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

Abstract

INTRODUCTION There is scarce information on water births in Greece, as few women labour and give birth in water. The Greek public health system does not provide water immersion as a birthing option, and so women can only experience this option in private healthcare settings. The aim of this study was to explore the key concepts and themes identified from an analysis of the experiences of women who laboured and gave birth immersed in water. METHODS This was a qualitative study involving twelve women who used water immersion during labour, of which nine had also a water birth. Individual interviews were conducted and their content was analysed using thematic analysis. RESULTS Three main themes were identified: Water use as a natural way of birth, Mixed messages from the healthcare professionals, and Partner's supportive role during water birth. All women reported a positive birth experience and water immersion helped them cope with the pain of labour. They felt greatly empowered following birth and this contributed to successful breastfeeding for more than one year, in the majority of cases. They reported difficulties in finding healthcare professionals that were in support of their choices. The women felt highly supported by the partner's role. CONCLUSIONS Labouring and giving birth immersed in water was met with great satisfaction by all women. The findings of this study have added to the current body of midwifery knowledge on how water immersion can improve a woman's experience and so support a normal birth outcome.

A systematic meta‐thematic synthesis to examine the views and experiences of women following water immersion during labour and waterbirth

“…On entering the pool, a key benefit reported by four studies was the physical benefit of buoyancy (Antonakou et al, 2018;Gonçalves et al, 2019;McKenna & Symon, 2014;Ulfsdottir et al, 2018).…”

“…Buoyancy facilitated greater freedom of movement, easeful position changes, enhanced feelings of control and contributed to women feeling as 'active participants' during their labour (Antonakou et al, 2018;Gonçalves et al, 2019;Sprague, 2004;Ulfsdottir et al, 2018). In particular, women reported unencumbered movements were valued as compared with the heaviness they had experienced throughout the later stages of pregnancy:…”

“…It was amazing!! (Antonakou et al, 2018). The water's analgesic characteristics were commonly described as 'relaxing', 'calming', 'soothing', and 'comforting' with this facilitating and enhancing women's sense of being in 'control'.…”

“…Greece (N = 1) (Antonakou et al, 2018), England (N = 1) (Hall & Holloway, 1997), New Zealand (N = 1) (Maude & Foureur, 2007), Australia (N = 1) (Sprague, 2004), Sweden (N = 1) (Ulfsdottir et al, 2018), Scotland (N = 1) (McKenna & Symon, 2014), Portugal…”

The Incidence of and Predictors for Severe Perineal Trauma and Intact Perineum in Women Having a Waterbirth in England: A Hospital-Based Study

“…12 Waterbirth has been associated with several positive effects for women but the evidence on the benefits and potential risks has been mostly generated by observational studies. [13][14][15] A Cochrane Database systematic review published in 2018 analyzed 15 randomized controlled trials from different countries with the objective to assess the available evidence of water immersion during labor and birth. 16 The review showed that laboring in water may reduce the number of women requiring epidural analgesia (RR = 0.91; 95% CI: 0.83-0.99).…”