If you are someone who likes to feel comfortable, having a water birth at home may be perfect for you. Water births provide the mother with pain relief, and a regulated water temperature that is close to the mother’s natural body temperature.
Thinking of the best way to be a mother is usually on every pregnant woman’s mind. Questions like: What baby essentials do I need to buy? what is the best crib? will float around the soon to be mother’s mind.
However, one of the most important questions to ask yourself is: Where do I want to deliver my baby?
First step: Find out if water birth is right for you
The first thing to do if you are interested in having a water birth is to contact a Midwife. Midwives are specially trained for holistic women’s care and will be able to walk you through the steps in having a water birth. Once you contact a few midwives, make appointments to meet them at their practices and find your best fit.
What is a Midwife?
A midwife is someone who has attended school and gotten a bachelors in science or nursing. They then practice as a registered nurse and experience the delivery process of hundreds of babies. Midwives pass several exams and are then able to fully practice. Many midwives have traveled to continue their practices with natural birthing.
What Midwife is Right For Your Water Birth?
Deciding on a midwife should feel like you are with family. Giving birth can be an extremely painful process for several women. Midwives are able to guide mothers throughout their water birth to provide pain relief, and guarantee that they have the best birthing experience possible.
Pick a midwife that you feel very comfortable with. It is important that you schedule time to meet with them, one-on-one, like an interview to find the best fit. Every Midwife practice is different and will have their standard birth plan. You may not always like what is on this plan which is why it is important to pick a Midwife that will adjust the plan for your needs.
Second Step: Your Push Plan
A midwife will strategically write down and design what you would like on your delivery day. Forming a push plan, is essentially whether you would like to give birth in the water or out. This push plan will include who remains in the water before and during the birth. The push plan includes if the placenta is getting delivered inside or out of the water, and who will cut the umbilical cord.
What Will Midwives Use on the Delivery Day
Birthing Tub
A birthing tub is essential to provide mothers with the utmost comfort. During the delivery process mothers can stay in the tub or get out to give birth to their child. The birthing tub is an inflatable, sturdy, and sanitary tub that resembles a kiddy pool.
A birthing Tub is filled with warm water, known to reduce perineum tearing in women. If you want to give birth out of the water, your midwife will not force you to go through with delivering the baby underwater.
Regulating the Water Temperature
The birthing tub is set up with sanitary tubes that fill it with warm water. The water temperature is supposed to mimic the mothers internal temperature. Making sure the water temperature is close to body temperature helps to prevent the baby from breathing in while underwater. When they come out to touch the cold air it signals for them to draw their first breath.
Post Birth: Can You Stay in the Birthing tub?
After delivering your baby, you need time to breathe and relax. If you would like to stay in the warm birthing tub while a midwife cuts the umbilical cord, checks your newborns vitals, and cleans them off, you can! This is one of the best parts of having a water birth. Enjoy the time post birth by letting your privates recover in the warm 97-100 degree water known to reduce overall birthing pains and stress.
The Final Step: Emerging from the Water Tub
When you decide to get out of the water at any step during your pregnancy, you come first. A midwife’s main goal is to make sure the mother is happy and comfortable during their delivery day. Whatever you discussed as a part of your push plan should now be in action.
If you emerge post delivery, a midwife can wrap you in a towel and help you can change into a robe or something comfortable. The midwife can examine your privates for tearing and provide follow the next steps in properly caring for the new mother.
Midwives in South Florida
If you are looking for a passionate and very experienced team of midwives in south florida, Midwife360 is ready to help. Midwife360 practices holistic gynecology, water birthing, family planning and more. They are run by Fadwah Halaby who has assisted in delivering over 1,600 babies and then started Midwife360 to intimately care for women during their home and water births. Check our more of Midwife360’s services and their very experienced midwives and doulas for your delivery day.
