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Tide turning on water birth ban as Drogheda becomes third hospital to reinstate option

Water births are used for pain relief during labour and birth across the world.

Noteworthy logo with a woman lying in a birth pool holding a baby.

WATER BIRTHS ARE gradually making a comeback in Ireland, after long-term suspensions meant they were only used in labour and not birth.

This summer, our Lady of Lourdes Hospital, Drogheda, became the third hospital to re-introduce the option after their use was halted over a decade ago.

Water births are used for alternative pain relief across the world. In fact, a reduction in epidural rate from 47% to 35% in the National Maternity Hospital in 2022 was put down to “the widening of the inclusion criteria for the hydrotherapy pool”.

Research shows that giving birth in this way is as safe as ‘land birth’ for normal risk pregnancies, according to information provided to women by the Coombe.

  • Noteworthy, the crowdfunded community-led investigative platform from The Journal, supports independent and impactful public interest journalism. Support our work here>>

The suspension in hospitals followed the death of a baby in a hospital birthing pool in the late 2000s.

Currently, just 11 of the 19 maternity units have labouring pools and three of these now allow water births.

The HSE has also “temporarily paused” water births in the public home birth service since 2020. It stated this was following “a small number of incidents”. 

An inquest concluded earlier this year into the death of a baby delivered in a birthing pool. At this, the coroner was informed that the HSE had suspended its home birth service as a result of the death.

The baby died from an undetected Group Strep B (GSB) infection. Evidence was heard that issues relating to the birthing pool were unlikely to have been a contributory factor. 

Pathologist Dr Noel McEntagart also said it was unlikely that the infection had been contracted while in the birthing pool, and there was also no evidence that the partial delivery of the baby under water had resulted in any lack of oxygen.

During the course of our in-depth BIRTH PLACE investigation – being published across this week – there were a number of indicators that the reintroduction of water births in Drogheda was a sign that the tide was changing on this birth option at a national level.

In fact, a HSE spokesperson told Noteworthy that the National Women and Infants Health Programme (NWIHP) is planning “that whenever feasible from an infrastructure perspective”, all units “would have the option of labouring and ultimately birthing in water”.

Gráinne Fleming wearing a green dress holding her son beside a lake with quote - I would have liked a water birth again.

‘Everybody is delighted’

“We work really well with the consultants here”, explained Fiona Molony, manager of the midwifery-led unit in Drogheda. Over the course of a year, the team also “sat down with women to see what they wanted”.

Guidelines were put together following a review of what was in place in Wexford General Hospital and the Coombe – the other two units offering water births – as well as by examining international guidelines and research.

Staff also went to Royal Jubilee Maternity Hospital in Belfast for training.

Five have taken place since May, said Gráinne Milne, Louth Hospitals Director of Midwifery. “And in the five circumstances… everybody is delighted with the fact that they’ve been able to have a water birth.”

Women are allowed to labour, but not give birth, in Cork University Maternity Hospital. Technically, national guidance is still against birthing in water, professor Richard Greene, director of the National Perinatal Epidemiology Centre (NPEC) and professor of obstetrics at UCC told Noteworthy.

The international evidence would support it. We probably need a review of the guidelines with respect to international evidence.

Ban still in place for home births

While water births may be making somewhat of a comeback in a hospital setting, there’s still a ban against them for publicly funded home births.

Gráinne Fleming said she had a water birth for her first birth through the HSE scheme but was denied one this time last year due to an ongoing ban.

Sarah Culleton from Waterford laboured in the pool at home during the birth of her third son a year ago. Her first two sons were born in hospital. “You have to sign up that you can’t birth in the pool,” she said but overall she had a positive experience.

“It was lovely to have the warm water after him and me afterwards, and to birth the placenta in the pool. Your family is there and you’re in the comfort of your own home. And you’re just so much more relaxed.”

Stephanie Kaneswaran wrapped in a blanket while sitting in a birthing pool full of water holding her newborn baby above the water, with quote - We are only starting to learn more natural ways.

Because Stephanie Kaneswaran opted for private home births, instead of through the HSE scheme, she had a water birth in Limerick last autumn. She felt that people are relearning more natural methods of birth, such as moving around and different positions – practices that were much more common in the past.

Aisling Dixon, chairperson of the Community Midwives Association, said that it is “not appropriate to stop services”. She said incidents do need to be investigated but stopping “affects the trust in the service”.

She said that they have been advised by NWIHP that water births will be reinstated but are “still waiting for the final decision on that”. She said it was stopped very quickly and hoped it would be reinstated with “equal swiftness”, but that “hasn’t happened yet”.

“There’s a high level of scrutiny of the home birth service”, said Dixon, who added that she welcomed that as they want the service to be “the best and safest” it can be. “But we also want fairness, in that the same level of scrutiny and publicity is extended to adverse outcomes in a hospital setting.”

When asked why water births in the community remain suspended and when they will be re-introduced, a HSE spokesperson said that “the NWIHP continues to engage with relevant stakeholders and professional bodies”.

“No further update can be provided at this juncture.”

Read more articles in this series >>

 

Birth Place

Why does the Irish health service offer so little choice for expectant mothers?

Design for BIRTH PLACE project - Newborn baby being supported by two sets of hands.

