La Nouvelle Maternite Aquatique Ostendaise
The New Aquatic Maternity in Ostend
BREECH AND TWIN DELIVERIES IN THE WATER
Until now, I have done 30 breeches and 6 twins under water. I began doing them after 1 year's
experience. In almost all cases, it concerned multi-gravid. Labour has spontaneously started in all
cases and has never been induced nor optimalised. All women were types of whom I knew in advance
they would keep calm, co-operative and restrained during the whole process. The slightest problem,
where medical intervention is needed, is reason enough not to let the birth take place in the water. As
usual, and especially with breech deliveries, you have to be sure the head can pass without any problem,
by taking and well interpreting feasible radio-pelvic measurements during the last days before the birth.
The great advantage of a breech delivery in the water is, that once the baby' s body is born, it floats and
is supported by the water. So, dangerous manipulations are excluded enabling a smooth birth of the
head. Logically the chances of a water breech delivery considerably diminish when the feet come first.
If you want to perform a twin delivery in the water, keep in mind that the prematurity of the babies may
not be less than 37 weeks and that the time between the birth of the two babies may not last more than
ten minutes. Eventually I let the mother stand up and take place on the delivery table when the birth of
the second baby takes too long.
Don't do breech and twin births under water when you lack experience on this level. Twin and breech
water births also have to take place in optimal and safe conditions. This means
- In a hospital, at a time when there is enough professional staff.
- With a maximum of visibility created around the birth (light+transparent bath tub)
- Where good professional evaluation of the labour, the foetal condition and the birth is
possible.
At this moment, I am developing a new aquatic maternity-ward where the non-medical, relaxing and
intimate atmosphere is even more created with non-visible medical instruments - a large whirlpool for
the couple during labour, and a new bigger transparent delivery bath, where the husband can also take
place if he wants to. The construction of this new aquatic birth-room, enables the husband to play a
more active and important supporting role during labour and birth, this is, from my point of view,
extremely important.
It gives the wonderful opportunity to create a continuity of the harmony experienced during the prenatal
aquatic preparation.
As I have become more and more skilled in this kind of childbirth, I can certainly say that the number of
caesareans I perform have diminished by half (from 12% to 6%) and the level of my prenatal mortality is
well under the national 7 promille. (These numbers are based on the total of my deliveries.) This
convinced me even more of the positive effects of this type childbirth has. For this reason I find it very
important to perform an autopsy on babies who died, this to exclude waterbirth as a cause of the
decease.
The real art of obstetrics and midwifery is to know when the right moment has come to use classical
medical interventions.
You have to be able to create a perfect balance between letting nature do its work and medical
interference.
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Rauno Lauhakangas