Want a waterbirth in Cornwall? Here’s what you need to know…
The sea is a huge part of life in Cornwall: being in, on or around water is so much of a normal thing here that it never surprises me when an antenatal client says that a waterbirth is a goal for them.
As a birth doula, my mission is to help people to achieve their birth goals and so here’s what you need to know to help make your dreams of a waterbirth in Cornwall a reality…
Can you have a waterbirth in Cornwall?
Yes, absolutely!
Cornwall is genuinely set up for to allow the very common Cornish dream of waterbirth to become a reality - in a logistical sense at least.
For families choosing to give birth in a midwife-led birth place in Cornwall, waterbirth is a really accessible option. Cornwall has three birth centres all of which are equipped with permanent birth pools:
Truro has four birth pools in the birth centre at Treliske’s maternity unit
Penrice birth centre has one birth pool
Helston birth centre has one birth pool
Equally, having a waterbirth at home in Cornwall is very possible too.
While the NHS midwifery teams no longer hire out pools themselves, there are plenty of other options: doulas like myself often have professional quality inflatable birth pools to hire out to clients, or you can hire a birth pool from one of the many national companies who will deliver it to your door via courier.
And of course, you could always buy your own birth pool!
Is it easy to have a waterbirth in Cornwall?
The truth is that not all waterbirth dreams become reality - especially for families choosing to birth within the hospital system.
Understanding why starts the science and the practicalities of a waterbirth…
All of the research on low-risk birth scenarios shouts about the benefits of using water during birth. When used - either through submersion (eg: in a pool) or more topically such as in a shower, the use of water is associated with:
Shorter labours on average
Higher rates of vaginal birth without assistance
Higher rates of an intact perineum
Greater birth satisfaction
And also…
Lower pain scores
Less use of pain medication
Less used of artificial oxytocin
Lower use of episiotomy
Lower rates of postpartum haemorrhage
There’s also some studies that suggest that waterbirth correlates with more positive health outcomes for babies, and that if a waterbirth happens at home then a transfer to hospital is less likely.
And while waterbirth does have some increased risk factors (slightly increased chance of a cord snapping and uterine infection - see the stats here) rarely are these the reasons for a planned waterbirth to not happen.
What can stop me from having a waterbirth in Cornwall?
The reality is that waterbirth carries an enormous number of benefits, but it does have its logistical limitations.
Generally, it’s these that have the potential to derail a planned waterbirth…
When people tell me about why their waterbirth didn’t happen, there’s always a reason.
But the reality that I see is that the reason generally has very little to do with a lack of availability of a birth pool (always people’s main worry in an antenatal class) or labour progressing more quickly than expected. If a planned waterbirth in Cornwall doesn’t happen, it’s usually because of one of these three factors…
The ‘risk-factor’: birth pools tend to find themselves in places designated for low-risk pregnancies and deliveries. If you don’t meet the NHS criteria for a home birth or birth centre delivery, it will be harder (but not impossible!) to access water during your labour and delivery.
The ‘progress & policy’ factor: when you have a midwife present, they will monitor you throughout your labour for the simple reason that they’re looking for the green and red flags that indicate that things are (or aren’t) going smoothly. If they see something that could potentially indicate something going awry (NB: this does not definitively mean that it is) they will advise a transfer into an obstetric led unit (Delivery Suite or Labour Ward) where there is no access to a birth pool.
The pain factor: while you can have gas and air, and can use more holistic forms of pain relief while in the water, stronger forms of pharmaceutical pain relief are not recommended. This means that if you want an epidural, you won’t be able to have a waterbirth.
But I need to be clear here: I don’t share this to be defeatist. Rather, it’s the case of the opposite.
If you know without a shadow of a doubt, that using water during labour and delivery will help you to stay calm and confident, knowing these obstacles will help you to plan to…
… avoid them.
… deal with them.
… overcome them for the greater good!
Want a waterbirth in Cornwall? Here’s what to do…
If you know deep in your bones that using water throughout the experience will be the thing that helps you to manage in labour, here’s what you need to do to protect that goal…
1. Get a support system: preparing yourself is key, but building a birth team that knows how to keep you calm, grounded and feeling confident when you’re doing the hardest thing you’ll ever do is vital. Doing specific antenatal classes that prepare your birth partner as well as you (a speciality of mine!), or investing in doula support, puts you on the path to that before birth begins.
2. Pick your place carefully: planning to birth at home statistically gives you the greatest chance of an unassisted, low medical intervention physiological birth; doing it on your turf increases the chance you’ll be able to do things your way.
3. Prepare to talk (and negotiate) guidelines: asking to use something that’s not immediately recommended or offered doesn’t make you a bad human. But if you’re asking to use NHS resources in an ‘out of guidelines’ way, you’ll be asked to speak to a senior midwife or consultant to discuss the safety aspects of it; going into these discussions knowing your rights, the latest research and having a strong belief in why you need to use water will give you the best chances of getting their ‘out-of-guidance’ support.
4. Plan your pain relief: if you know waterbirth is the one for you, then prepare to support yourself through it… and the way to do that is with a high quality antenatal class. Putting the time and effort into learning about the way labour goes and feels, and developing other pain management strategies before you go into labour will help you to stay in the water you so desire: aromatherapy, massage, movement, environmental support, mindset and breathwork will all help you to cope with labour. These are all skills that I teach on my 5* rated antenatal courses, both in groups and privately.
Preparing for a waterbirth in Cornwall isn’t rocket science: the facilities are there, getting to use them is about preparation and support. As a doula, this is what I spend my life doing and helping families to take the steps they need to achieve the birth they’ve dreamed of is what gets me out of bed every day.
BUT I only take four or five birth clients a year; if you’re curious about getting the kind of knowledge, skills and support I provide on your side during your pregnancy & birth, ping me an email and we’ll go for that coffee…
