Using a birthing pool can be the key  to a straighforward birth and many women report that they find it a wonderful relief when they enter a birth pool during labour.  The warm sensations on the skin can be very soothing, but the benefits of water birth go far beyond the feel good factor.

                                                                 

                                                                                                                                                  

Pain relief- many women feel that they are better able to cope with the sensations of labour and birth when they are in a birthing pool. It can often provide an alternative route to medical intervention and pain relief (although it is important to stress that water is not likely to completely take away labour pain).

Freedom to move- the buoyancy of the water makes it much easier to maintain upright positions that help the descent and birth of the baby. This physical support also makes resting between contractions much easier, helping the woman to feel less fatigued and exhausted.

Hormones- entering the birth pool during labour helps many women to relax, which reduces adrenalin levels, (the stress hormone), in the body. The strong sense of privacy and the calm environment that normally surrounds a water birth also helps the production of oxytocin, (the hormone that keeps labour going). The effect of high oxytocin levels and low adrenalin levels combined with the intimate and womblike space of a birth pool promotes the instinctive birthing process.

Even if you are not planning on birthing in water, it's worth considering the use of a birth pool during labour for the benefits and comfort it brings many women.  I offer for hire the use of a professional birthing pool, TENS machine and birth ball to clients that I am supporting during birth.