Water BIrths?
Printed From: OHbaby!
Category: Pregnant
Forum Name: Pregnancy
Forum Description: Pregnant! Wanting to chat to other mums-to-be (or dads-to-be)? Share your thoughts, experiences, and ideas... This is that place!
URL: https://www.ohbaby.co.nz/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=14598
Printed Date: 20 August 2025 at 9:03pm
Software Version: Web Wiz Forums 11.10 - http://www.webwizforums.com
Topic: Water BIrths?
Posted By: Glag2
Subject: Water BIrths?
Date Posted: 18 February 2008 at 7:01pm
|
I will be doing my birthing plan with my MW in a few weeks and was wanting some advice plz,
Im going to have a Hospital birth as its our first Baby and Im really wanting to have Her in the bath there, its not a huge bath but reasonbly deep and its triangle, are there any pros or cons? Also when doing my birthing plan is there anything that I MUST not forget to mention? Thanks  ------------- http://lilypie.com" rel="nofollow"> 
|
Replies:
Posted By: kebakat
Date Posted: 18 February 2008 at 7:18pm
| The only thing that I wish had been in my birth plan was exactly how much skin to skin time I wanted as soon as he was born. They plopped Daniel on my tummy and within a couple of mins took him away and dressed him etc. I wasn't in the right state of mind to tell them to leave him be as I really wanted lots of skin to skin contact straight away. It's something that is going to be in big huge print next time. |
Posted By: james
Date Posted: 18 February 2008 at 7:19pm
|
what pain relife you would like
if you would like music i would of loved a water brith but unforturley it didnt happen for me and to keep your idaes for your brith flexable as you can  ------------- <a href="http://lilypie.com"><img src="http://b4.lilypie.com/nLJ5p13.png" alt="Lilypie 4th Birthday Ticker" border="0" /></a> |
Posted By: Glag2
Date Posted: 18 February 2008 at 7:24pm
|
Im really wanting the skin to skin contact straight away, yea Ive bought an XL mens tshirt to birth otherwise. ------------- http://lilypie.com" rel="nofollow">
|
Posted By: Shezamumof3
Date Posted: 18 February 2008 at 7:43pm
|
Im wanting a water birth aswell so this will be good for me to read aswell ------------- |
Posted By: Glag2
Date Posted: 18 February 2008 at 7:53pm
|
My sister had wanted one, but once she hopped in it, she couldnt stand it, ive also heard that if the water is to cold when you go to deliver they wont let you give birth in there?
Also if you have had pain relief they dont like you to deliver in water as it can make the baby drowsy? but thats just what ive heard, thats why im asking for some advice, so many thanks ------------- http://lilypie.com" rel="nofollow">
|
Posted By: ElfsMum
Date Posted: 18 February 2008 at 7:57pm
|
and just don't be too heartbroken if it doesn't got to plan..i wanted skin to skin contact etc but couldn't due to circumstances:( and at CWH if the pools are full then you dont get to birth in them...so that sucks:( ------------- Mum to two amazing boys! |
Posted By: Freesia
Date Posted: 18 February 2008 at 8:05pm
|
I made particular mention that we wanted to take the placenta with us. I'm not sure if they ask or not first but if there are things like that that you want done, make sure you point it out. Once everythings underway, you really forget about a lot of things.
And like the others said, be prepared for nothing to go as planned as well. I ended up with an emergency c-sect and nothing went to plan at all. -------------  
|
Posted By: ElfsMum
Date Posted: 18 February 2008 at 8:15pm
|
i got asked 4 times about placenta and vit k injections...so yeah as Freesia said make sure they know your thoughts on those things.. ------------- Mum to two amazing boys! |
Posted By: JD
Date Posted: 18 February 2008 at 8:20pm
|
I had a water birth about 1 1/2 weeks ago and it was really good. It is however, my second baby and my mw said that with first babies, it helps to be out of the water so gravity can help with the second stage. Because it was my second baby, she said that my body knew what to do.
DH got to have a lot of skin to skin once the cord was cut cos I needed to get out of the pool and deliver the placenta etc Like the others have said, try and be flexible as you don't know what will happen at the time. Oh and I had gas, but I think that is the only pain releif you can have with a water birth. Feel free to ask me any questions :-) ------------- http://lilypie.com"> 
|
Posted By: Maya
Date Posted: 18 February 2008 at 8:30pm
|
Anna (Brenna) had a water birth too.
I agree with the skin to skin thing, I didn't get much with the gremlins coz the paed was in a hurry to check them and I didn't get any with Maya coz it wasn't such a big deal in the "old" days, so I really, really want to have plenty this time. Re: the placenta, they are usually pretty anal about asking what you want done with it, coz it's tapu in Maori protocol. Friends who didn't want to keep theirs had to argue with their midwife about it coz she was too scared to throw it away in case they changed their mind. -------------  Maya Grace (28/02/03)
 (02/01/06)
The Gremlins:Sienna Marie & Mercedes Kailah (14/10/06)
Lil miss:Chiara Louise Chloe (09/07/08)
Her ladyship:Rosalia Sophie Anais (18/06/12)
|
Posted By: HippyMama
Date Posted: 18 February 2008 at 8:47pm
|
With a water birth the temperature should be controlled so that it doesn't get too hot or too cold, in fact there should be a floating thermometer around for that very reason.
