me - I think it probably added 3-4 hours, b) it can be harder for the midwife to see what's going on and therefore give you good advice about pushing - I was urged to push too hard, too soon, which resulted in a bad tear I feel could have been avoided, and c) it can be harder to protect the mother's perinaem from tearing e.g. by applying a soft towel and pressure to the area, which a midwife can do more easily if your bottom end is not in a foot of water and pointing down so she can't see it. So first-time water birthers beware of those risks, which are not often discussed. Otherwise I thoroughly recommend it to those who are keen to avoid drugs - the pain relief was excellent and the baby comes out already washed! My top tip to managing labour pain, especially in the latter part of stage 1 is to scream. The midwives told me to shut up and save my strength, but there was something so satisfying about vocalising the sheer terror of the experience. It was like I had to shut down all but the basic mental processing and just go with the animalism vibe. Besides I've had three water births, so I had plenty of energy to spare. I found the buoyancy of the water helped me a lot. The water did naff all for the intensity of the pain, but allowed me to find positions where I could