Explore ‘water birth’ for less painful deliveries
September 8, 2010 Filed under News u can use
Giving birth in the water can be less stressful and painful. Photo by Zhang Yifei/CFP
By Annie Wei
Pregnant women who want to deliver naturally but are fearful of the pain can explore “water birth” – giving birth in a tub of warm water, which is supposed to be less stressful for both mother and child.
China had its first recorded water birth in 2003, but the practice has not caught on as most women still prefer the familiarity of the hospital delivery bed.
“Water birth crossed my mind before I gave birth to my son, but there just was not enough information available,” says Cui Hui, whose son is now 2 years old.
Fan Qingbo, a gynecologist at Peking Union Medical College Hospital, says water birth has not gained traction in China due to two major factors.
First, it is a service that is offered only in the country’s leading hospitals, which have huge clienteles and can afford the special water-birthing equipment and their maintenance.
Second, it is not suitable for first-time mothers, and the majority of Chinese women experience childbirth only once because of the country’s family planning policy. First babies usually take much longer to come out, and being immersed in water during the long hours of labor makes it difficult to monitor the infants’ vital signs, not to mention that it increases the probability of infection in the mother.
Fan says water births have been proven to be less painful than other birthing methods but that its claims to smarter infants, shorter labor and less trauma to the birth canal are not backed up by scientific data.
Yu Jude, a birthing expert with the Shanghai Obstetrics and Gynecologic Committee, advises mothers-to-be considering water birth to thoroughly discuss this option with their gynecologist. A woman who is either too young or too old, or someone who has undergone abortion, is not a good candidate.
The final decision on whether a woman can proceed with water birth can only be made a week before her delivery date, Yu says, explaining that the infant should weigh around 3 kilograms for it to be safe.
The cost of water birth in China is higher than giving birth on a hospital bed. The price ranges from a couple of thousand to as much as 100,000 yuan. Private hospitals are also offering the service. Below are two hospitals where mothers-to-be can start their research.
Qinghua University Yuquan Hospital
Where: 5 Shijingshan Lu, Shijingshan District
Tel: 8825 7755
Antai Hospital
Where: Building 18, 1 Xinghecheng, Jiayuan Lu, Fengtai District
Tel: 6753 7758 or 6753 7768
Liora on Mon, 25th Oct 2010 7:06 pm
I had three births, so far, and the last two were drug free water births. I love the water, it’s so soothing and I can hardly imagine having a “land” birth anymore!
Highly Recommend it! It’s wonderful to know that there are two birthing hospitals which offer this!
P.S. Michel Odent, MD, the legendary pioneer for waterbirths and gentle births, will be visiting Beijing in April 2011!! Contact the La Leche league leaders or me for more information. 139 1030 6022 (text is better as I don’t answer the cell phone when I’m holding the baby)
Liora Pearlman
LLL volunteer and water birth advocate
Liora on Thu, 21st Apr 2011 7:28 am
Public lecture by the amazing natural birth and waterbirth pioneer Michel Odent, MD
free, but PRE REGISTRATION REQUIRED- chinese contact: tcc_sclf{AT}163.com. For English, contact ODENTCHINA@gmail.com and venue details can be e-mailed.
Liora Pearlman
Beijing
——————————
—-
Seminar & Public Lecture
on the topic of
Birth and Breastfeeding:
Laying the Foundation for Lifelong Health
China Soong Ching Ling Foundation’s
Training & Communication Center
and
La Leche League
Present:
Michel Odent, MD
from London, England (UK)
A seminar sponsored by
Beijing Antai Maternity Hospital
Date: April 24, 2011 (Sunday)
Language: Chinese-English bilingual
In China, responsible parenthood, family planning and the overall health quality of its populace are very high priorities. It is not surprising, then, that childbirth and breastfeeding issues are the topics of common concern both from the society at large and within the immediate family.
