Water birth is a method of giving birth, which involves immersion in warm water. Proponents believe this method is safe and provides many benefits for both mother and infant, including pain relief and a less traumatic birth experience for the baby. However, critics argue that the procedure introduces unnecessary risks to the infant such as infection and water inhalation.

The latest option to be offered is water labor and birth. Some of the benefits attributed to water birth are:

* Less stress on both the mother and the baby during labor
* A less traumatic delivery experience for the baby and reduced risk of tearing the perineum during delivery.

Water birth first came to the United States through couples giving birth at home, but soon was introduced into the medical environment of hospitals and free-standing birth centers by obstetricians and certified nurse midwives. In 1991, Monadnock Community Hospital in Peterborough, New Hampshire became the first hospital to create a protocol for giving birth in water. By 2005, there were over 300 hospitals in the US that had adopted such protocols. More than three-quarters of all National Health Service hospitals in the UK provide this option for laboring women.

Stay Tuned : Palisades Medical Center is currently developing a WaterBirth Program.