Hi ladies,

I've been recently thinking more and more about the possibility of a waterbirth.

I'm booked into the Family Birth Centre at the Mercy in Melbourne, they have two large labour pools and while they encourage the use of the pools for labour, they do ask that a woman hops out of the pool to deliver.

However the MW added that if a woman is comfortable in the water and doesn't want/is unable to get out and oops here is baby, then so be it! She said it just means more paperwork for them - they don't mind, but the registrars can get a bit snotty apparently

I had a vaginal delivery with DD - tho it was vacuum assisted with an episiotomy. I was in a private hospital then, with an Obs. I used a TENS and the gas.

I'm really hoping this time to go as natural as possible, use the TENS at home for as long as possible, then try the labour pool once I get into the FBC.

What do people think about using labour pools? What about the possibility that it can slow down labour? What else should I consider?