Ireland’s first national clinical practice guideline on the use of birthing pools for labour and births has been issued by the Health Service Executive.
The guidance for midwives and healthcare workers aims to develop a consistent approach to the use of birthing pools in all maternity settings, including hospitals and home births.
Developed by the HSE’s National Women and Infants Health Programme, the guideline, extending to 100 pages, is approved by the Institute of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists.
It offers evidence-based standards for the care of women using a birthing pool during labour and/or birth, setting out eligibility criteria and specific requirements for water depth, temperature and maternal hydration.
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The guideline is focused on supporting informed choice for pregnant women, but for now only healthy women with low-risk pregnancies are eligible for water labour and birth.
The eligibility criteria may be expanded at a later stage to enable women with risk factors to safely labour in water and/or have a water birth.
Of Ireland’s 19 maternity units, 12 have birthing pools. However, not all of those currently facilitate water delivery.
Data from the Central Statistics Office shows 292 home or non-hospital births were recorded in 2023, but there are no precise figures for water delivery.
The HSE says that about half of women who opt for a home birth will labour in water, with around half of those going on to have a water birth.
