You’re a candidate for a water birth and have your heart set on it. What’s next and what can you expect?
Water birth advocates will tell you that the practice holds substantial benefits for both parents and baby. So what’s involved? With a water birth, you bring your child into the world in a birthing pool. Many parents swear by this as a bonding process, because your birth partner can help during the birth. Water birthing is not, despite what you may think, a new age trend, with the first documented water birth having taken place in France during the early 1800s.
WHAT ARE THE BENEFITS OF A WATER BIRTH?
Any manner of birthing can be a wonderful experience, however water births are known as being a calmer, less clinical way of giving birth. Durban-based doula and mom of four children Michelle McClelland says, “If you want an all-natural and calm birth experience, then a water birth is definitely for you. It provides mothers with great pain relief and buoyancy, as the water helps to hold your big belly and not put so much pressure on your nether regions and back. It’s also great if your partner wants to get into the water with you to help you through contractions and help to birth the baby.”
HEED THE RULES
This story is from the February/March 2017 edition of Your Pregnancy.
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This story is from the February/March 2017 edition of Your Pregnancy.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber? Sign In
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