Tag: water birth

The American Academy of Pediatrics Weighs in on “Alternative Perinatal Practices”: Part 1

In a soon-to-be published clinical report, the AAP tackles potentially risky "alternative practices" involving labor and delivery of human newborns.

/ February 4, 2022

Legionnaires’ Disease: The Other Disneyland Outbreak

As 2017 came to a close, Disneyland again played a role in the outbreak of an infectious disease, this one much more deadly than measles.

/ January 12, 2018

It’s Still Not Safe to Go Back in the Water, and Other Tales of Woo

A thoughtful discussion of water-based topics ranging from toddlers pooping in the pool to recommendations on daily alkaline water intake for newborns.

/ July 28, 2017

The ACOG Releases Watered Down New Guidelines on Immersion During Labor and Delivery

In its new report, the ACOG remains clear on the lack of solid evidence in support of claimed benefits of water immersion during the first stage of labor. Inexplicably, though, it has inappropriately softened its stance on restricting underwater delivery to proper clinical trials.

/ December 16, 2016

Water Birth (Again)

Note: I had just finished writing this article when I discovered Dr. Jones had beat me to the punch with his March 28th article on the same subject. He did an excellent job, and of course reached the same conclusions I did (it’s not that great minds think alike, but that we base our conclusions on the same body of evidence). Rather...

/ April 1, 2014

An Update on Water Immersion During Labor and Delivery

Science Based Medicine last covered the increasingly common practice of laboring while immersed in water, in many cases followed by delivering the baby while still submerged, a little over four years ago. In that post, Dr. Amy Tuteur focused primarily on the contamination of the water with a variety of potentially pathogenic bacteria and the associated risk of infection. She also touched...

/ March 28, 2014

What’s in the water at waterbirth?

Water birth is dangerous, unnatural, has no benefits, and unlikely, but serious risks. So of course someone is selling it.

/ November 19, 2009