Is waterbirth safe?
The safety of water birth needs to be judged in looking back at the number of cases that have been reported world wide and the number of problems that have occurred as a result of birth in water. To date, over 100,000 documented cases of water births gives us a good look at the statistics. The opinion of practitioners is that water birth poses no threat to mother or baby if all the normal parameters are met during labor and birth. If complications arise they are evaluated and sometimes the mother is asked to leave the water before the birth takes place. Everyone’s goal is to keep mother and baby safe and to facilitate a satisfying birth experience. The British government stated in a published health report that any woman who wants a waterbirth should be able to have one and that it is up to the practitioner to become familiar with the technique if they are not already educated.
