Guidelines published by the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) in September, 2007 say all expectant mothers should be offered water births, which are the safest form of pain relief during labour. Using water as pain relief during labour is more effective than anything other than an epidural, according to the guidelines.

We have known this for many years and offer free birth pools for use by our clients in labour and birth. We have four roomy, inflatable pools from the Good Birth Company, big enough for birth partners for those who wish. They are loaned out a few weeks prior to your due date, with instructions on the few things you will need to buy and how to set them up. Even for women planning a hospital birth, the birth pool can be used at home in the earlier part of labour.

The Benefits of Labouring and Birthing in Water:

Most of the women we work with retreat to a birth pool at some point in their labour. This cocooned environment allows her the support and space to move and find her right way to respond to labour and birth. Below are some of the benefits experienced by women in labour who have decided to use water during that time.

Water is a feminine element. It is buoyant and soft and carries your body"s weight. We all know how good it feels to have a long, hot bath, so imagine just how therapeutic warm water can be during labour. Many women testify that the warm sensations on their skin remind them how powerful and sensual a body in labour should be. Indeed, the majority of women are surprised to note how wonderful and relieving it feels when they first enter the birthing pool.

Birthing pools help many women to cope better with pain and enhance those hormones which are an integral part of a healthy birth. For many women, a birthing pool can be the key to a physiological birth, providing an alternative route to medical intervention such as an epidural. It is important to stress that water is not likely to take away the pain, but it can make a tremendous difference to your ability to relax, and may well make the pain more bearable. In fact, some studies even show that endorphin levels reduce when labouring in a birthing pool - a sign that pain levels do decrease.

Another benefit of labouring in water is the superb mobility that it offers. The buoyant effect of the water completely supports your body Õs weight. This gives you a feeling of physical liberation. As a result, resting between contractions is much easier, and you are less likely to become fatigued or exhausted. In the same way, the water"s buoyancy helps to make you significantly more comfortable in upright positions. You can move more easily and thanks to the water, many women feel that they are able to help their babies to descend and rotate. You will be surprised to find that it is much easier, for example, to squat in water. Even women who find squatting difficult on land, can often do so comfortably in water - with the added benefit that this position makes a lot more space in the pelvis for your baby to descend.

Entering the birth pool during labour causes you to relax: it reduces stress hormones in your body. It lowers your heart rate and blood pressure; your respiratory rate lowers and you consume less oxygen. Water helps warm up your uterus as labour progresses, thus reducing cramps and tiredness. It helps relax the pelvic floor muscles which help the baby be born more easily. It also helps soften the perineum thus reducing the risk of tearing. All of the above helps you conserve energy needed for the second stage of labour.

In the birth pool you are in your own womb-like space and you are unlikely to notice how quickly time passes. The strong sense of privacy women feel in a birth pool lends itself to helping women labour more efficiently. Many women say that the world beyond the rim of the birthing pool seems to disappear. In water, your body is definitely your own territory.

Closeness:

Finally, a birth pool offers you and your partner a closeness that often cannot be experienced in a normal birth environment. Not every woman wants to be held during childbirth, but having the option to have your partner close to you is a great benefit. By entering into the birthing pool with you, your partner may feel significantly more included in your labour.