Women have used water as a form of pain relief for hundreds of years. It also offers babies a gentle, warm welcome "earthside".

Major benefits include:

  • Water reduces the sensation of pressure during labor
  • Easy to maintain active birthing positions
  • Promotes relaxation
  • Aids in conserving energy
  • Can help to lower blood pressure
  • Warm water provides significant pain relief
  • Helps to reduce drug use, interventions, and cesarean sections
  • May speed up active labor
  • Less perineal trauma​ (tearing)
Water can be used along side many other forms of pain relief such as the TENS, as well. More information is available at the Waterbirth International website.

Wondering about the safety of having a water birth? Check out what Evidence Based Birth has to say on the safety of water births.
The Nutter et al. (2014a) review concluded that waterbirth is linked to reports of a better overall experience of childbirth compared with land birth. In one study, 72.3% of people who had waterbirths stated that they would certainly choose this method of giving birth again, while only 8.7% of those who had land births would choose that method of giving birth again (Torkamani et al. 2010).
~ Evidence Based Birth ~