The introduction of water births to the Coombe Women and Infants University Hospital in Dublin has proven to be a big success, according to staff working there.

The Coombe is one of the largest and busiest maternity hospitals in the country, with in excess of 8,000 babies born there every year.

Last year, it made a birthing pool available to women who hoped to avail of ‘non-pharmacological analgesia', in other words, drug-free pain relief.

As of the end of October 2014, over 100 women have used the pool. In the beginning, it was only used for labour, and women were asked to exit before actually giving birth. However recently, the option of having a full water birth was made available and as a result, '10 out of the last 20 women who have used the pool have chosen to give birth under water'.

According to Coombe staff, Paula Barry, Ann Fergus and Ruth Banks, research suggests that there are a number of benefits related to labouring in water, including greater relaxation, shorter labours, less painful contractions and a reduced needs for analgesics (painkillers), including epidurals.

"Hydrotherapy is effective due to heat and ‘hydro kinesis'. Heat relieves spasm in muscles and therefore reduces pain, and ‘hydro kinesis' reduces gravitational force and thus reduces pelvic discomfort and strain," they explained.

However they pointed out that immersion in water in early labour seems to be linked with prolonged labour, so it ‘is recommended that women be encouraged to mobilise on land until labour is established'.

The staff noted that among the women who have used the Coombe's birthing pool, ‘there appears to be a trend towards normal birth, with a spontaneous vaginal delivery rate of 80%'. Furthermore, just 18% of the women have opted for an epidural compared with an average of 44% among all other women.

Verbal feedback from some of the women involved included ‘a very positive experience' and ‘excellent, relaxing, a distraction', while one midwife described it as ‘the most amazing experience of my midwifery career to date'.

Birthing pools are currently also available in the midwife-led units in Cavan, Drogheda and in Cork University Maternity Hospital, however the Coombe staff believe that ‘more Irish maternity units should consider this excellent means of pain relief'.

They made their comments in WIN (World of Irish Nursing and Midwifery), the journal of the Irish Nurses and Midwives Organisation.

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