most common reason women want to labor and/or give birth in water?
The most common reason women like the water is because it feels good. Water helps women cope with the sensations and surges of labor and birth. Many women report that the water enables them to override the epidural. In fact, when speaking with a woman whose labor I attended, I noted, "From my observations of you during labor, if you had not had the tub available, I believe there was an 80 percent chance you would have gotten an epidural." "Eighty!" She exclaimed back, "200 percent I would have gotten the epidural. The water saved me."
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