Researchers analyzed data from 29 previously published studies and
found no significant differences between water births and other
delivery methods in terms of complications, infant mortality or
admissions to intensive care. Most of these studies were small,
however, and didn’t show any advantages of water births, either.
“The notion that it is safe to have the baby under water has not
been shown as safe or unsafe in our review,” said senior study
author Dr. Alastair Sutcliffe, a pediatrics researcher at University
College of London Hospitals in the U.K.
“Whilst it is a good plan to try labor in water, my advice is to
wait until there is more convincing evidence of safety before having
the actual delivery in water,” Sutcliffe added by email.
For mothers, laboring in a pool of warm water can help ease pain,
lower the need for anesthesia and potentially speed up the early
stages of labor before the cervix is fully dilated and the baby is
ready to emerge. Once it’s time to push, however, the benefits are
unclear.
About 9 percent of babies in the U.K. were delivered under water
last year, Sutcliffe and colleagues note in the Archives of Disease
in Childhood – Fetal and Neonatal Edition.
In the U.S., however, the American College of Obstetricians and
Gynecologists and the American Academy of Pediatrics recommend
against underwater deliveries due to potential complications for
babies such as infections, breathing difficulties and drowning
(http://bit.ly/1TptcZq).
To assess the risks and benefits for babies, Sutcliffe and
colleagues looked at data from studies that, combined, included
about 39,000 births.
All of these studies were done in hospitals or birthing centers.
Most were small observational studies with brief follow-up periods,
and many were limited to women with uncomplicated, low-risk
pregnancies.
[to top of second column] |
The studies did point to one possible advantage of underwater
delivery – slightly higher newborn Apgar scores, which measure heart
rate, breathing, muscle tone, reflexes and skin tone.
But because most studies didn’t randomly assign some women to water
births and others to more traditional deliveries, it’s impossible to
conclude that water births cause higher Apgar scores.
“There is no evidence that delivering underwater has any benefits
and the authors of this study fail to acknowledge a benefit other
than to mention that whales and dolphins give birth under water,”
said Dr. Amos Grunebaum, director of obstetrics at New York Weill
Cornell Medicine.
“Just because something is popular does not mean it’s safe or has
any benefits,” Grunebaum, who wasn’t involved in the study, added by
email. “In fact, there is plenty of evidence to suggest harm like
infections, seizures and pneumonia in the (infant).”
SOURCE: http://bit.ly/1WbEjMF Archives of Disease in Childhood –
Fetal and Neonatal Edition, online April 28, 2016.
[© 2016 Thomson Reuters. All rights
reserved.] Copyright 2016 Reuters. All rights reserved. This material may not be published,
broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
|