Water Birth: A Midwife's Perspective

Childbirth underwater, or water birth, recently gained widespread acceptance throughout the world, although early proponents in the Soviet Union began experimenting with the process in the 1960s. Napierala, a midwife experienced at attending both home and water births, covers in some detail the origins of labor and delivery underwater, the benefits that submersion provides mother and infant, its advantages in comparison with other birthing options, and prenatal preparations for childbirth in general and water birth in particular. She also advises on such matters as construction and maintenance of a water tank, first- and second-stage labor in water--including complications and contraindications--and postpartum recovery. Her final chapter presents birth stories, and she inserts accounts of her own experiences throughout the text. Her serious, empathic tone suits the contents, helping make the book a readable REVIEWof a viable but not widely understood alternative to traditional in-hospital childbirth.
I became interested in water birth because I have back problems, and the only way I've been able to have a normal range of motion has been in the water. Being in the pool takes the pressure of gravity from the baby off my back, and warm water relaxes my stiff muscles. Water Birth gave me tons of detailed info, and thoroughly explained advice on the complete water birth process: the history behind it, how to make a tank, what problems may come up, and laboring in the water. The book isn't just a bunch of fluff that you could've just found by doing a net search. Yet it does contain beautiful stories that really draw you into the sacred experience while reading, which makes it interesting as well as informative. I bought this book in combination with Active Birth (revised edition). While Water Birth does outline some different positions a woman can try to help her labor progress, Active Birth focuses on this 10 times more, and has better diagrams to show what's happening inside a woman when she's going through the different stages of labor and pushing the baby out. I really needed these extra anatomical diagrams, lengthy explanations, and numerous positions so I could see how different positions would affect my spine. If you have a back problem as well, I'd suggest buying these two books, as they've complimented one another for me.