Water Birth: A Complete Guide to Birth Pools

water birth

For many parents, the idea of labouring or giving birth in water feels instinctive — calm, private, and deeply soothing. But what are the real benefits? Are there risks? And how can you set up a birth pool safely at home?

This guide explores everything you need to know about water birth — from the science behind it to practical setup tips and professional recommendations.

🌿 What Is a Birth Pool?

A birth pool (or birthing pool) is a deep pool filled with warm water where you can labour and/or give birth. The buoyancy of water supports your body weight, relieves pressure, and encourages natural movement during contractions.

Birth pools are widely available in UK birth centres and hospitals, or you can hire one for use at home.

At The Bubba & Me Club, we believe in birth environments that feel safe, supported, and personalised — and water can be a powerful tool in achieving that.

💧 How Does a Birth Pool Work?

Warm water helps to relax muscles, lower adrenaline, and boost oxytocin — the hormone that fuels contractions and feelings of calm.
It also creates buoyancy, making it easier to move freely and adopt positions that help your baby descend.

Water temperature is carefully maintained between 35–37.5°C, ensuring comfort and safety for both parent and baby.

🌸 Evidence-Based Benefits

🔹 1. Reduces Pain Naturally

A Cochrane review (Cluett & Burns, 2018) confirmed that immersion in warm water during labour significantly reduces pain perception and the need for epidural or spinal pain relief.
Water encourages endorphin release — your body’s natural painkillers.

🔹 2. Shortens the First Stage of Labour

Research shows that entering the pool in active labour (around 4–5 cm dilation) can shorten the first stage by reducing stress hormones and supporting the body’s natural rhythm.

🔹 3. Promotes Calm and Control

Many birthing parents describe water as creating a private, peaceful “birth bubble.” The soothing warmth supports relaxation, privacy, and autonomy — helping you stay connected to your instincts.

🔹 4. May Reduce Perineal Trauma

Warm water softens tissues and encourages gentle crowning of the baby’s head. Studies (Burns et al., Midwifery, 2022) found fewer severe tears among those who gave birth in water compared to land births.

🔹 5. Safe for Babies in Low-Risk Births

For healthy, full-term pregnancies, water birth is as safe as land birth. Babies born underwater do not inhale water — the dive reflex keeps them from breathing until they reach the air.
(Bovbjerg et al., BMJ Open, 2021)

⚠️ Risks and When to Avoid Water Birth

Water birth is generally recommended for low-risk pregnancies, but it’s not suitable for everyone.

Avoid or delay water immersion if:

• You have preeclampsia, infection, or heavy bleeding

• Your baby is preterm (<37 weeks)

• You need continuous fetal monitoring (that can’t be done wirelessly)

• There’s meconium in the waters

• Your midwife advises against it for safety reasons

Possible complications are rare but can include:

• Temperature imbalances (managed by your midwife)

• Minor infection risk if hygiene isn’t maintained

• Cord management issues if the baby is lifted too quickly from the water

(Sources: NICE, 2021; RCM Waterbirth Guidelines, 2022)

🏠 Setting Up a Birth Pool at Home

If you’re planning a home birth, having the right setup ensures both comfort and safety.

🛒 Choosing a Birth Pool

You can hire or purchase a professional-grade pool from trusted UK suppliers such as Gentle Births Birthing Pool Hire.
They offer a range of portable, hygienic, and easy-to-set-up pools for all home environments.

💡 If you book birth companion, birth coaching or antenatal support through The Bubba & Me Club, we can also provide a birth pool as part of your package — ensuring everything you need for a calm, supported home birth is ready when labour begins.

🧺 What You’ll Need

✅ Birth pool + disposable liner
✅ Clean hose + tap connectors
✅ Submersible water pump
✅ Water thermometer
✅ Towels and waterproof sheets
✅ A strainer for water clarity
✅ Good lighting and ventilation

🌡️ Water & Hygiene

• Keep water temperature between 35–37.5°C

• Fill with fresh tap water just before use — never reuse water

• Your midwife will check the temperature and clarity regularly

⏰ When to Get In

The best time to enter is during established labour. Entering too early can sometimes slow contractions.

🤰 Positioning in the Pool

You can lean over the edge, kneel, float, or squat — the key is to move instinctively. Water buoyancy helps relieve pressure on your joints, making position changes gentle and natural.

🤍 Birth Partner Support in the Pool

Your birth partner’s presence plays a powerful role in helping you feel safe, calm, and grounded — especially during a water birth.

Here are simple, effective ways they can support you:

💬 Emotional Support

• Maintain eye contact, encouragement, and calm tone of voice.

• Use gentle affirmations or breath cues to help you stay centred.

• Protect your environment — keep lights low, voices soft, and distractions away.

💪 Physical Support

• Offer hands or arms for balance when entering or changing positions.

• Apply gentle counterpressure to shoulders or back above the waterline.

• Keep cool drinks, cold cloths, or fans nearby.

💦 Practical Support

• Monitor water level and comfort (with your midwife’s guidance).

• Refill or top up warm water when needed.

• Be ready with towels, snacks, and encouragement for both you and the baby’s first moments.

Many partners find the water birth experience profoundly connecting — a moment to witness and participate in birth with quiet confidence and care.

🍼 What Happens After Birth

If you choose to give birth in the pool:

• Your midwife will guide your baby gently to the surface.

• Your baby begins breathing once they reach the air.

• Skin-to-skin and delayed cord clamping can take place right in the pool.

• The placenta can be delivered in or out of the water depending on your preference and clinical situation.

💞 The Emotional Side of Water Birth

Parents often describe water birth as transformative — calm, private, and deeply intuitive.
The sense of weightlessness and warmth can enhance oxytocin flow, deepen connection with your partner, and make the birthing environment feel sacred and secure.

Even if you don’t give birth in water, using a pool for labour alone can provide extraordinary comfort and relaxation.

🕊️ Key Takeaway

Water birth is a safe, effective, and empowering choice for many low-risk pregnancies. It offers natural pain relief, supports the physiology of labour, and creates a peaceful environment that promotes calm, confidence, and control.

Whether you’re labouring in hospital, at a birth centre, or at home — water can help you stay grounded in your body’s strength and your baby’s rhythm.

✨ References

• NICE. Intrapartum Care for Healthy Women and Babies (2021)

• Royal College of Midwives. Waterbirth Guidelines (2022)

• Cluett ER, Burns E. Cochrane Review: Immersion in Water in Labour and Birth, 2018

• Bovbjerg M et al. Maternal and Newborn Outcomes Following Waterbirth. BMJ Open, 2021

• Burns E et al. Water Immersion and Perineal Outcomes. Midwifery, 2022