Water as pain relief has been well known for centuries - it's called hydrotherapy and is used for rheumatic pain, for example, as well as muscular aches and strains. Many women find a bath enormously relaxing and when you're in labour it's no different, except that complete immersion in the water, so that you float freely, is most important.
Whilst water cannot provide complete pain relief, it can certainly make things more comfortable, as it acts as a support and helps in the production of endorphins. Water will make you feel more mobile and lighter, as well as soothing you mentally. Most women who choose to labour in water do so in specially designed pools. In hospital, these are usually plumbed in, but you can hire pools for use at home.
Points to remember
Many midwives would advise that you get into the pool when you are in established labour, that is to say, when your cervix is 4-5 cm dilated. Sometimes however, if labour is taking a long time to establish, you may find it helpful to rest and relax in the water.
As a rule, you will have more privacy if you are using a birth pool, as the pool rooms (or bathrooms) tend to be more isolated than ordinary rooms in labour wards. You should always have someone with you, however.
You are much more likely to be able to do your own thing, with a supportive midwife in a low-tech environment, for example at home, or in a small unit.
You may have to pay to hire a pool.
You may have difficulty finding a midwife and/or hospital in your area who has waterbirth experience. If the local health board is unable to help, you may have to consider alternatives, such as - go to a different hospital , have a home birth, book an independent midwife - before you settle down to enjoy the rest of your pregnancy.
The water has to be maintained at a temperature between 36.5-38oC. Not too hot so that you become exhausted and enervated and not too cold which stimulates the baby to breathe. With a portable pool, this may mean your partner trotting back and forth with buckets to keep the temperature right!
You can use some other forms of pain relief with water, such as traditional acupuncture, reflexology, massage, or Entonox for example, but not Pethidine (you may fall asleep and slip under the water) or an epidural (you need drips and monitors).
Some hospitals rule against using a birth pool if your pregnancy or labour is abnormal, e.g. pre-eclampsia, multiple pregnancy, or if your baby needs electronic heart monitoring. This doesn't say much for choice, so if you are planning to use a pool, discuss in advance about what may happen if you have problems in labour.
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