How to organise a water birth

First of all discuss the matter with your midwife. She might be happy to support you in labour, or to give you the name of another midwife who has more experience of water birth. If she cannot help you, get in touch with the supervisor of midwives at your hospital.

If you are planning a home birth, you may want to contact the Association of Independent Midwives, an organisation which has midwives experienced in home and water birth, but you will have to pay for their services.

Water birth in hospital

Many hospitals have a plumbed-in water pool, and have also created a relaxed and informal environment for water birth. If your local hospital doesn’t have this facility, the midwives may be willing to use a pool which you have hired. It is important to have agreement to this arrangement in writing, from the supervisor of midwives, before you go to the expense of hiring the pool.

Some hospitals also run a special antenatal session on using a water pool.

If there isn’t a midwife on the staff who has experience of water birth, one or two of them might be able to do some specialised training if you give them enough notice of your wishes. Or you may be able to choose to have your baby at another hospital that does offer water births.

Water birth at home

You will be able to call on the services of the midwives at your local hospital to attend you at home, or you can employ an independent midwife. The pool hire companies probably have solutions to most of your other needs, but there is one practical point to consider in your planning: is the floor of the room you plan to use strong enough to bear the weight of a full pool - about one ton - or a smaller model holding half as much water, weighing half a ton?

Hiring a pool

Hire is generally arranged for a 4 week period, starting two weeks before your due date. Pools cost from £100 for 4 weeks hire. For more information, contact the Active Birth Centre which offers advice, antenatal classes and hires out pools, or Birthworks, tel. 01364 72802 and Splashdown Water Birth Services, tel. 0181 422 9308 who also hire out pools.