Advantages of water birth:

-- Water is soothing, comforting, relaxing.

-- Immersion in warm water is an excellent form of pain relief. Some women feel the relief as soon as they lower themselves into the pool, for others it takes 10-15 minutes to get the full benefit 

-- In the later stage of labour, the water seems to increase the women’s energy.

-- Most women find being immersed in water intensely private, giving feelings of security and control. 

-- The depth of the water gives support and makes it easier to try different positions as well as providing extra buoyancy which means you do not have to use energy to support your own body 

-- Buoyancy promotes more efficient uterine contractions and better blood circulation, resulting in better oxygenation of the uterine muscles, less pain for the mother and more oxygen for the baby.

-- The warm water is a natural aid to relaxation, releasing tension and anxieties, and leaving you free to go with the flow of the contractions.

-- Water birth is often accompanied by dimmed lights and aromatherapy oils, which can also aid relaxation 

-- With less anxiety, the body produces less of the stress hormones adrenaline and noradrenaline. This in turn allows more endorphins to be produced, which are the body's own painkillers, and which also promote a feeling of wellbeing 

-- Studies have shown that the mother's blood pressure can drop between 10 and 15 minutes after entering the water. 

-- You can still use entonox (gas and oxygen breathed in through a mask or mouthpiece) while you are in the pool, and some women turn to this during the intense contractions at the end of the first stage of labour

-- The atmosphere of a water birth is less rushed. The second stage of labour can take longer, which may be due to less pressure on the mother to push 

--Water birth can be a gentler entry into the world for baby