Waterbirth

Saturday Love Letter on January 17th, 2026

Hi there,

Waterbirth seems to have been the theme of the month so far, alongside the familiar sore hips and sore backs that find their way to me every week.

It started on New Year's Day with a message from a former client who wanted to gift some massages and birth prep with me to a family member because she had such a beautiful waterbirth a couple of years ago.

Since then at least ten of my clients have told me that they hope to give birth in water, and it makes complete sense. Immersion in water is associated with fewer labour interventions and a higher likelihood of spontaneous birth. It is widely considered the safest form of pain relief in labour. When I was still practising as a midwife, I loved witnessing the ahhh moment when a woman stepped into the pool and her whole body relaxed.

The difficulty is that waterbirth remains the least likely mode of birth in Northern Ireland. Fewer than half of all babies were born without surgery or instruments in 2023/2024, according to the Public Health Agency (I’ll link the report below). The only recent waterbirth figure I could find was from the Southern Trust, where just 0.72% of babies were born in water in December 2023. Given that more than half of my clients express a desire for waterbirth, it’s clear that many women are left disappointed.

So what can you do to stack the cards in your favour?

If you’re already coming for pregnancy massage, you’re supporting your body by helping soft tissues release long-held tension. The earlier you begin tending to your body, the better. I also recommend incorporating regular movement that explores 360 degrees of the pelvis. Your tailbone needs freedom to move. A 20–30 minute movement practice, at least three times a week, will support and extend the work we do together in your sessions.

Arguably the most important thing you can do is get informed about birth physiology and about the obstacles that interfere with it. I wrote a book about this in 2022, specifically addressing these barriers. You can check it out here. 

And if you’d prefer not to navigate this alone, you’re welcome to book a pregnancy massage package with me (I currently have one space left for February and one for March), or you can join Tara and me for our next Born Through Yoga workshop on February 8th. There are a few spaces left. Bring your birth partner and spend an informative, practical Sunday with us, learning how to work as a team to safely advocate for yourself and support birth physiology in a system that doesn't always make that easy.

Sending you lots of love,

Nicole