Obstetricians Unite Against Waterbirth

[BellyBelly]

Hope we don't follow suit here....

Obstetricians unite against water births
Sarah McInerney

THE expansion of water birth services in Irish hospitals has been strongly opposed by Ireland's leading obstetricians, who say it could result in the deaths of more babies.

Delivering a baby underwater is "neither natural nor safe", according to Dr Peter Boylan, author of The Irish Pregnancy Book and ex-master of the National Maternity Hospital. "It is a hazardous undertaking, similar to putting a baby in the front seat of a car and not putting a seat belt on them, " he told the Sunday Tribune. "I don't want to be alarmist, but if more people start having water births, I think it would lead to more incidences of death."

Boylan was speaking following an inquest last week into the death of a baby during an underwater delivery in a birthing pool. Pathologist Dr Peter Kelehan found that baby Harry Eccles had died of "an acute near drowning event" caused by the inhalation of fresh water.

Boylan said this eventuality was always a risk with underwater deliveries.
"If a baby is born on dry land, you can at least say with certainty that it won't drown, " he said. "Certainly hospitals shouldn't be advocating birth underwater. I would be completely against the expansion of water birth services."

Underwater delivery was also described as "simply not safe" by Prof John Morrison, consultant in obstetrics and gynaecology at University College Hospital Galway. "I would not advocate it under any circumstances and I would certainly be against plans to expand the services in hospitals around the country, " he said.

Dr Peter McKenna of the Rotunda Hospital also vehemently opposes underwater birth, saying there was "no logic" in this type of delivery. "It seems to be an indulgence on behalf of the woman and the carer, " he said.

However, there was support for water births from Dr Declan Keane, current master of the National Maternity Hospital, who has carried out water births in the UK. Keane hopes to install a birthing pool at Holles Street when space becomes available. But, he said, it would then be up for discussion whether actual underwater deliveries would take place.

"Babies can be born underwater, but they have to be taken out very quickly, " he said. "I don't know if we would do that in the hospital."

For self-employed Dublin midwife Philomena Canning, there's no question about the safety of birthing pools.

Canning has been delivering babies underwater for seven years, with the majority of her clients opting for this type of birth. "It gives women a choice, an alternative to subjecting themselves and their babies to drugs, "
she said. "The baby does not breathe until it comes out of the water.
Provided the baby is healthy, this is a perfectly safe option. There is no exception to that rule. A healthy baby will be perfectly safe during an underwater delivery."

Safety was never a worry for Trish Cronnelly from Wicklow, who chose to have her third child in a birthing pool. "I was thinking about using the pool, but I hadn't necessarily decided to give birth in the pool, " she said.

"I just completely trusted my midwife to do what was best for me and my baby. My midwife is a professional and an expert. She knows what she is doing. She wasn't going to put my baby in danger."

Cronnelly was fully dilated when she entered the pool. "It was a beautiful summer morning, and I had just got to that stage where I felt that I might not be able to keep going, " she said. "I got into the pool, and it was just pure bliss. A natural epidural, basically. The water was so soothing around me. It was honestly a wonderful experience. Afterwards, we got out and my midwife cleaned the pool and put in fresh water. Then I got back in with my new baby and my two older children, and we had our first bath together. It was peaceful and joyful. Hundreds of women have birth this way in Ireland.
To make a blanket statement that 'it's not safe' . . .that's just people who don't know better."

[Trillian]

I hate to make a pun about it, but that truly is 'irish' isn't it?

[lisa-jay]

Ah, Kelly , a few hospitals there have banned doulas too, seems like they are threatened to me!

[BellyBelly]

Yes I posted that article here too - what's going on over there?!

[lisa-jay]

Complete ignorence I guess..."Delivering a baby underwater is "neither natural nor safe" thats the bit that highly amuses me, I mean the guy has obviously never walked round his own hospital and seen women on their backs, hooked up to moniters, ARM, etc etc etc ,
I'm off to a hospital today to talk about waterbirth at a midwifery educational day, will be interesting to see if it comes up??
Fingers and toes crossed, that if it does, it is treated with the contempt that it deserves.

[christy]

URgh I am truely disgusted at that and SOOO glad I don't live in Ireland.

[Trish]

Suprise, suprise. What more can I say. Lisa-Jay, you hit it on the head. Birthing flat on your back, attached to monitors and full of drugs is hardly natural either.

Babies are born with what is called a dive reflex, basically their throat is closed off until they actually hit the surface of the air. Otherwise they would be aspiring amniotic fluids too. On a rare occassion if bub has had a hard time, or if the water's temp isn't warm enough it will startle bub, this can cause them to gasp, therefore taking in water. Of course if the mum is having that hard a time she should be removed from the water in any case.

[castle]

I think this is typical of Irish obstetrics...the home of "active management" of labour.

Mum is Irish & in a conversation with a cousin, talking about (unplanned) home births, she said, "But what I don't understand about home births is how the placenta comes out." I said, "What do you mean?" She said, "Well, they give you that injection in your leg as the baby's born to make the placenta deliver, so what would happen if the baby was born at home?" She did not realize that the placenta can actually deliver on its own....

[azima]

There's a good book about the history of maternity services in Ireland, and homebirth in particular... if only I could remember what it's called. Birth Tides, I think.

[bon]

I love it how the OB says he doesn't want to be alarmist, then follows it up with the comment that if there were more waterbirths there will be more deaths. "If you have a waterbirth your baby might die!" What could be more alarmist than that? Talk about scare tactics. How could anyone make an informed decision when they are presented with that? I bet he doesn't tell his patients there is chance their baby might die as a result of all the interventions he performs.

[Inanna]

This fella should take a visit to Selangor Private Hospital in Nambour where in excess of 50% of their births occur in water...

[Edensmumma]

i'm surprised they let Irish women give birth at all, it being such a dangerous "procedure" and all...

[Julie Doula]

This makes me very sad. Ireland is a land of mothers and used to be a land of homebirths. Such incredible misogyny abroad in that beautiful country - and how ironic that the "Active Management of Labour" would be developed in a country with such an amazing birthing heritage.

The beautiful Irish midwife who attended me has disappeared. Even in 1998 when I had my first baby in Ireland, homebirth midwives were being witch-hunted.

Isn't it amazing, that three things known to greatly increase comfort and confidence for women giving birth, are held in such suspicion and disregard by those who promote a highly obstetric approach??? - Homebirth, waterbirth, doulas ....

It's extremely important to thoroughly discredit all three and make sure that women are too spooked and scared to take the supposed 'risks' - because otherwise, women's own common sense and positive word-of-mouth reports are likely to see these options become hugely popular.

Goodness. We can't have that.