Research shows that giving birth in a water bath does not increase the risk of complications for the baby or the mother.
Researchers from Cardiff University reviewed 73,229 records of low-risk pregnancies where a water bath was used during delivery across 26 NHS organizations in England and Wales between 2015 and 2022.
The analysis looked at the number of severe tears in the women who had given birth, in addition to the number of babies who needed antibiotics or help breathing in the neonatal unit and the number of babies who had died during birth.
The risks to the babies and their mothers were not higher in water births compared to non-water births, the researchers concluded.
Water births make it right about 9% of the nearly 600,000 births on the NHS each year. According to clinical guidelines, all expectant mothers should be offered water birth as an option for childbirth.
Julia Sanders, professor of clinical obstetrics at Cardiff University who led the research, said the research showed that water births are a safe alternative to out-of-water births. “In Britain, around 60,000 women use a birthing pool or bath each year for pain relief during labour, but some midwives and doctors were concerned that water birth could pose additional risks,” she said.
“There have been reports that babies could become seriously ill or even die after a water birth, and that mothers were more likely to experience severe tearing or heavy blood loss. We wanted to determine whether water births with NHS midwives are as safe as water birth for women and their babies at low risk of complications.”
Peter Brocklehurst, Emeritus Professor of Women’s Health at the Birmingham Clinical Trials Unit, said: “Given that 10% of women use water immersion for pain relief during childbirth, the results of this study will have implications for thousands of women every year in the world. Britain and many more around the world, where water immersion during childbirth is common.”
Prof. Chris Gale, a consultant neonatologist at Chelsea and Westminster NHS Foundation Trust in London, said: “Many paediatricians and neonatologists are concerned that water births may pose additional risks to babies, but the study found compelling evidence that this is the case for women with an uncomplicated pregnancy is not the case.”