“I was birthing where my choices were honoured”: how women's choice of care provider and birth place are influenced by access to water immersion

Aim: The aim of this study was to gather information from women about their use of water immersion during labour and/or birth with specific focus on their choices, satisfaction and birth outcomes.
Methods: This paper reports on a subset of findings from a large Australian survey of women who had used water immersion for labour and/or birth. More than 800 women responded to the survey which included quantitative and qualitative questions.
Results: Of the 809 women who responded, 518 (64%) suggested that their choice of care provider and/or birth place was influenced by whether or not they were able to access to water immersion. Of those women who indicated that they had used water more than once, 71%(n= 217/307) indicated that water immersion influenced choice of care provider and/or place of birth. Women who sought a care provider/place of birth for water immersion, were more likely to achieve a water birth. Qualitative responses indicated that women commonly sought an independent midwife and/or homebirth to access water immersion.
Conclusion: When passionate about the option of water immersion, women will seek alternative options for birth place and care provider if the mainstream system does not offer them autonomy and self-determination over their choices. These findings highlight the importance of women's preferences and choices being supported by the mainstream system. They further highlight the need for woman-centred policies and guidelines particularly given that women will seek alternative care options based on their preferences and previous experiences.