Mary the Midwife Welcomes Waterbirth
Mary
provides all of
her clients with
a wonderful
brand new water
birth pool
called the
AquaBorn and it
is included in
your midwifery
package/fee. To
learn more about
the AquaBorn
Birthing Pool
click
here
(coming soon!).
Benefits of Water Immersion:
Buoyancy, Hydrostatic Pressure, Heat and Decreased Blood Pressure.
A body immersed in water loses weight equal to the weight of the water that is displaced. When the body is immersed to the chest level, about 75% of the body weight is displaced.
Water immersion relieves the woman of supporting her full weight, facilitates her movements and allows her to relax more deeply. It can create more space in the pelvis because the mother’s ability to move is enhanced and muscles tend to work more efficiently under water.
Buoyancy assists in the spontaneous rotation of the baby and equalizing of pressure usually means that perineal tearing is reduced. Pressure on the cervix form the baby’s head is decreased because gravity is not operative. Relaxation minimizes pain and decreases anxiety as adrenalin levels fall and oxytocin levels rise.
After 20 to 30
minutes of water
immersion, there
is an increase
in endorphins
that results in
a drop in mean
arterial
pressure and a
subsequent
decrease in
blood pressure.
Whirlpool jets
stimulate the
nipples.
When the body is immersed in water, the pressure is the same in all directions and equally distributed at any given depth beneath the surface of the liquid. This phenomenon is known as “hydrostatic pressure” which is proportioned to the depth of the water.
It is partly responsible for the noted reduction in pain that most women experience upon entering the water. Submersion also includes a redistribution of body fluid; (Enning 2003) estimates that edema is reduced by 600 to 1000 ml.
For more information on waterbirth please visit the following websites:
