Water Birth is an Alternative to Air Birth-A Comprehensive Review Article

Labour pain is rated as one of the most severe pain which may lead to any risk in any time, so mother should be supported for a joyful birth by relieving maximum level of pain .Water birth used as an alternative therapy for a painless labour . Lying-in warm water for relaxation and pain relief during early labour has been widespread in clinical practice for many decades, but usually for relatively short periods and during early labour. Then, during the 1980s it became increasingly popular to give birth in water using specially designed pools and to use more prolonged immersion in water throughout labour. Labour and birth in water are usually offered to women with an uncomplicated pregnancy at term. Women with a variety of complications, including previous caesarean section, have also used birthing pools for labour and delivery without reported problems. Immersion in water during the first stage of labour is less controversial than immersion either during the second or third stage. All women who labour or give birth in water should have appropriately skilled attendants. Many of the issues listed here are therefore theoretical and further research is required to reliably determine the real effects of labour and birth in water and to guide clinical practice. No randomized trials have compared outcome following birth in water with outcome following conventional birth. Data from the surveillance study provide some reassurance that safety is likely to be comparable. Although only a small proportion of women give birth in water, it is likely that many more use birthing pools during labour. The use of a birthing pool for labour and/or delivery is an option that is now widely offered within maternity units in many parts of the countries and is also available for home births. Women should be provided with balanced information to enable them to make an informed choice about whether and how they use immersion in water. If they use immersion in water, they should be cared for by attendants who have appropriate experience. This article is to provide a review of information on labor and birth in water and to suggest possible strategies to minimize the potential hazards to mothers and infants. It can also be used to promote the maternal and infant benefits, which may arise from choosing this type of birth experience, but are not easily quantifiable. It is written with the belief that clinically sound, evidence based guidelines improve quality of care. They must be evaluated with reference to individual client's needs, resources and limitations unique to the place of birth and variations in client choices.