I LOVED mine, and it was with my first baby, and I am planning to do the same for our second. That said I agree with James - be prepared to be flexible. |
Posted By: caitlynsmygirl
Date Posted: 18 February 2008 at 10:31pm
|
I was in the bath during my labour with Caitlyn and i HATED it , contractions every minute.
As the other ladies have said , be flexible about your birth plan, labour is often unpredictable and doesnt always go to plan, a lot of women who have very set guidelines find that when it doesnt work out the way they want feel like they have failed in someway (which of course, they havent!) I went in with an open mind and decided whatever happened i would go with it, i would have prefered an epidural, but certain DDs decided they would take their time then speed up their process once mummy wanted some pain relief 
but as i said, labour is very unpredictable , rough guidelines, eg a water birth if possible and skin on skin contact is good, just dont be disappointed, especially with yourself , if it doesnt work out. |
Posted By: Bizzy
Date Posted: 18 February 2008 at 10:40pm
|
not all miwdives will deliver in water and if the hospital/birthing unit is not set up specifically for water births will only let you labour in the bath/pool, and sometimes not even for great lenghts of time. Unless your mw is someone experienced in water births then you may be disappointed.
I laboured in the pool at nat womens for my second and loved it, but as previous posters have said it doesnt always work out well. there is a set list they will work thru...i did mine last week. it included pain relief, skin to skin contact, the injection to bring on the placenta (cant remember what its called sorry), breast feeding, labour positions, vit K, disposal of the placenta...etc you may want to discuss wether you prefer to tear or episiotomy also. and if you forget to add something you can always let the mw know later anyway. all the best for you birth tho, and as others have said try and be flexible. ------------- http://www.myfitnesspal.com/weight-loss-ticker"> 
|
Posted By: MissCandice
Date Posted: 19 February 2008 at 7:31am
I had a water birth, i found it amazing and didnt want to get out! I loved it. I didnt get much skin on skin as Kylah stopped breathing and they tok her away  ------------- ~ Mummy to a beautiful girl ~ |
Posted By: rosewood
Date Posted: 19 February 2008 at 8:03am
|
My DD decided to have a poo whilst inside me so I couldnt have my water birth that I wanted as she had to be CTG monitored throughout the labour. This then threw out the whole of my birth plan.
Remember that what ever you put in a birth plan is for an ideal birth (which very few are  ) I do know lots of people that have given birth in a pool/bath and found it a great experience.
I think that the only thing on my birth plan that actually happened is that DH told me what we had and we were both in shock as we were convinced we were having a boy! ------------- Gill http://lilypie.com"> 
|
Posted By: Andie
Date Posted: 19 February 2008 at 8:34am
|
I had planned to labour in the bath, but once I got in that hospital bath decided there was no way I'd get out... ever! So my midwife arranged to have a water-birth midwife join in for the arrival, but I ended up pushing for 3 hours - Ella crowned in the bath (and I imagine that having that happen in the bath helped as far as comfort levels go) but it was hours before she was out, so once I turned grey they got me onto the bed for a delivery there. I guess what I'm saying is that I found the bath helpful for the time I was in it - and being flexible in your birth plan is great. Luckily, the midwifes are all used to having to be really flexible about them too so any changes of plan usually go OK. ------------- Andie |
Posted By: lucky3rdtime
Date Posted: 19 February 2008 at 10:29am
|
like others have said, be flexible. The main things I remember being asked were about pain relief, skin to skin and the placenta. But things don't often go exactly as you want so just try to go with the flow, but if you feel strongly about something then sing out. ------------- http://lilypie.com">  
|
Posted By: mummy_becks
Date Posted: 19 February 2008 at 11:53am
|
It is true about the water temp. I jumped back into my bath at 7cm and once I was fully dilated I had to get out to push and deliver Josh as the water was far too cold for him to come out. I was ok about that. Just remember thing can change in a few seconds so be flexible when things don't go the way you had them in your head and on paper. ------------- I was a puree feeder, forward facing, cot sleeping, pram pushing kind of Mum... and my kids survived! |
Posted By: daikini
Date Posted: 19 February 2008 at 1:10pm
|
I've had 3 waterbirths, and am planning another...
I labour and birth in a bath, and the midwifes have kept refreshing the water around me to keep it a constant temperature. I believe it is easier to do that in a bath than a pool though. ------------- Becca, mum of 2 girls & 3 boys |
Posted By: Danash
Date Posted: 19 February 2008 at 3:51pm
|
We had planned a water birth, but my mw wasn't available and her partner mw didn't know so didn't arrange it... but then Daniel was born 25 mins after arriving at the hospital so wouldn't have happened anyhow. We asked for the umbilical cord not to be cut until it stopped pulsating, it was cut about 20minutes later so we has heaps os skin on skin time. |
Posted By: Glag2
Date Posted: 19 February 2008 at 5:41pm
|
Wow thank you everyone,lots to think about ------------- http://lilypie.com" rel="nofollow">
|
Posted By: Brenna
Date Posted: 19 February 2008 at 7:56pm
|
Yep, Emma's right - I had a waterbirth and LOVED it!! I really hope I can do it again next time ------------- My beautiful 2 girls...nearly 4 and 13 months
|
Posted By: Rachael21
Date Posted: 19 February 2008 at 9:07pm
|
I had a water birth both times but at a birthing unit so things are a lot more relaxed there. It was a spa bath type thing so they just topped it up with warm water when it was time for baby to come out (I was so hot so wasn't too impressed). Cold flannels for ya face and neck are so lovely if your a person who gets hot. I think everything else has been covered so good luck
|