I have been lucky enough to have had both a water home birth and a land home birth. Both were amazing, life changing experiences. I wanted to put this blog together to share what I found to be pros and cons with the different styles of birth.
My first home birth was a water birth.
I carried Halle until I was 42 weeks pregnant. A few days before we blew the birthing pool up so we were prepared, and had one less job to do on the day, as it was evident she was going to show her face any time now. I’m really glad we decided to pre blow up the pool because her birth was really fast, only a couple of hours from start to finish, and I feel that if we hadnt of had it already blown up we possibly wouldn’t of got it up in time. Which brings me to my first con of water births, the time taken to prepare and maintaining the pool. If your birth ends up being very fast like mine you may not have enough time to fully prepare the pool. However, on the flip side if your birth is a long one it could entail a lot of extra faffing to keep the water at a nice temperature.
We basically started filling the pool as soon as my contractions started and I jumped in it as soon as it was full. Not long after I got in she was born in the water. I found the water to be very therapeutic and it really did help with keeping me relaxed. Another obvious pro for me was that it helped me not feel as exposed in a room with two strangers in. We had minimal interaction at our birth, the midwifes sat in a different room until the baby was actually being born, but there is still two midwifes who you don’t know in the room while your doing something very intimate. So I did find being in the water helped me feel more secure which helped me relax more. Water has such a soothing effect and I do believe it helped with the intensity, another pro.
Watching our baby born into water was also another amazing thing about having a water birth. There was something about seeing a baby float up to the surface of the water, still not taken its first breath.
Afterwards the water cooled down pretty quick and we chose to get myself and the baby out of the water to warm up. This is potentially another little faf of having to disturb the bonding time to clamber out of the pool and dry off, but in the grand sceme of things it wasn’t that much trouble.
One other thing that a water birth entails, that a land doesn’t, is the extra clean up after. Your left with a giant pool in your house. We used a hose, leading into the shower, to drain the water the night of the birth, and then just bagged up the liner the next morning (Halle was born at 9pm so we got straight into bed after the midwives left). It wasn’t that inconvenient but is an extra thing to take care of.
All in all I would say the pros far out way the little challenges of setting up and maintaining a birthing pool. The pool really did add an extra layer onto the birth, and helped me stay calm and relaxed. Having a doula could help take away the pressure of having to keep an eye on the pool as she would be there to help with keeping the environment in alignment with what the birthing mother has asked for.
My second home birth, three years later, was a land birth. I had pre booked a birthing pool but I just intuitively knew this birth was meant to be a land birth so I cancelled it. Throughout the pregnancy I had a vision that I would birth this baby knelt next to my bed and that is exactly how and where she was born.
I also considered the extra effect involved in a pool birth and I decided I couldn‘t really be bothered with it this time. I wanted Halle, who was 3 at the time, to be at the birth and I thought it was just going to be too much. I spent a lot of time pacing the room, laid on the bed with my dog Boe and using meditative techniques to stay in the zone.
So, my first pro for a land birth is the fact you don’t have an extra thing to set up and can therefore use that time to stay relaxed and soak in the sensations. And your birthing partner can use the time to give you massages, make you food, guide you through meditation, or just sit with you for support.
Not having to prepare a pool also allowed more time for Jon to set up other things that were important for us to use at the birth, like incense, crystals, candles, essential oils, and the use of a Tibetan singing bowl.
Where, with a water birth I felt less exposed, with a land birth I definitely felt more vulnerable not having that barrier between my bare bottom and the midwifes. But in all honesty it becomes unnoticeable when you are focusing on each passing wave of contraction and breathing your baby into the world. So while I would class it as a con, it would put me off a land birth. We used a shower curtain and towels to cover the floor, ready for ours baby’s arrival. The shower curtain was a great idea as it protected the carpet and was easy to clear away.
After her birth we got straight onto the bed for bonding and breastfeeding. That was one of the nice things about a land birth, there was no having to clamber out of a pool and dry off, and no real clean up needed.
However, I do feel there was the missing element of water and the soothing effect it had. From what I can remember, my contractions were more intense for Frances birth, but that could of just been the natural way of that birth anyway.
In conclusion,
If I was to ever birth again (which I don’t plan on by the way) I would be torn between which birth to go for. I would have to follow my intuition on which birth was right for that baby. I fully believe that your baby has a unique connection to you and will help you decide which birth they need, just listen.
I really hope this blog helps you decide what birth is best for you and your baby. If you have anything to add from your experiences please feel free to comment below, I would love to hear your ideas.
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