Water Birth
Why is using a bath during childbirth so awesome?
Giving birth in the bath
Warm water is a natural form of pain relief and provides relaxation. You also have a lot of freedom of movement in the bath. The dilation phase is often faster because of this. The warm water makes your pelvic floor more flexible, which reduces the chance of a rupture.
For a baby, the transition from the womb to the outside world is more gradual when he is born in water. Often babies are calmer as a result of that immediately after birth and cry less. You can slowly lift your baby out of the water and lay him against you (or your partner or the midwife does this for you). Under water he or she is still receiving oxygen through the umbilical cord. Your baby will only start breathing when his or her face comes into contact with cold air.
The UMCG has two delivery rooms with a birthing pool. You can use this if one of these rooms is free when you give birth. But you can also give birth in the bath at home. For this you can rent or buy an inflatable pool, for instance here. You get a new, hygienic cover for the bath.
In the Martini Hospital you can also give birth in a bath. Here you can use the same bath as you would rent for a home birth. The hospital only charges the cost of a personal cover.
