Postpartum mother’s self-narration: What is it like to give birth in water?

Water birth is a new type of birthing method, which allows mothers to fully relax in the water. The baby can also gradually adapt to the transition from amniotic fluid to air through water birth. For mothers who have not experienced water birth, let's listen to this mother's water birth process~

I also caught up with the trend and successfully gave birth to a baby boy in the water, so I am excited to share my personal experience! Don’t ask me why the photos are all from the Internet and why they are not me? I won’t tell you that my phone is 100% dead and I was naked in the water. Naked! Now I can’t figure out why I took off all my clothes and gave birth in the water naked, when I could have worn underwear.

Why do I live in water?

It was a miserable childhood. I remember when I was eighty or nine, the TV often showed popular science movies that dispelled feudal superstitions. Among them, women were not sent to the hospital for difficult labor. People either gave birth with heavy bleeding or hunched on the back of a cow and died. Such scenes directly caused psychological trauma to me when I was young. Whenever I imagined giving birth, I felt so painful that I didn't want to give birth. But I gave birth anyway. First of all, let me popularize science. Water birth is actually giving birth in water. It is a way of normal delivery. Compared with dry birth on the operating table, water birth can be in warm water disinfected at 37 degrees, which is more relaxing, and there will be no major tearing or horrible episiotomy, which is good for the mother's psychology and physiology. As for the baby, the moment it is born, it suddenly goes from the familiar amniotic fluid to the air, which will cause temporary discomfort. After water birth, the baby can think that it is still in the amniotic fluid, which has a good adaptability. At the same time, it can wash some of the blood and dirt on the body when it is born. Even doctors say that children born in water are cleaner.

Can you live in water if you want?

First of all, the hospital must have this technology. Only seven or eight hospitals in Guangzhou are qualified, and there is only one in Shenyang, my hometown in Northeast China. Fortunately, the hospital I went to has water birth, and the price is a few hundred yuan more than the normal birth, which is completely affordable. At the same time, it also depends on the mother's physical health. Only when the condition meets the conditions for normal birth can she give birth in water, and the baby is in the head position at full term, is not overweight, and has not broken amniotic fluid. Well, I am lucky to have all of them, and I am just waiting to give birth.

What is it like to give birth in water?

This is my first child and I have no other experience. From the experience of water birth, it is indeed physically comfortable and mentally relaxed without so much fear. The birth is also fast, and it is done in fifteen minutes. On the 21st, the contractions lasted until 6 o'clock in the morning, and the cervix was four fingers dilated. The nurse took me directly to the delivery room to wait for delivery. I took off my clothes and lay naked on the bed waiting for delivery. I was surprised to find the water tank (birthing tank) next to me, and I was waiting for the legendary water birth. At this time, the doctor came and helped me check and found that I was already seven fingers away and was about to give birth! Just as they were preparing things for delivery, I was so sad that I suddenly thought of how to give birth without water in the tank. The nurse did not have any intention of using the birthing tank, and did not even move to get close! I suddenly remembered that I forgot to tell the doctor about the water birth when I was admitted to the hospital, and tremblingly told the doctor that I wanted to give birth in water! The doctor and the nurse were stunned and asked me, "Do you want to give birth in water? Why didn't you say it earlier? Now it's almost time to give birth, and the tank has no disinfectant water and is not heated. It takes more than ten minutes to even put the water in. It's too late to say it now. I'm so anxious that I'm about to cry. I blame myself for growing meat but not brains during pregnancy.

At this time, the nurse said that the water was hot. Fortunately, someone had given birth in water a few days ago, so it was enough to just disinfect and drain the water. I regained hope. As I watched the nurses busy like a spinning top, my contractions became more and more severe. I felt like I was dying lying on the bed. I knew I couldn’t scream when it hurt, but I couldn’t help but howl a few times. When the doctor heard my howling, he told me to hold back my deep breaths and exhale slowly. . . Lying on the delivery bed, I felt like I had lost all hope. I just wanted to know why giving birth was so painful!

Then I screamed to the doctor, "It's no use. I want an epidural! Hurry up and get an epidural." The doctor held me steady and said, "Don't you want a water birth? Why do you want an epidural?"

