This letter is in today's Sydney Morning Herald - great letter, Sue!
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Water soothes birth pain
The Australian experience certainly supports British research on the benefits of water immersion during labour ("Birthing pools ease need for pain relief", Herald, January 27).
Last weekend, the new birth pool at Mullumbimby Hospital on the Far North Coast hosted its first water birth. This followed an extensive study of the clinical and legal aspects of allowing pregnant women to take up this option.
The benefits of waterbirthing, described as "nature's epidural" by one local doctor, include a shorter labour, assisted relaxation (that enhances endorphin release and possible decrease in blood pressure), greater ease in changing positions, modified pain stimulus because of the heat and less use of drugs for pain relief. We recommend this for healthy women seeking a positive experience of natural labour and a gentle introduction to the world for their babies.
Sue England, Clinical midwifery consultant, Northern Rivers Area Maternity Services, Lismore, January 29.
----- Andrea Robertson Birth International * ACE Graphics * Associates in Childbirth Education
e-mail: [EMAIL PROTECTED] web: www.birthinternational.com
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