Women who find water soothing and comfortable during labour, may want to give birth in water. Being physically, more comfortable a labouring woman is able to relax mentally. Women achieve a level of comfort in water that in turn reduces their levels of fear and stress. The perception of pain is greatly influenced by the levels of anxiety. When labour becomes physically easier, a woman's ability to calmly concentrate is improved, and she is able to focus inward on the birth processes. One of the positive aspects of water is that it has no side effects and it gives the woman a sense of space, safety, peace and tranquillity.

It also has the advantage of protecting women from unwanted interference. Warm water also recalls pleasant feelings, which may reduce unconscious fears regarding the ongoing birth. Warm water, fear reduction, endorphins and relaxation all cause the contractions to be less painful and regulate them. The ease of the mother who labours and gives birth in water becomes the ease of the child who is born in the water, as well. Gentle alternatives that make birth easier for the mother most likely will make birth easier for the child. There is a complex physiological mechanism which inhibits the baby from taking a breath when it is born in water.

Babies instinctively know not to breathe while their heads are still submerged underwater. They wait until they reach the surface of the water before breathing. Up until the time that the baby is lifted out of the water, the baby receives its oxygen from the mother via the placenta and the umbilical cord. Someone reaches down - it might be the mother, father, or the midwife and gently hands the baby to the mother. Couples are assuming more responsibility for their own birth process. Waterbirth is more a philosophy of non-intervention than a method of giving birth.

We offer for Waterbirth:

• Equipment and a room designed for waterbirth
• Skilled midwives with waterbirth experience