I opened my eyes and looked at the nurse who was still disinfecting the bathtub. Every second of pain was a huge torture and I really couldn't bear it any longer. But reason told me that I still had to weigh the pros and cons. I asked the doctor which one would not hurt. The doctor told me that both would hurt, but painless anesthesia would be better, but it would still hurt. I asked about the price again. The painless delivery would cost more than 2,000 yuan and it could not be reimbursed, and the normal delivery would cost 800 yuan more. The labor pains came again and I screamed again, "Who cares about the painless delivery? I'll pay for it myself!" The doctor saw that I was very determined and asked me to think it over before she called the anesthesiologist, but she couldn't guarantee when the anesthesiologist would arrive. I hesitated again and asked the doctor if there were any side effects of the painless delivery. I heard that I would have back pain after the injection. In fact, I just wanted to find a supporter, but the doctor was too responsible and told me that he couldn't guarantee whether there were individual differences!

Ah, I was going crazy. Painless surgery is expensive and not completely painless. It may also cause severe side effects such as back pain, and the anesthesiologist may not arrive until some time. The doctor urged me to think carefully and make a decision quickly! At that moment, I was lying naked on the delivery table, like a live fish, either braised or boiled! The labor pains attacked me again, and I curled up and said painless surgery, painless surgery! The doctor said okay, the anesthesiologist had been notified. But the doctor felt it was a pity. She said that in fact both would hurt. Knowing that I came here for water birth, she said that since I wanted to have a water birth, I should experience it. This is the feature of the 12th Hospital. This tank alone costs 500,000 yuan. The doctor asked me to believe in their team and gave me confidence in myself. The doctor's words touched me very much, and the 500,000 yuan tank also moved me. It's better to trust them once if I stretch my head and shrink my head. Thinking of this, I said to the doctor like chicken blood, I have made up my mind, I believe you, I want to have a water birth.

It was already seven o'clock. With the help of the doctor, I entered the water and was told to choose the most comfortable way to stay. I had originally imagined squatting or kneeling like the fierce foreign women in the hospital, but I gave up because it was too difficult to achieve. In the end, I sat and lay down as usual. Then the doctor asked my husband to change into isolation clothing and come in to accompany me. He took the shower and poured water on me. It was really relaxing and comfortable. In one word, it was great. It was much better than being on the delivery table. Even the pain was bearable. Especially when the contractions were severe, the water from the shower was comfortable wherever it fell, which made me suffer less during the birth. Just when I was about to give birth, my husband mentioned several times that he would leave if it was okay! Well, in order to spare him the psychological trauma, he was pardoned and left. Then four doctors and nurses helped deliver the baby. After about ten minutes, the baby was born. As soon as I finished pushing, I saw the doctor quickly pick the baby out of the water. The nurse covered the baby's nose and used a bottle to suck the amniotic fluid from his mouth and nose. Just when I was in a daze, there was a small body on my body. The baby lay on my chest facing me. It felt very strange at that moment. We had been together day and night for more than nine months but had never met each other. Suddenly I saw him and I was a little overwhelmed. The experience of giving birth to a six-pound boy in water for nearly twenty minutes is over. I hope these experiences can help those mothers who want to give birth in water.

Does water birth stimulate the baby's breathing?

The water in a water birthing pool is the same temperature as the amniotic fluid and does not stimulate breathing in a baby immersed in water. Many people believe that the temperature difference is another factor that can inhibit the breathing response of a baby in water. The temperature of the water is so close to the maternal temperature that it prevents the newborn from feeling any changes. This area has begun to be reconsidered as reports of births in the ocean have increased in both the present and past eras. The ocean temperature is certainly not as high as the maternal body temperature, but babies born in these environments have been reported to be fine. The lower water temperature does not stimulate breathing in babies immersed in water.

Will a water birth cause the baby to choke on water?

Before the umbilical cord is cut, the newborn relies on the blood flowing into the mother through the placenta and umbilical cord to provide oxygen and nutrients. He has been growing in the amniotic fluid in the mother's uterus. The baby is required to be completely immersed in the water when it goes from the amniotic fluid in the uterus to the water of delivery. Because the temperature difference before and after delivery is not much, it will not cause great stimulation to the baby's lung breathing, so the baby will not choke on water. In addition, the midwife will wash the baby in the water again after it comes out before taking it back out of the water. Generally speaking, this operation will not exceed 1 minute. When the baby is transferred to the water, he will be stimulated by cold air and strong light, and the umbilical cord must be cut before he can open his mouth to breathe with his lungs.

No. 5.com editor kindly reminds you: giving birth in water is easier than giving birth on a delivery bed. Although the pain of giving birth is unbearable, we can use various methods to alleviate the pain. Giving birth in water can relax you and is also relatively clean and hygienic. Mothers can try this method of giving birth~