Water Birth

ajmcarroll

Anyone planning on having a water birth?  I didn't get the chance with DD since I had a velamentous cord insertion (long story short, her umbilical cord wasn't intact in one thick cord but in veins) that worried my OB enough to have me induced with the fear of emergency c-section.  Since I was induced and given pitocin I feel like my labor was very forced and my contractions came on FAST.  I got the epidural.
This time I would like to try a water birth at our local hospital with the midwives.  I'm hoping to go sans epidural this time just to see if I can.  Anyone else?

moonlady-2

Me!  I'm not sure if I'll actually give birth in the water, but I will at least labor in water and see how it goes.

susykat77

I love the water so I imagine that I will labor in the water. I am not adamant about giving birth in the water - I want to keep it open so I can do what feels right in the moment. But I REALLY love the idea of giving birth in the water.

edited because it was confusing. 

Vivi20

I labored for a while in the jacuzzi tub at the hospital, and it was really nice. It gave me much more relief and comfort than the bed. Then I got an epidural.

ajmcarroll

@jlea05
That's my plan.  Try to get relief in the tub and then switch to the bed if I have to.  I had an IV, Fetal Doppler, Heart rate monitor, and DD had a fetal electrode.  I was hooked up to so many machines that I basically felt confined to the bed.

sweetyjenj

Most of the locations where I am actually put a ban on water births, including at the hospital I'll be giving birth at. I'm not quite sure why yet, but seems serious. All the rooms at my hospital have tubs, though, and they're happy to have mothers labor in the tubs, they just can't give birth in them.

ThePax89

I'd love to. I heard that the hospital I'm delivering is no longer allowing midwife assisted water births at this time laboring in the tub is still permitted. Hoping that changes by January. (I'm not sure if any OBs are permitted to deliver in the water either). 

TinaBelcher

I hope I'm able to labor in the tub before I switch to the bed

ChaoticWolf

Im going with a birth center and I'll be using the tub for at least part of the labor. Im a ftm so I don't know if I'll want to actually give birth in it or not. I'll just do whatever helps and feels natural, and we'll see.

LCartee2016

I know the place I'll be at offers tubs for labor and, I believe, birth. I've been considering at least laboring in the tub, but I'm still researching. I'm not really sure and honestly everything makes me really nervous these days. 

Knottie1443924966

Great Post!!

This is definitely something I would love to do but they don't offer it at my Kaiser location.

I would like to labour at home in the tub as long as possible then head to the hospital 

Salilast326

Like many others the hospital I go to doesn't allow you to actually give birth in the water, just labor there. I did spend some time in the tub with my first, it was very relaxing. My mom was with me, pouring cups of water on my stomach. When contractions started getting more intense I needed to get out.

kashock-2

I want to be able to at least labor in the water, if not birth there. I'm not a candidate for our midwives birth center since this will (hopefully) be a VBAC. I'll have to deliver at the hospital but will still be with my midwives. I haven't had my first appointment yet (June 13th) but I'm looking forward to knowing more about all my options. 

ajmcarroll

I feel very fortunate since our hospital has water birth tubs as well as ob/gyns and midwives working side by side in the same facilities. 

mommywesley

I've always wanted to have a water birth, but our hospital doesn't allow them, also they don't allow VBAC mom's to labor in the tub at all. Such a bummer, may talk to my OB about it, maybe the policy has changed in the last 2years lol

Alonmimi

The hospital I am having my DD#2 at actually does water birth. My Ob doesn't do it, so I am hoping the day I am in labor and go to the hospital the midwives are there to give me my water birth. My Ob office only allows us to labor in the tub.

Vivi20

I wonder why hospitals typically don't allow water births?
I labored in the water at the hospital as long as I could. It felt so good. But I got frustrated because the nurse kept telling my husband that he had to get me out of there because she needed to monitor the baby. I didn't want to get out of the tub, but they made me

Dinozaur

@jlea05 That is so incredibly frustrating, it's one of the main things I'm concerned about with a hospital birth. I realize why they're doing it, but I feel like they can go overboard with the monitoring sometimes. I'm not sure yet how my hospital does things, but I do not want to be tied down to a bed with a bunch of monitoring crap all over me and not allowed to labor in a more comfortable way.

LCartee2016

The hospital I'll be in has birthing suites with tubs so you have the option of laboring in the water (which I'll probably do as long as I can) but I don't think they allow water births either. 

Vivi20

@Dinozaur yes, it was incredibly frustrating. I'm not sure if they would've let me back in the tub after monitoring for a while, because once I was out of the tub and on the bed with the monitors the pain began to intensify and I asked for an epidural. I'm not a big water person - I don't take baths or particularly enjoy swimming - but being in that big tub with the water jets helps immensely! 

clichedemorgy

I really want to have a water birth, but I don't think my hospital offers it. At least I'd like to labor in the tub at the very least. 

stumptownmama

I plan to labor in the tub. I did last time too but I was 10 cm when I arrived at the hospital and it was too late. I actually don't even know if the hospital I'm delivering at this time allows water births. I would love to do it if possible. 

ajmcarroll

*Update* My OB that delivered DD was very supportive of my plans for a water birth and referred me to a midwives that works along side him.  I will see him for important appointments but check in with the midwife for the remainder of my pregnancy! 
Also my hospital gives expectant parent tours so I'll be visiting closer to see the tub suites. 

Carly79

I labored in the tub for a little bit with my first. It helped me relax. It was very important to me to be mobile (if possible) during labor to labor in different positions, in the tub, or on a ball. Our hospital/doctor on call was very supportive of this and they actually had wireless monitors that I could wear in the tub. It was awesome. I was able to be hooked up to a fetal monitor so that we could make sure baby was ok but I had full mobility. I also did not have an epidural and really didn't want to be hooked up to an IV so there again we compromised, I had the hep lock put in but it was never hooked up to anything. That way if I needed to be hooked up quick they didn't have to try to get an IV started. We had a birth plan typed out with what our wishes were and I found that helped a lot. My experience says, be knowledgeable about your wishes, be flexible, and ask questions. The more involved you are, the less the doctors and nurses will dictate to you and tell you what you have to do. If you act like you don't know what you want or speak up, they will pretty much tell you the way it's going to be and it's going to be best case scenario for them.

ThePax89

Our hospital is starting water births again in August! I'm so excited to have that opportunity. 

therealfrizzle

@jlea05 I took a tour of the hospital my new midwife uses and they have laboring tubs as well but you cannot give birth in them. The reason is, and this may just be a FL thing, they need to be able to have access on three sides in order to do a water birth but these tubs only have access on one side. It may be the same in your hospital as well.

ajmcarroll

@PMForbie
Interesting.  I spoke with my midwife today who said I can give birth in the tub.  The tub is a large inflatable tub that is brought into the room.  Is your tubs stationary?