By Maria Delaney of Noteworthy

Noteworthy is the crowdfunded investigative journalism platform from The Journal. This investigation was proposed and funded by our readers alongside direct support from our investigative fund.

What’s next? We also want to uncover how a broken system is detrimentally impacting women’s health. Help fund this work >>

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    Mute Despicable You
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    Sep 6th 2013, 1:04 PM

    Charlie will be there in spirit? better leave out a brown envelope so.

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    Mute Alan Kennedy
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    Sep 6th 2013, 1:18 PM

    What do you think they are using as beer mats?

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    Mute Anthony Byrne
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    Sep 6th 2013, 4:15 PM

    Fifties

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    Mute Anthony Byrne
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    Sep 6th 2013, 4:15 PM

    Qnd brown envelopes of course.

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    Mute Paddy Cole
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    Sep 6th 2013, 1:02 PM

    A “front of house” man, telling the “anecdotal stories” – what’s the emoticon for vomiting blood on oneself?

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    Mute alan
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    Sep 6th 2013, 1:06 PM

    I’m lost for words. What a country

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    Mute John O'Neill
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    Sep 6th 2013, 4:42 PM

    So long as they don’t wander out onto the streets trying to pull women on to their laps, sure what’s the harm….?

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    Mute 'Bull' Mick Daly
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    Sep 6th 2013, 1:05 PM

    What so special about an appearance from O’Rourke?? She drives me mental.Fluck off

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    Mute Cuddle Flips
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    Sep 7th 2013, 12:22 AM

    Why do you think the Electric Picnic sold out this year?

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    Mute Ru Ni Digs
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    Sep 6th 2013, 2:07 PM

    The headline should have read “FF Senator get’s free advertising for his new bar,from The Journal!”

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    Sep 6th 2013, 1:37 PM

    This country is sick.

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    Mute Malachy Quinn
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    Sep 6th 2013, 1:13 PM

    FF will they ever learn !
    Have they no shame!
    OMG!

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    Mute Aine Ni Chroinin
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    Sep 6th 2013, 1:16 PM

    Is ‘Charlie there in spirit’ a euphemism for Bertie turning up? I hope they serve slops

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    Mute John Campbell
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    Sep 6th 2013, 1:15 PM

    The only good news about this story is that the clients will have to pay for their own drinks, at least until Fianna Fáil are back in charge. The ghost of corruption past is still around I see.

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    Mute Larry O'Doherty
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    Sep 6th 2013, 1:55 PM

    We HAVE to be the most dysfunctional country on this planet, even Sigmund frued couldn’t figure us out as a race and that says something….off the fcukin wall the carry on!

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    Mute kieran Curran
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    Sep 6th 2013, 3:50 PM

    Wow just wow. It’s like something from Fr Ted but more absurd.

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    Mute Larry O'Doherty
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    Sep 6th 2013, 7:30 PM

    Just shows ya Kieran, Dermot Morgan was so on the button. Sure he used to have a radio show called Scrap Saturday and that was taken off the air because it was so close to the bone!

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    Mute Sheik Yahbouti
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    Sep 6th 2013, 2:28 PM

    Words fail me. A man who has wined and dined for far too long on the public purse (if his photo is anything to go by) now intends to capitalize on his intimate knowledge of the two free troughs, to further enrich himself.

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    Mute Dermot Mc Loughlin
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    Sep 6th 2013, 1:50 PM

    Anyone else think these people get paid to much?

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    Mute Nelly Bergman
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    Sep 6th 2013, 2:13 PM

    What do they think the appeal of “replica of the Dáil and Seanad Private Members’ Bar” is for your lay Roscommoner? or any other county resident? Weird…

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    Mute Terry Ralph
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    Sep 6th 2013, 2:35 PM

    Who wants to hear anecdotal stories of failure upon failure,treason etc.the list goes on ,please tell me this is a joke ?

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    Mute MrKnow
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    Sep 6th 2013, 2:56 PM

    Its time to kill off the political class in this country and start again

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    Mute Dave O'Hanlon
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    Sep 6th 2013, 3:20 PM

    Maybe if they all turn up to this bar at once we could burn it down

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    Mute Patrick
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    Sep 6th 2013, 2:01 PM

    I wonder is the drink is free too.

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    Mute Anthony Byrne
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    Sep 6th 2013, 4:16 PM

    Not free but, but can be vouched and expensed.

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    Mute Fergal McDonagh
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    Sep 6th 2013, 6:40 PM

    Obnoxious pr#£ks

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    Mute Max
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    Sep 6th 2013, 5:09 PM

    Only in Ireland would the opening of a pub make the news, it’s great to be Irish , isn’t it….

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    Mute the bad mood pixie
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    Sep 6th 2013, 6:58 PM

    Will this bar be full of obnoxious out of touch €unts with a god complex too?

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    Mute martin freyne
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    Sep 6th 2013, 6:47 PM

    Nice Wallpaper, like something the Ceaușescu’s would pick

    …now there’s a thought!

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    Mute Dermot Ryan
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    Sep 6th 2013, 8:21 PM

    “No Fractions” ….that’s what with Ireland F.F. don’t understand English, History or Maths !
    What hope did we have with FACTIONS who don’t understand FRACTIONS. ……

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    Mute Michael Carroll
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    Sep 6th 2013, 7:01 PM

    Does it stay open until 5am ?

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