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20th May 2024
10:56am BST
Wexford General Hospital has officially opened a new water birthing unit in their maternity ward.
The space aims to provide a calm and tranquil environment for mothers while delivering and also provides them with a choice of how they wish to give birth.
"The water birth may not be suitable for everyone, but our goal is to offer mothers as much choice as we can.
"It's a lovely calm space and if the room is available on the day and the mother meets the criteria for a water birth, we're now in a position to provide that," Norma Doyle, Assistant Director of Midwifery said.
Water births have become an increasingly popular option for mothers over the past few years.
In a 2024 study by Dr. Rebecca Dekker, it was found that water birth can "increase the chance of having a faster and less complicated birth".
Due to its relaxing qualities, water can decrease labour pain which can reduce the need for pain relief during childbirth.
The study also showed that water birth can help prevent tearing during birth.
"We're very grateful for all the support we've received on this," said Doyle.
"It was a real collaborative effort with great support from our technical services department and all our maternity staff here."
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