A critical analysis of Australian policies and guidelines for water immersion during labour and birth

Testing the waters — A cross-sectional survey of views about waterbirth among Swedish health professionals

“…The findings in Study III are specific to Sweden and cannot be generalized. However, the results may still be of interest outside Sweden as the views and perceptions of waterbirth also are debated in other countries (92,179,180).…”

Obstetric and neonatal outcomes for women intending to use immersion in water for labour and birth in Western Australia (2015–2016): A retrospective audit of clinical outcomes

“…Although waterbirth is available in every state and territory in Australia, currently WA and South Australia (SA) are the only states with state-wide policies and guidance supporting immersion in water for labour and birth, although there are at least 25 Australian water immersion policies. 2 Additionally, no national body collects waterbirth data.…”

Experiences of Greek women of water immersion during normal labour and birth. A qualitative study

“…Another reason obstetricians do not support the option of labouring and giving birth in water might be that observational studies in the literature report only the benefits and risks of water immersion but do not capture the experiences of women 17 to better inform the medical practitioners. It has also been reported that due to little high-quality research on the safety and practicality of water immersion, policies and guidelines informing the practice may lack the evidence necessary to ensure practitioner confidence with this option, thereby limiting both accessibility and women's autonomy 43,44 .…”

“…Our study highlights the lack of support from obstetricians for the water immersion birthing option in Greece. This lack of support could be attributed to the lack of knowledge and skills on labouring and giving birth in water, to paternalism that has been reported to prevail in hospital environments 41,42 , and to the lack of high quality evidence to inform clinical practice on water births 43,44 . It has been reported that water birth workshops have the potential to significantly enhance the adoption of the midwifery model of care that pursues normality even within a medically dominated hospital birthing environment 47 , such as that in Greek maternity hospitals.…”