Water Birth in Minneapolis: Benefits of Hydrotherapy for Birthing Parents
Are you pregnant and considering a water birth in Minneapolis for your upcoming delivery? Here at Roots, we love to give birthing parents informed choices for labor pain management. Hydrotherapy and water birth are two of our most popular and effective options for an empowered, unmedicated labor.
In 2020, 60 percent of our clients gave birth in a birthing pool and even more enjoyed the soothing and therapeutic benefits of hydrotherapy while laboring in water. At our birth center, the Yellow Room has a built-in tub, and two other birthing suites can accommodate a portable tub for laboring parents who are interested in a water birth in Minneapolis.
You may be wondering, “What are the benefits of water birth?” or “Is water birth safe?” To learn more about water birth in Minneapolis, keep reading for the answers to these and other questions.
What are the Benefits of Water Birth?
Simply put, water birth is when a pregnant person gives birth in a warm pool of water, remaining submerged through the pushing stage and actual birth of the baby. At Roots, our midwives are experienced in providing you with a safe and supportive water birth in Minneapolis.
Evidence Based Birth (EBB) summarizes the research surrounding water birth and the potential benefits. Data suggests that laboring parents experience:
Less pain and higher satisfaction with the birth experience
Less medication use for pain relief
Less use of artificial oxytocin
Higher rates of normal vaginal birth
Higher rates of an intact perineum, especially in high-episiotomy settings
Possibly lower rates of severe tears (3rd or 4th degree), especially in high-episiotomy settings
Possibly lower rates of postpartum hemorrhage
What is Hydrotherapy?
Along with a water birth, many laboring parents enjoy the benefits of hydrotherapy throughout their labor. Hydrotherapy is using water as a labor comfort technique by being submerged in a warm pool of water.
Another way to take advantage of hydrotherapy is by using the shower at any time during labor. Birthing parents can stand, squat, or kneel in the shower, letting the warm water fall wherever they’re experiencing discomfort from contractions.
What are the Benefits of Hydrotherapy?
As a labor pain management tool, hydrotherapy offers several benefits. Laboring in a birthing pool may:
Reduce pain
Decrease anxiety
Help laboring parents feel buoyant and supported
Allow laboring parents to relax and rest between contractions
Shorten labor
Birthing parents also enjoy using the shower at Roots. The shower spray can be adjusted to massage and reduce tension on the laboring parent’s back, shoulders, neck, belly, or wherever needed.
While many of our clients at Roots who used hydrotherapy go on to have a water birth in Minneapolis, our laboring parents are also free to get out of the labor pool at any time and give birth “on land.”
Is Water Birth Safe?
For healthy, low-risk expecting parents who want a medication-free labor experience, hydrotherapy and water birth in Minneapolis are safe and beneficial choices. In addition, we are also the only birthing facility to offer water birth in Minneapolis for VBAC (vaginal birth after cesarean) parents as well.
Our experienced midwives monitor laboring parents, providing personalized, holistic care. Providers closely observe parents to ensure that water immersion is safe for both parent and baby during the labor and birth process.
Not only have water birth and hydrotherapy been proven safe for both birthing parents, but research has shown no evidence of harm for babies. Numerous studies have demonstrated that most babies born in water are healthy and receive high Apgar scores.
What are the Risks of Water Birth?
All of the evidence on water birth suggests that complications are extremely rare. However, because we believe strongly in informed consent at Roots, we want to discuss the potential risks when it comes to hydrotherapy and water birth. The most common risks include infection, water aspiration by baby, and umbilical cord snap.
Infection
At Roots, we take every safety precaution by cleaning and disinfecting our built-in pool and by providing sterile liners for our portable tubs in order to reduce the possibility of infection for both parents and babies.
Water Aspiration
We also take great care in monitoring the water temperature of our tubs for parents who choose a water birth in Minneapolis. Keeping the temperature of the birthing pool at 99-100 degrees — the same body temperature as the laboring parent — is an essential safeguard against water aspiration. When babies emerge from the water seconds after being born, the change in temperature is one of the cues for the baby to take their first breath.
Umbilical Cord Snap
In addition, our experienced midwives will help guard against the rare occurrence of umbilical cord snap by safely and carefully guiding the baby out of the water to the parent’s chest.
Takeaways about Water Birth in Minneapolis
In addition to the physical health of both birthing parents and babies, hydrotherapy and water birth have been proven to increase emotional satisfaction with the birthing process. When reflecting on their water birth experience, 78 percent of parents interviewed in one study said they felt very satisfied with how they coped during labor and birth. In the same study, most birthing parents said they would choose a water birth for future labors and would recommend the experience to their friends.
At Roots, we want to offer the safest and most physically and emotionally beneficial water birth in Minneapolis for our clients.
Are you interested in learning more about water birth and hydrotherapy for your labor and birth at Roots? Set up a free consultation by calling us at 612-338-2784, scheduling a tour, or filling out our form!