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Water birth

Whether you would use a tub or pool in labor, and whether you would plan to actually deliver the baby underwater. Using water for pain relief in labor is different from giving birth in it.

Should we have a water birth?

In short: Parents choose between 3 main approaches: No water; Laboring in a tub or shower and birthing out of the water; Planned birth in water. Evidence: experts disagree. Credible bodies or researchers disagree — decide whose guidance you'll weigh. Best settled: during pregnancy.

Evidence
Experts disagree
Best settled
During pregnancy
Part of
Pregnancy to first birthday

Water birth: what are the options?

Parents usually land on one of these 3 approaches.

  1. 1. No water

    You do not use a tub or pool in labor.

  2. 2. Laboring in a tub or shower and birthing out of the water

    You use warm water for comfort during labor and get out before the baby is born.

  3. 3. Planned birth in water

    You plan for the baby to be born underwater.

Water birth: what does the evidence say?

Experts disagree. Credible bodies or researchers disagree — decide whose guidance you'll weigh.

ACOG, with the AAP, says immersion in water during the first stage of labor is reasonable for healthy, low-risk pregnancies, but recommends that birth itself take place on land because data on the benefits and risks of delivering in water are insufficient, and that anyone who asks to deliver in water be told of rare but serious neonatal complications. A Cochrane review of 15 trials (3,663 women) found water immersion in the first stage probably lowers epidural use (43% to 39%), made little or no difference to spontaneous vaginal birth, and found no evidence of increased harm to mother or baby, though the evidence was moderate to low quality and no trial was in a midwife-led setting

Sources

What else is worth knowing?

Warm water can ease pain and help you relax in labor. Laboring in water and delivering in water are separate choices, and professional bodies treat them differently. Ask whether your birth place has a tub and what its policy is.

Questions to ask each other

  • Does a tub appeal to us for pain relief, and does the hospital or birth center we are considering have one?
  • How do we feel about giving birth in water versus leaving the water for the delivery?
  • What would we do if our provider advised against it?

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First published 2026-10-03. Last updated 2026-10-05. General information, not medical advice.