Water birth pros and cons as Sam Faiers prepares for her second – and why a sieve is vital

ok.co.uk:

Sam Faiers will soon give birth to her third child with long-term partner Paul Knightley.The former TOWIE star has decided to opt for a home water birth and has already set up her £2 million Surrey mansion in anticipation.

After delivering her second child, daughter Rosie, now four, via water, reality star Sam decided to go for it once more. “I had a lovely home birth, water birth… Rosie came, and I was upstairs half an hour later in bed with Rosie, watching X Factor.

It was so surreal!” Sam - sister of Billie Faiers - has an older son too, Paul, who's six.The big brother got to meet his new sister Rosie as soon as she arrived into the world. “Paul was there with Rosie… He wasn’t there when I pushed her out… but as soon as she was in my arms, he saw her." According to the National Childbirth Trust (NCT) around 10% of women in the UK give birth in pools and nearly 20% use water for pain relief in labour.

Why are more women opting for water births? Award-winning Birth Influencer, Qualified Hypnobirthing Coach and Educator Emma Armstrong (The Naked Doula) explains why a significant percentage of women are hoping for water-based birth. "Getting into the water allows spontaneous movement that instantly increases comfort and relief from the mum's heavy baby bump," explains Emma. "This movement is a godsend for the pelvis allowing it to open and create more space for baby." Emma insists there are many benefits to birthing in water, which are: Speeds up labour by making the process of dilating - when your cervix opens to allow the baby through - smoother and quicker Reduces blood pressure Reduces perineal trauma - ie the likelihood of tearing the area between your birth canal and bottom Reduces the need for intervention.