Choosing a waterbirth

i am hoping to have a water birth to bring my beautyful baby girl into the world because from research and videos water birth looks much less painful and more relaxing, and if ur nervous which i am it helps calm ur nerves

yes i agree with you on that this is why im hoping to have a water birth, as im very nervous for this is my first baby boy

I am expecting my 4th child in February and plan on having a home waterbirth. My first and 3rd babies were both waterbirths, and both were a lot more relaxed and less painful than the 2nd. Good luck Sophie and Jenny x

i am due a week tomorrow and have wanted a water birth from the start, however my hospital recently told me that one of the birthing pools is cracked and cannot be used and wont be getting fixed as they dont have the funding for it. im now concerned that since there is only one pool left working in the hospital i might not get the water birth i wanted. its making me really nervous about giving birth on the bed as i really dont want to use any pain relief except gas and air and im worried that this wont be the case if i give birth on the bed, any advice about relaxing outwith the water would be fab!!!

Id like a water birth.. not only because i was a 'water baby' growing up on the seaside and always in the sea from the moment we arrived at the beach til home time :D but water is also so relaxing :) and unfortunately i have SPD (severe pain in pelvis/hips region) so the water will help relief pressure during birth.. I have done alot of research into water births and hear its a nicer experience for the baby to come out of the womb into water prior to the air.. so not a 'dry birth' for the baby... its nice to have a bit more time with the baby and rinse off any 'mess' whereas i kno on a bed its tempting for MW to swoop baby off u to clean and weigh etc lol.. only con i can imagine is if any complications arise and need to go onto bed youll be wet and freezing after a time.. so hopefully the birth partner has common sense to dry you off and re-dress you while you not in thinking mode :D bring on next month for the birth of my Son :D :D :D all the best for every1 xxx

Be realistic about your plans, if your local maternity unit is busy at the time you go into labour you may not get the water birth that you desire if the birthing pools are being used. I also have severe SPD like one of the fellow posters and I would advise caution in relation to a water birth. Depending on the severity of your SPD you have to think about how you will get in/out of the birthing pool without causing further damage. (If you're having trouble getting in and out of your bath then I would seriously advise you reconsider your options!) Which would delay your recovery and can impact on the first few months/weeks that you have with your baby. Get the midwife to measure how far apart you can open your legs without the pain, then hopefully you can avoid destabilising your pelvis further. I'm currently on crutches and having my 4th son and not really enjoying this pregnancy because of the damage sustained the last time. Best of luck to all who have posted

I'm crossing my fingers, toes, legs and arms that I can have a water birth. Or at least try the birthing pool and see how I go. I'm due to have our first baby in November so how the birth is going to go is anyone's guess! It's nice to have a vague plan but I'm trying to stay open minded about it all, I don't think it'll do me much good to set a plan in concrete because chanves are it won't go to plan and I don't need to feel disheartened as well as everything else that will be going on!!! Plus our maternity unit only has 2 birthing pool rooms, so aside from the chance that it won't be as effective a pain reliever for me, they might not even be available when our son decides it's time to say hello!

I was hoping for a water birth and planned my whole birth plan around a waterbirth but when it came to the big day I had slightly high blood pressure and they refused to let me have a waterbirth :( I was gutted as iv never had high BP in my life and Im only 21! They are very strict when it comes to waterbirths (or could just have been my hospital) Ladies just make sure you plan other options, they let you sit in the bath if the pools not available and I found that really eased the pain. Just remember to relax and I found standing up and squeezing my partner was great pain relief as I really couldn't get on with the gas and air! Giving birth is an amazing exiting experience! I kind of want to do it again! Crazy I know.

I am due 2weeks tomorrow with my first baby boy and I would like a water birth as I suffer from a bad back anyways and apparently it's meant to ease the pain also it's meant to help not tear which is the only thing I'm nervous about lol is stitches etc as I'm scared of hospitals and needles so fingers crossed I get a water birth good luck to all expectant mummies :)

I am due in 4 weeks and I'm really hoping for a water birth. I'm hoping being in my own 'safe' space that it will help with being relaxed. I also suffer from SPD and back ache, so I'm expecting to be sore and a bath usually helps the discomfort, so I'm hoping for the same in labour. Good luck to all the expectant mums though :)