In some Western countries, about 1% of pregnant women prefer a water birth. But according to new guidelines for American obstetricians, this method can lead to serious complications.
While British obstetricians are completely loyal to childbirth in water, their American colleagues discourage expectant mothers from choosing this method of giving birth, even in the presence of a gynecologist or midwife.
According to the guidelines developed by the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists and the Royal College of Midwives , “water birth is acceptable for healthy women who have a pregnancy without complications.”
In the recently announced recommendations for American obstetricians, which were trained by the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists , there is an urgent advice in every possible way to avoid this method of childbirth under any circumstances.
The only partial exception, which is allowed by American specialists in the field of obstetrics, is for a pregnant woman to stay in a container of water for some time during the first period of labor in order to relieve pain.
“Childbirth in water can have extremely serious consequences for a child: at the same time, this method does not have any advantages over normal childbirth,” American specialists in the field of gynecology and obstetrics note.
In addition to increasing the risk of developing an infection that can affect the newborn, water births increase the risk of maternal bleeding.