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A team of researchers from Oxford Brookes University in England has just studied water birth through a meta-analysis of 36 studies. For them: “giving birth in water has obvious advantages for women and newborns”.
When a woman chooses to give birth in water, she will be immersed in a tub to help with her relaxation and pain relief during labor. The child may be born in the water or the woman may come out of the tub for the final stages of delivery, just before the baby is expelled. In any case, the researchers find “obvious advantages” to this type of delivery for mothers and future babies, with fewer complications later.
To reach these conclusions, the English researchers therefore took up 36 studies bringing together data from 150,000 women to compare the types of childbirth, in a bathtub/birthing pool and in the traditional way.
And like other studies on the subject, carried out before, the conclusions are that “lWater immersion provides benefits for both mother and newborn when used in the obstetrical setting, making water immersion a low-tech intervention to improve quality and satisfaction of care “ write the authors in the journal BMJ Open.
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Less pain and taking opioids
Furthermore, compared to standard deliveries, a water delivery has been found to significantly reduce the use of epidurals and injected opioids. Similarly, postpartum pain and bleeding are reduced.
“According to several studies already carried out on the question, this work confirms what we knew. A water birth can delay the installation of an epidural or even avoid it, if the woman does not wish it” explains Géraldine Dahan Tarrasona, midwife and member of Doctissimo’s committee of experts.
More risk of umbilical cord tears
Scientists, however, have noted more cases of umbilical cord rupture, which they attribute to the fact that newborn babies are sometimes dragged out of the water and instruct doctors not to do so. In the same way, the authors remain cautious and recall that most of the studies analyzed were “conducted in obstetrical units“and that, in fact, “further research is needed to analyze the effects of water birth in a midwife-led unit or at home“.
Not recommended anywhere in the world
If in the United Kingdom, this type of childbirth is on the increase (+10% of women who choose it), in the United States, it is not a recommended practice. What about France? According to Géraldine Dahan Tarrasona, this can be offered to women who so wish, insofar as a low medical risk pregnancy is concerned. “However, the main obstacle is that not all maternities are equipped with bathtubs to do so” concludes our expert.