According to the British Governments health watchdog, "All expectant mothers should be offered the chance to have a water birth because it provides the safest form of pain relief." (1) In Australia, if a women wants a water birth she must often have a baby at home, however, "overly restrictive legislation has meant that the number of private midwives attending births in Australia has dropped from 200 midwives in 2009 to only 90 midwives in 2011. Some women are having to birth at home unattended, some are being forced into hospital births they do not want. Regional and rural areas have been significantly impacted." A model of positive water birth experiences can look to the UK where, "In England, a water birth has become so common, it is considered an option for childbirth and not an alternative. Most English hospitals are now equipped to accommodate the request." (2) The article goes on to say that the United States has a growing number of hospitals installing birthing pools to allow the women to labor in the pool, however, to "actually giving birth in water is discouraged." (2) The United States is a good model for Australia where concerns about water births have driven home births underground, would allow women to have a more positive hospital experience by allowing them to at least labor in the tub, and give birth in a hospital bed. It is clear that water births have become a viable birth option for many women, and is bound to become much more popular as women look to natural methods of pain relief during labor other than drugs.
References:
(1) http://www.nzherald.co.nz/health/news/article.cfm?c_id=204&objectid=10466076
(2) http://www.pregnancy-info.net/waterbirths.html
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