However, one might be surprised to discover that some beliefs and common practices regarding childbirth have little or no scientific basis and are also not conducive to
mother-child bonding. For example, the increasing need for drugs, cesareans and other interventions in childbirth seems to be related to a deep-rooted lack of understanding of the basic needs of laboring women. Breastmilk is universally
recognized as the healthiest and safest food to feed infants, but according to the fourth national health services research project in 2008, exclusive breastfeeding rates for infants under six months of age is less than 30% in China.
In such a context,we welcome Michel Odent, MD, a specialist with high prestige internationally in both the maternity and breastfeeding fields,to come to China to mutually communicate with Chinese health professionals and prospective
parents, to disseminate recent scientific advances that make realistic the discovery of the basic needs of laboring women and newborn babies.
Part One
Seminar for Medical Professionals (09:00-12:30)
Participants: Physicians, Midwives, Childbirth Educators, etc.
Topic: The Crossroads Facing Childbirth Today and its Impact on Harmonious
Society: natural birth in a technological age, how rising Cesarean rates affect the wider society, how the Primal Health period (from conception to age 1) impacts life-long health as well as the development of society, the role of
obstetrics professionals in rediscovering the needs of women, the importance of birth and breastfeeding practices to the genesis of the capacity to love.
08:00-09:00 Registration
09:00-09:30 Opening & Press Release
09:30-11:00 Presentation by Dr. Michel Odent
11:00-11:20 Break
11:20-12:30 Professional Panel discussion
12:30-13:30 Lunch
Part Two Public Lecture 14:00-16:30
Participants: pregnant women (and partner/family), breastfeeding mothers, prospective parents, the community, etc.
Topics: The value of natural birth, impact of Cesarean section on the mother and baby, how to communicate with your doctor, how to plan your birth, new philosophy of childbirth, achieving your breastfeeding goals, etc.
13:00-14:00 Registration
14:00-15:30 Lecture and discussion on pregnancy and birth
15:30-15:45 Break
15:45-16:30 Lecture and discussion on breastfeeding
Registration is free, but is required:
Keynote Speaker
Michel Odent, MD is a member of the La Leche League International Health Advisory Council (LLLI-HAC). He was born in France in 1930, and did his medical studies at Paris University. He was in charge of the surgical unit and the
maternity unit at the Pithiviers State Hospital (1962-1985), and is the founder of the Primal Health Research Centre (London).
- Introduced in the 1970s the concept of birthing pools in maternity hospitals; and he is the author of the first article in the medical literature about the
use of birthing pools.
- Introduced in the 1970s the concept of the home-like birthing room in maternity hospitals.
- Author of the first article in the medical literature about the initiation of lactation during the hour following birth.
- Author of the first article applying the `Gate Control Theory of Pain’ to obstetrics.
- Founded the Primal Health Research Centre (London, UK). The objective is to test the assumption that human health is shaped during the `primal period’,which includes fetal life, perinatal period, and year following birth.
- Created the Primal Health Research database, the only specialized database compiling studies that explore the long-term consequences of what occurs during the `Primal period’.
- Created the website in order to convince anyone that the most vital form of human ecology is prenatal ecology.
–Studies in progress to evaluate the effects of encouraging pregnant women to consume sea fish.
Dr. Odent is the author of more than 50 articles in the medical literature, and also 12 books in 22 languages. His legendary book Birth Reborn (1994) is a classic in the field. He followed this with The Scientification of Love (1999), The Farmer and the Obstetrician (2002) and Birth and Breastfeeding: Rediscovering the Needs of Women During Pregnancy and Childbirth (2008). His more recent titles are The Caesarean (2004) and, soon to be released:
Childbirth in the Age of Plastics (2011)
Liora on Thu, 28th Apr 2011 5:08 am
Odent is going to Shanghai next. Lunch speaking event Friday the 29th. See here for details. http://www.cityweekend.com.cn/shanghai/events/86880/