Childbirth need not be associated with indescribable pain. Already popular in the West, water birth in India is emerging as a promising alternative to painful traditional delivery methods. Water is soothing, relaxing, relatively painless, needs minimal medical intervention, and is an ideal medium to bring a child into the world.
I doubt any pregnant woman will deny the fact that they all get paranoid with fear about giving birth. As D-day approaches, it gets worse. Expectant mothers need to be reassured that nature has given them whatever they need to give birth. In an operation theatre, the very atmosphere is enough for shock and panic to set in.
Waterbirth reduces this drastically by minimizing the doctor’s role and empowering the mother to take charge of the situation. There is no induction, no pain medication of any kind, no IV lines, and no episiotomies. The doctor is by your side of course through the entire process. Just remember nothing comes easy and one has to prepare for it in advance.
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Let me take you through this procedure. First, you gotta have a pool so plastic or in most facilities the delivery room is equipped with a built-in tub that generally has a capacity of about 600 litres or more of water. It is big enough to accommodate the mother comfortably. The water is hygienic and sometimes even filled with packaged drinking water. The water is deep enough so the question of the newborn drowning does not arise.
Can you recall how you feel when you get into a pool? Close your eyes and imagine it. Did you feel instant weightlessness? UMMMMMM imagine having to deliver a baby in that condition. Feels nice already??? Exactly. See the warm water raises the temperature of the body and helps increase blood circulation. It also eases muscular tension. Any midwife will tell you the more relaxed you are the better your uterus contracts. A rested and calm mind stimulates the release of endorphins, natural painkillers in the body thus making contractions more efficient and leading to relatively short labour….
As for the baby you see is already in the water in the womb correct? So it is basically moving from the amniotic fluid to another fluid which is water. The child will not choke as it is not breathing in water. The umbilical cord is not cut immediately and the baby receives oxygen from the mother’s body. The entire delivery is much more relaxing for both the mother and child and the entire process is comparatively shorter than normal.
There are always some exceptions. Not all women who opt for water birth go through it successfully. There is no guarantee and the best of normal birth and the most healthy of women and the best of pregnancies can end up as C-sections. You can step in a pool and then step out and deliver.
Do speak to your doctor about the possibilities of Waterbirth…It may be just the thing for you!
Do you know anyone who chose the water birth delivery option?
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