Water Birth (GBMC)

kanique

Hello Everyone,

Any information you provide would be helpful.

This is my first pregnancy and I am looking for the best way possible to bring my child into the world. I have heard varying things about doing a water birth and i have heard both the good and the bad. I am still interested in it but i'm afraid my hospital does not cater for that, or at least i am not sure. I am currently seeing a doctor at GBMC, and after speaking with her, she does not do water births and had a very negative approach to it. So I am wondering if it is just her who may not do water births, or if the hospital itself does not do so. I would really like to do a water birth, but preferably in a hospital setting since if something was to go wrong I would already be at a hospital.

Also, does anyone know of any birthing centers in the Baltimore area. I have heard of the one in Arnold and Annapolis, but that's quite a trip from where I am.

Also, just how disgusting is a water birth? I think i may be able to stomach it, but i just want to hear the plain ol dirty truth so I am prepared to weigh a land birth vs a water birth. 

Any information you can provide would be helpful. Thanks, 

lstaylor73

My SIL is going to try to do a "water birth" at Mercy Hospital.  They don't let you actually deliver in the water because of the risk of infection, but you can labor in the water.  That is provided that the rooms they have set up for this are available.  If they aren't (and you can't reserve them obviously) then you go like everyone else.

Also, I personally wouldn't want to deliver in the water because you also poop during delivery among the other yucky stuff.  Just a thought....

hdommy

As far as I know (I delivered at GMBC) they will not do waterbirths, but they do have showers in the birthing suites for you to use. ?I think Mercy hospital might be the only one around that allows water births.

anonsouthernbell

As far as I know the only hospital to do a water birth is Mercy (if the tubs are available).  They will let you deliver in the tub (at least they let my friend).  My husband and I are planning a water birth at Special Beginnings sometime within the next 3-6 weeks so if you want to pm me later I will be more than happy to share all the details with you.

I understand your desire to want to be in a hospital, I was the same way at first.  I did find comfort though in knowing that a) they will only let you give birth at the birth center if you are low-risk and b) there is a fire station two doors down from the birth center and so they can get you to the hospital in less than 10 minutes.  (Even if you were at the hospital and something went wrong it would take them that long to prep a room for you).  Lastly, from what I have heard about water births if you for instance happened to have a b.m. your birth attendants just "fish" it out of the water using a scoop.  Also, you are less likely to tear in water birth, which is what causes the bleeding that you see during birthing shows.  And having a water birth also greatly eases the pain of contractions and allows you to relax more.  My husband, who definitely gets easily grossed out, is planning on being in the birthing pool with me when we deliver.  Finally, there is not an added risk of infection from having a water birth.

 I recommend you do a search on youtube for water births.   

https://www.trustingourbodies.com/videos.html

The above link is to my Bradley instructor's website.  She has two birth videos on there that you might want to check out.

 GL to you and whatever you decide!

 

anonsouthernbell

I thought that you might find this interesting as well.

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16147851

lstaylor73

anonsouthernbell:

As far as I know the only hospital to do a water birth is Mercy (if the tubs are available).  They will let you deliver in the tub (at least they let my friend).  My husband and I are planning a water birth at Special Beginnings sometime within the next 3-6 weeks so if you want to pm me later I will be more than happy to share all the details with you.

I understand your desire to want to be in a hospital, I was the same way at first.  I did find comfort though in knowing that a) they will only let you give birth at the birth center if you are low-risk and b) there is a fire station two doors down from the birth center and so they can get you to the hospital in less than 10 minutes.  (Even if you were at the hospital and something went wrong it would take them that long to prep a room for you).  Lastly, from what I have heard about water births if you for instance happened to have a b.m. your birth attendants just "fish" it out of the water using a scoop.  Also, you are less likely to tear in water birth, which is what causes the bleeding that you see during birthing shows.  And having a water birth also greatly eases the pain of contractions and allows you to relax more.  My husband, who definitely gets easily grossed out, is planning on being in the birthing pool with me when we deliver.  Finally, there is not an added risk of infection from having a water birth.

 I recommend you do a search on youtube for water births.   

https://www.trustingourbodies.com/videos.html

The above link is to my Bradley instructor's website.  She has two birth videos on there that you might want to check out.

 GL to you and whatever you decide!

 

 

FWIW, Just want to add that Mercy Hospital was who told my SIL they wouldn't let her birth in the water because of risk of infection.  She specifically asked about this. 

kanique

Thank you everyone for your responses! For some reason I thought I would get notifications when someone responded here, but I didn't so I figured my post was lost to the world. Thanks again everyone and I appreciate all that you have said. I have finally decided to stick with GBMC and for my next delivery I will probably go with the waterbirthing option since hopefully my situation will change. We will see!