Childbirth Methods: Is Water Birth Safe?
I'm researching childbirth methods and I'm wondering if water birth is safe. Could a baby drown?
Good for you for looking into various childbirth methods! It's good to be educated about childbirth methods before you make any decision about how you plan to give birth.
Rest assured that your baby is no more likely to drown in a water birth than in utero. Your baby lives in water and should clear its air passages and breathe when two things happen: When the cord is cut, the flow of oxygen from the placenta is stopped; and when the cold air hits, it triggers the first breath.
When the baby takes in its first lung full of air, usually within the first minute after being fully born, it causes a chain reaction that closes the different vessels in the heart and lungs and enables the baby to become a breather. In other words, as far as childbirth methods go, water births are safe.
Rest assured that your baby is no more likely to drown in a water birth than in utero. Your baby lives in water and should clear its air passages and breathe when two things happen: When the cord is cut, the flow of oxygen from the placenta is stopped; and when the cold air hits, it triggers the first breath.
When the baby takes in its first lung full of air, usually within the first minute after being fully born, it causes a chain reaction that closes the different vessels in the heart and lungs and enables the baby to become a breather. In other words, as far as childbirth methods go, water births are safe.
Answered by
Shari Daniels, L.M., C.P.M., M.S. Ed.
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