Waterbirth: at Home or in Hospital

It is your choice of whether to have your waterbirth at home or in hospital. Sometimes however, you might run into some difficulties from your chosen maternity unit. These obstacles should not put you off from seeking the birthing experience that you want.

Waterbirth and Your Maternity Unit
Waterbirth at Home
The Good Birth Company and Waterbirth

Whether to have your waterbirth at home or in hospital is a question of what feels right for you. Despite a growing body of research suggesting home birthing and water birthing are safe and beneficial to both you and your baby, you might still encounter resistance from the medical profession. As long as you do not have a condition that would be considered an obstacle to having a waterbirth, stand fast and, if necessary, seek a second opinion. Birth Choice UK provides an interesting summary of available research on Place of Birth.

Waterbirth and Your Maternity Unit

• Ask if you can bring your own pool. The Good Birth Company's birth pool in a box is particularly well suited portability. If the hospital says no, ask why and try to come to an arrangement where hospital staff feels comfortable with you bringing in your own pool as a back up to their plumbed-in pool. They might, for example, be concerned with who will empty the pool. You might need to assure them that your partner or a friend will do this.
• Ask why the hospital does not have a provision of extra portable pools available to women who want them if the main pool is taken. Provision for this SHOULD be available to ALL low-risk women who want to use water for labour and birth. You could either ask the hospital to get in touch with us or ask us to get in touch with them. Every hospital in the UK (excluding Northern Ireland) has been offered a sample birth pool in a box to explore its use as a permanent back-up pool. Some units have begun to offer it while others have not.

There isn't a midwife on hand who has been trained to help you labour and give birth in the pool.
Again, this is not your problem. A recent circular by the Nursing & Midwifery Council states clearly that it is a midwife's duty of care to "take steps to update her own knowledge and skills to gain such experience so she can support" you. It is also the maternity unit's responsibility to send midwives on training courses to keep their skills up to date. If you are planning a hospital waterbirth, our advice is to visit your maternity unit early in the pregnancy and state clearly and decisively your expectations. Do not take NO for an answer. If you are encountering any difficulties, refer to The Association for the Improvement of Maternity Services website for more information about how to respond when encountering resistance to your choice of birth.

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Waterbirth at Home

Aside from solving many of the potential issues with a hospital waterbirth we outlined above, choosing to give birth in water at home will allow you to combine the benefits of water with those of giving birth in familiar surroundings. You might, once again, meet resistance from the medical profession. However, a number of studies have shown that in risk-free pregnancies, giving birth at home is actually safer than in hospital (refer to Marjorie Tew's 1998 book Safer Childbirth? A Critical History of Maternity Care for an early study). The AIMS website also provides a wealth of information to help you get the necessary support from your local NHS Trust for your birthing choice.

The Good Birth Company & Waterbirth

Whether at home or in hospital, our goal is to help you achieve the birth you desire using water. Our birthing pool hire service has been designed to help you plan your home waterbirth while our birth pool in a box product range can benefit you either at home or in hospital. For more information about how our products and services can help, contact one of our Customer Care Representatives on 0800 035 0514.