Intermountain Layton Hospital Offers Water Birth Option for Labor and Delivery for Moms Who Qualify

Low-intervention childbirth methods are becoming more popular in the U.S., and hospitals are offering more options for pregnant moms to assist them in being comfortable during labor and delivery.

Water birth  is a new low-intervention childbirth option being offered for moms who qualify in two birthing rooms at Intermountain Layton Hospital in Utah.

“Water has been used for millennia to ease labor, and waterbirth became popular in the ‘60’s and ‘70’s and is becoming more popular now. The idea behind it is that physiologically, the buoyancy the water provides can help lessen the sensory experience of painful contractions or back labor,” said Leah Moses, CNM, a board-certified nurse midwife at Intermountain Layton Hospital.

“Water is also calming and relaxing, so it leads to a different neurologic experience during labor. When moms are distracted from contractions, moms have more endurance, and a greater possibility of an unmedicated labor,” she added.

To qualify for waterbirth at Layton Hospital, pregnant moms will need to have a conversation with their doctor or midwife during their prenatal visits and:

• Have no infections
• Be willing to go through labor unmedicated
• Be able to get in and out of the tub
• Unborn baby must have normal fetal heart rate and no fetal anomalies

“Moms who qualify and plan on a waterbirth can get in the special tub, at any stage during labor. The tub keeps the water at a comfortable temperature. Moms can even give birth in the water. When a baby is born underwater, it’s a gentler birth,” said Moses who has given birth to her own child in the water.

All the midwives at Layton Hospital are trained for waterbirth and offer continuous labor support. Counter pressure can still be done in the tub. A baby can still be monitored under the water with a cordless monitor that is waterproof.

“We want to meet moms where they are and respect their birth preferences and mirror what happens at home, in the hospital,” said Moses. “The ultimate goal is to keep mom and baby healthy and safe, so if complications arise during pregnancy or childbirth, a birth plan may need to be adjusted.”

“During waterbirth, a baby is born from a watery environment in the womb to a watery environment outside the womb. We bring the baby out of the water quickly. Mom steps out of the tub, dries off, and can hold her baby skin to skin,” said Moses.

“We do a delayed clamping of the umbilical cord. And the neonatal ICU is on hand in case baby needs it. The placenta is delivered with mom out of the tub, to better estimate blood loss. Another benefit of waterbirth is that there is typically less perineal damage and less stitching is required afterward, since water hydrates the cells,” she added.

For moms who want a low-intervention childbirth, it’s recommended they take a childbirth preparation class prior to labor and delivery, so they can learn about ways to manage the pain of labor and childbirth either without pain medication or by using a different type of medication other than an epidural. Select Health insurance covers waterbirth as part of the global fee for a regular delivery at an in-network facility that offers it.

The waterbirth option will be coming to other Intermountain hospital locations in the future.

Intermountain Health offers a variety of childbirth education classes offered online or in-person at 12 Intermountain hospitals in Utah. For more information visit intermountainhealth.org.

About Intermountain Health

Headquartered in Utah with locations in six states and additional operations across the western U.S., Intermountain Health is a nonprofit system of 33 hospitals, 385 clinics, medical groups with some 4,600 employed physicians and advanced care providers, a health plans division called Select Health with more than one million members, and other health services. Helping people live the healthiest lives possible, Intermountain is committed to improving community health and is widely recognized as a leader in transforming healthcare by using evidence-based best practices to consistently deliver high-quality outcomes at sustainable costs. For more information or updates, see https://intermountainhealthcare.org/news.