If a woman opts for a water birth, a portable tub is set up in a designated room. A midwife brings the necessary medical accoutrements, which may include a birthing chair to take advantage of gravity during labor. Water Births Water births, which occur at home or at birthing centers, grant infants a peaceful transition from the womb to the world. Tubs are heated to temperatures of 90 to 101 degrees. Hotter water can overheat the mother and baby and cause dehydration.
Relaxation combined with the buoyancy of water helps the baby come down.
I've seen it work as well as drugs in some women. Midwives and Medication Midwives working outside hospitals often eschew pain-relieving medication, a standard option for hospital births. However, there is a very slight risk of permanent spinal injury to the mother. For women with normal, uncomplicated, low-risk pregnancies, giving birth outside the hospital can be as safe as a hospital birth. Midwives subscribe to the philosophy that the body's system generally works if you give it what it needs, Saunders says.