Birth
- On call: Your Bliss birth team is on call three weeks before and two weeks after your due date from 37 to 42 weeks for your labor and birth.
- Caring for you during the childbirth process while monitoring health and progress of you and your baby.
- Water birth is an option if desired.
Water Birth
Water birth is a wonderful birthing option. When mothers are given the option of a water birth, approximately 60% will choose to birth that way. At Bliss Women's Wellness & Birth Center, we have two beautiful birthing tubs in our birth suites for this purpose. Maternal immersion in water provides pain management, increased relaxation, and satisfaction in labor. Birthing in the water also can assist with maternal positions that help baby into a good position for birth. To date, no research has proven that water birth is not safe.
Can Every Woman Have A Water Birth?
Most low-risk mothers are candidates for a water birth.
Are There Any Risks for My Baby?
The safety of water birth has been firmly established. The most serious risk to the infant that has been seen was an infection due to a facility using tubs and equipment that harbored bacteria. At Bliss Women’s Wellness & Birth Center, we have a strict protocol for cleaning our birth tubs to ensure the safety of our clients.
In utero, your baby's lungs are already full of fluid. When the baby is born, some of this fluid is expelled up into and out of the mouth and nose and some of it is absorbed into the lungs. This is part of the initial change in blood flow since the baby's circulation in the womb does not involve the lungs oxygenating the blood. As the fluid is absorbed into the lungs, tiny capillaries pop open to allow the baby to begin to breathe. All this activity takes a few moments during which time your baby will be lifted out of the water and into your arms. This all happens before they have even tried to take their first breath.
Babies are also born with what is known as the mammalian dive reflex, which means the back of the throat closes in response to being immersed in water. This is another way that prevents the baby from taking the first breath while in the water.
