Water labour and birth has been known to help lower blood pressure, reduce edema, help reduce asthmatic responses. The water also enables a women to organically discover her birth position. The use of water immersion as a therapeutic medium is not new. Its exact origins are unknown, but there is evidence of immersion in water being used as a treatment for physical and psychological ill health by the Chinese, Egyptians, Japanese and Assyrians, as well as Greeks and Romans. Warm water immersion during labour, including birth, used for relaxation and pain relief, has a long history in lay and clinical care. Igor Tjarkovsky, a Russian boat builder, stimulated the foundation of a movement to promote waterbirth in Soviet Russia in the 1970s. He became convinced of the benefits of water immersion as a means of maximising physiological potential. Dr Michel Odent subsequently popularised water immersion in other European countries. Although considered a fad by some, the use of water during labour and birth appeals to both women and their carers. In 1995, the first international waterbirth conference was held in London, followed by many subsequent study events and international conferences. This conference attracted over 1,500 participants from 36 countries and reported on at least 19,000 births. Janet Balakas of the Active Birth Movement, Beverly Lawrence Beech of the Association for Improvements in Maternity Services, Jay Ingrey of Splashdown Waterbirth Services and Sheila Kitzinger organized the conference
Posted on: Wed, 07 Aug 2013 01:40:25 +0000
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