Water Birth Positions

11 December 2017

There has been many studies and much research undertaken into the benefits of using water for labour and birth, similarly there has been articles written on the benefits of a water birth, using water in labour and how it can help women with pain relief.  More research is needed and being undertaken. One of the most significant papers was the 2007 NICE guidelines on intrapartum care which recommended that women should be offered the use of water in labour and since then National Health Service (UK) providers have been increasing their water birth provision and services in order to offer birth pools as part of their standard maternity care, specifically for pain relief in labour. 

This has seen a step change in the UK maternity care waterbirth provision and we have seen a large increase in birthing pool installations in UK hospitals and birth centers.

We know using water can help labouring mothers to adopt a more comfortable position, if the birth pool they are using has sufficient space and the water depth is deep enough to allow the mother freedom of movement.   Midwives observe that women move easily and spontaneously as they respond to their body’s signals because their buoyancy in water offers them the feeling of weightlessness.

The design of our birthing pools makes it possible for midwives to move easily around the rim of the birth pool on 3 sides and support mothers as they experiment with various labour positions.

The unique moulded control and monitoring device on our birth pool has benefits to both mother and midwife, mothers can move around the birthing pool and use the control point to hold during contractions, we have also noticed that depending on the position women can hold the device with two hands and rest their head on their hands (see image1)   This moulded handle also helps midwives by offering them a monitoring point it allow midwives easy access so that they can monitor the baby and check the heartbeat without the midwife having too reach too far which can cause strain on the back. The cut out section is the perfect shape for her arm to extend into the pool onto the mother’s abdomen. (see image2)

Some water birth positions women take when in our birthing pool:

• Squatting and holding onto the sides of the birth pool.
• Kneeling, leaning forward onto the side of the pool, placing their hands on the internal step or wrapping their arms around their birth partner’s neck. Note: placing a folded hospital towel in the base of the birthing pool can help to increase comfort and take some of the pressure off her knees.
• Floating on her back with hands over the deck or rim of the pool and her head resting on the side of the pool. Alternatively, you can place floats under her arms to help her to float more comfortably.
• Resting with her back against her birth partner’s front as they sit in the pool with her.

We understand that every mother is different and what may be the best position for one may not be the best for another. We believe that all mothers should have the freedom to choose the birth pool positions that feel the most comfortable and natural for them. The  FP3 birthing pools are designed with the least point-of-failure of any pool on the market, leading to maximum availability for your waterbirth service, and the safety of the mother and baby is always our top priority.

Choosing a birthing pool for your hospital or birth center is not just an investment in the comfort and well-being of your mothers, it is also an investment in giving women the freedom and choice of various water birth positions, not just a predetermined sitting position such as in an obstetric type path . With our birthing pools, mothers can experiment with different positions, find the one that feels the most natural and comfortable for them, and give birth in a warm, peaceful and empowering environment.

Not all pools sold as birthing pools have been designed from the ground up for labour and birth. For more information on our birthing pools, click here