While a birthing pool during the early stages of labor may offer some advantages, women should not deliver their baby in the water. A woman in labor lies in a tub of warm water to help ease delivery.
"Immersion in water during the first stage of labor may offer some benefits: It may shorten labor and is associated with a decreased use of epidurals.
However, it is important to differentiate between laboring in water and delivering in water.
In fact delivering a baby in the water may lead to serious health problems. They include: increased risk of mother and infant infections; difficulty in the regulation of the baby's body temperature; increased chance of umbilical cord damage; respiratory distress resulting from the baby inhaling tub water; and potential for asphyxia (lack of oxygen) and seizures.
Hospitals and birthing centers that offer water immersion for women in the first stage of labor need to follow certain guidelines to protect the health and safety of the mother and baby, ACOG said. [Journal Obstetrics & Gynecology.]
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