Baby Suzanna (4/2/03) gazes at her mother just minutes after her birth
Welcome to Waterbirth International Taken from www.waterbirth.org
Giving Birth In Water: A Gentle Birth Choice
About Waterbirth International
Waterbirth International was founded by Barbara Harper, RN, childbirth advocate, midwife, author of "Gentle Birth Choices," (1994 Inner Traditions) video producer, waterbirth expert and mother of three, two of whom were born at home in water.
Founded in 1988, Waterbirth International was created to facilitate maternity care reform by helping parents and practitioners institute policies for the use of warm water immersion during labor.
Our chartered purpose is to ensure that waterbirth become an "available option" for all women in all birth settings by 2015.
Waterbirth International is one of the projects of the broader organization, Global Maternal/Child Health Association, which is working to alter the current technological dependency, excessive drug use and rising cesarean rate, all of which are predominant in the US, by educating medical professionals and the public on the benefits of family-centered, natural childbirth, midwifery as the model for maternity care, and the use of warm-water immersion during labor and birth.
Miracles happen when warm water is used to ease labor and assist with birth. The least of which is the recognition that women can give birth without intervention and that babies can be born without assistance. After providers and nurses witness the power of birthing women, they begin to depend less on the medical interventions and more on the woman's innate ability to give birth. A profound, but subtle change takes place when that happens.
Water is an amazing tool to assist with normalizing birthing practices as well as the birth process itself. It is out goal to responsibly integrate water into health care systems We provide the education, training, equipment and resources for both parents and professional to make the acceptance and option of warm water immersion a reality...
We LOVE helping women get into "Hot Water!
Resources
Waterbirth International provides an up-to-date listing
of providers, hospitals, birth centers and birth related support professionals,
such as doulas, childbirth educators, massage therapist, acupuncturist,
counselors, social workers, etc.
Search the categories listings and let us know if we have left out a type of
service that you are looking for.
Providers -
send
us your information to post.
You
can
SEARCH REFERRALS HERE
We have answered some of the most common concerns and questions about waterbirth
and the use of our portable birth pools in our
FAQ
section.
Let us know if you have different questions.
We'll post an answer for everyone to read.
You will find an extensive
bibliography of the published papers and books about waterbirth. We
update this as often as possible.
If you are interested in renting a
portable pool for your birth in home or hospital, you can find all
the information, including a downloadable flyer and rental agreement.
Hospital nurse managers or providers can
download articles, protocols and also book an
inservice education seminar.
This website is a work in progress.
We are posting new items and photos daily.
Please let us know your comments and concerns.
Just
drop us an email: barbara@waterbirth.org
I Was Born In Water
Our approach to the detractors of waterbirth, mostly obstetricians with no experience in waterbirth, and pediatricians who are leery of the outcomes, is to give them a view of the children. Yes, give them the research and the articles, but let our voices be united. Waterbirth is not a fad, is not going away and is a viable and sought after means of giving birth.
20
years ago when my son, Sam, was born at home in water, I didn't have the choice
to birth in the hospital and use water. My own physician threatened to have me
arrested for child abuse if I carried out my plan to give birth in water. As
stressful as it was to ignore his protestations and carry out my plan for a home
birth, I was rewarded for listening to my intuition and doing months of
preparation and research.
My first waterbirth was a passionate event, an epiphany, from which I realized
that human beings need a gentle, drug-free entrance into the world to have a
clean slate from which to start life on earth. All humans depend upon a strong
and viable attachment with their mothers at birth and before.
Baby
Suzanna (4/2/03) gazes at her mother just minutes after her birth
What better way to do this than with a gentle, non-interventive, empowering waterbirth?
If you want to list your baby, please send us an email until we have a registration form.
Please consider becoming a member of Waterbirth International so that we can provide waterbirth as an available option for all women in all birth settings by 2015.
10,000 names or
more by 2005!!
March 28th update - We have received over 1000 emails since
posting this page!! Thank you, so much. Please be patient with us as we open
each emai, respond to it and post the information on the website. I promise
that every single baby name will find its place with us!! Keep sending us
names!!
Women who have chosen to birth in water have a strong statement to deliver to the medical establishment. Their courage gives us hope and inspiration.
It is our job to make sure that hope and inspiration is transformed into widespread awareness and tangible action.