What is water birth? What are the precautions for water birth?

Water birth means giving birth in water. The baby is born in the water. Water birth has many benefits and can also reduce pain. It is now gradually being promoted in China.

Water birth actually means giving birth in water. The definition is: the newborn is completely immersed in water when it is delivered. During the whole process, the newborn's head must be completely immersed in water until the whole body is delivered underwater, and then the newborn is immediately taken out of the water. Water birth can bring certain benefits, and it has its own reasonable principles: the mother gives birth naturally in a birthing pool with water temperature, biological indicators, etc. similar to the amniotic fluid environment in the mother's uterus, so that the fetus will adapt to such an environment after leaving the mother's body, and the mother will also reduce a lot of labor pain because of the buoyancy of water. The newborn is provided with breathing nutrients through the placenta and umbilical cord in the mother's amniotic fluid. At the moment of water birth, the environment in the birthing pool is similar to the amniotic fluid environment, and the newborn's lung lobes are still not open, so there is no need to worry about the baby choking on water.

The advantage of water birth in alleviating labor pains will win the favor of many mothers, but not every mother can choose water birth at will. Paying more attention to the precautions for water birth, including age, fetal size, etc., will help you consider more aspects when making the choice.

1. The best age for water birth is 20-30 years old. Women who are too young or do not know about water birth before giving birth may not be mentally prepared, so water birth is not recommended. Women over 30 years old can be considered elderly mothers, and due to physiological reasons, cesarean section is appropriate.

2. Women with diseases or a history of miscarriage are not recommended to give birth in water, but can choose a safer method of delivery, because diseases often cause syndromes and can easily cause unnecessary damage during childbirth.

3. Pregnant women carrying giant babies (over 15 pounds), twins or multiple babies are not suitable for water birth.

4. Pregnant women who are in premature labor or whose amniotic fluid has been broken for more than 24 hours should receive emergency treatment and are not suitable for water birth.

Water birth is a popular way of childbirth in Western countries. In their view, it is a way that is beneficial to both mother and baby and is worth promoting and recognizing. However, it is still a relatively new practice in China. The benefits of water birth are as follows:

1. Minimize the pain of laboring women.

2. Water birth can shorten the delivery process.

3. Water birth can lower maternal blood pressure.

4. Birth in water allows mothers to feel the childbirth better.

5. The fluidity of the water allows mothers to choose the most comfortable position for delivery.

6. Water birth makes it easier for nervous mothers to relax.

7. Provide the mother with an active support and protection space to save her physical energy.

8. It can reduce the use of drugs and other interventional treatments.

9. Water birth can reduce vulvar trauma and avoid episiotomy.

10. Water birth can reduce the incidence of caesarean section.

The buoyancy of the water can help the mother find the most suitable and comfortable position for delivery. If she wants to change the position, she does not need help from others. On the other hand, she can also use the buoyancy to easily change the position according to the needs or the doctor's instructions. The soy milk can help the mother open her pelvis and deliver smoothly.

Although water birth has the advantages of reducing labor pain and shortening labor time, it can also cause some adverse conditions, such as infection. The details are as follows:

1. Easy to be infected

The biggest disadvantage of water birth is that it is easy to get infected. During childbirth, the mother's body will discharge a lot of secretions that pollute the water quality, or the use of poor quality water can easily bring the mother and the newborn to the risk of infection. If the amniotic membrane breaks or the water in the bath is contaminated, it should be replaced with clean water immediately.

2. Expensive

Water birth requires the use of baths, disinfection facilities, sterile systems, high-quality water, temperature management systems, etc., so the cost of water birth is relatively expensive.

3. It is difficult to monitor the fetal heartbeat

During water birth, it is difficult to install instruments to measure the fetal heartbeat and the degree of uterine contraction of the pregnant woman, making it difficult to continuously monitor the condition of the pregnant woman or fetus, making it difficult to monitor and diagnose when danger occurs.