Campaign seeks to overturn ban on water births
A CAMPAIGN has been launched to allow expectant mothers to have water births in their own homes.
The practice had been allowed under the HSE’s national home birth scheme, but it was suspended in November 2020.
At the time, the HSE said it had ‘temporarily paused’ the midwifeled service after two adverse incidents requiring investigation.
It said it had suspended water births ‘in the interest of health and safety of women and babies’. It also stated that, in hospitals, women can go through labour in a pool but they must leave it to deliver their babies.
Supporters point to several investigations giving water births a clean bill of health for low-risk pregnancies. However, 18 months on, the temporary ban on water births at home continues, along with the hospital restrictions.
The Association for Improvements in the Maternity Services Ireland (AIMS) said research has found that water birth can result in less pain, less chance of an epidural, a shorter first stage of labour and less use of Syntocinon (a drug used to hasten labour), while the outcome for babies is no worse than in conventional births. AIMS said it had been contacted by lecturers in the School of Nursing and Midwifery at Trinity College Dublin, by midwives, and by pregnant women and their families, asking the association to highlight the lack of choice for a safe birthing option at home.
It noted that water births had been suspended before a formal investigation was conducted.
‘We have now been informed that the investigation found no link whatsoever with the adverse incidents and giving birth in water,’ said a spokesman.
‘As yet, none of these reports have been made publicly available and the ban persists, resulting in women and their families still being denied the safe choice of water birth at home in Ireland.’
The association has started a petition on change.org, together with the Trinity College School of Nursing and Midwifery, which has received over 2,500 signatures.
It said the biggest study of water birth safety was conducted in the US in 2021. It compared 17,530 water births and 17,530 non-water births in low-risk pregnancies.
It found there was a lower risk of several maternal and neonatal issues, and no increase in neonatal death among water births. It found that neonatal hospital admissions were also reduced among babies born in water.
AIMS also said an inquiry in Ireland by the National Perinatal Epidemiology Centre had reported no adverse clinical outcomes associated with water birth in the community setting in the previous 12 years, since the HSE’s National Home Birth Service with selfemployed community midwives was established in 2008.
An AIMS spokesman said: ‘Given the evidence of the safety of water birth internationally, and the lack of any evidence showing the risk of water birth in Ireland, we ask the Minister for Health, Stephen Donnelly, to instruct the HSE to lift this ban on water birth as part of the National Home Birth Service with immediate effect, and to enable women and birthing people in Ireland to have the safe choices in labour and birth that are consistent with a 21st-century maternity service.’
The HSE said the review of water births was not yet complete.
‘During labour a woman can immerse in water but will have to leave the water for the birth. We appreciate this may be disappointing for those who had planned on having a water birth at home,’ a spokesman said.
‘The HSE is committed to providing safe and effective care during pregnancy and birth and it is for this reason that we made this decision while the reviews are undertaken.’