For a physician or midwife referral, call 404-265-DOCS.
Today's woman has a number of choices when it comes to giving birth. One of them is called water birth.
During water birth, mom is in a tub of soothing water. Water birth may help the mother relax and comfort the woman during the stages of labor.
Some people find water relaxing and comforting, such as a warm bath at the end of a long day or a vacation near the ocean or a lake. Water may help women during childbirth by providing a soothing environment for the mom during labor.
Here are some reasons why you may want to consider water birth as an option:
- Some women find water helps them relax during labor.
- Being relaxed may help decrease stress hormones and allow a more functional progression of labor and, perhaps, less pain.
- Some women find that the relative weightlessness caused by water buoyancy helps with repositioning, comfort and muscle support.
- The buoyant effect of water may lessen muscle tension and promote relaxation.
- When a woman in labor relaxes, breathing becomes easier which may provide optimal oxygenation for both mother and baby.
- Laboring in water may help pelvic floor tissue to relax and may decrease the need for an episiotomy.
At Atlanta Medical Center, birth is a momentous occasion, so we offer childbirth choices to fit patients. In addition to such progressive techniques as water birth, Atlanta Medical offers traditional labor and delivery options as well as a vast array of services for women of all life stages including diagnostic imaging, non-surgical diagnostic and treatment options, and childbirth education.
If you need help in selecting a physician or midwife, please call our Physician Referral Service at 404-265-DOCS or look on our website under Find a Physician for “Midwife.”