What are there benefits to giving birth in water? Are there any risks? What about if you are considering a VBAC? Why has there been so much controversy around waterbirth, and what does the evidence say? Barbara Harper tells us more. Check it out.
To listen here, click the play button on the player above, or click the button below to listen in iTunes.
What we talked about:
- The many transitions of waterbirth since 1987
- Benefits of waterbirth, for both mom and babies
- Are there any risks?
- Why newborns don’t breathe in while underwater
- Does the water temperature matter?
- What should moms be aware of when having a waterbirth
- Not just for birth: the benefits of prenatal aqua-yoga
- Water as the best non-medicated comfort measure
- Waterbirths and VBACS
- How to get waterbirths into your hospital
Resources, links, and other great info:
- Waterbirth.org – Website for Waterbirth International
- Evidence on the Safety of Water Birth, from Evidence Based Birth
- Immersion in Water During Labor and Delivery – ACOG Committee Opinion
- Why Pediatricians Fear Waterbirth – Barbara Harper Reviews the Research on Waterbirth Safety, for ScienceandSensibility.com
- Birth, Bath, and Beyond: The Science and Safety of Water Immersion During Labor and Birth, by Barbara Harper for the Journal of Perinatal Education
- Fetus ejection reflex and the art of midwifery, by Michel Odent
- Incredible moment Lisa Marie Sanchez Oxenham Baby Birth (Video of waterbirth that went viral)
- Gentle Birth Choices, book by Barbara Harper
- Birth without Violence, book by Frédérick Leboyer M.D.
- Magical Child (Plume), book by Joseph Chilton Pearce
- OrgasmicBirth and Debra Pascali Bonaro
- BlissBorn.com – hypnosis for childbirth
Image courtesy of Barbara Harper
About Barbara Harper
Barbara Harper is an internationally recognized expert on waterbirth and Gentle Birth who has dedicated her life to changing the way we welcome babies into the world. Barbara founded Waterbirth International in 1988, to ensure that waterbirth is an “available option” for all women.
Over the past four decades, Barbara has worked in many areas of nursing (including OB and pediatrics), has been a home birth midwife, midwifery instructor, doula and doula trainer, and childbirth instructor. She has taught unique seminars within hospitals, midwifery, nursing and medical schools and community groups in over 60 countries. She provides certification training programs for hospitals, so they can integrate water immersion for labor and birth into their maternity units. She has permanent consulting contracts with large hospital corporations in China and India.
Barbara has authored many journal articles and the highly acclaimed book and DVD, Gentle Birth Choices. Her next book “Birth, Bath & Beyond: The Science, Safety and Spirit of Birth in Water”, will be published next year. She lives in Boca Raton, Florida, where she is active in her community as a volunteer, a midwifery and doula mentor, and teacher.
Connect with Barbara at waterbirth.org
Title music: “Vibe Ace” by Kevin MacLeod, from the Free Music Archive / CC BY (edited for length).
Sponsorship music: “Air Hockey Saloon” by Chris Zabriskie, from the Free Music Archive / CC BY (edited for length).
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