Be Alert, Home Water Birth Makes Your Baby At Risk for This Disease

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Water birth is an alternative choice for many mothers to give birth to normal without pain. Soaking in warm water can indeed relieve the pain of contraction. But that doesn't mean the water birth method is completely safe. Babies born in this way are at risk of contracting Legionnaire's disease. In 1 in 10 cases, Legionnaire's disease can be fatal. Here is what you need to know about the risk of this one water birth.

What is Legionnaire's disease?

Legionnaire's disease is a lung disease caused by Legionella bacteria. Legionella is a type of bacteria found naturally in freshwater environments, such as lakes and rivers. The existence of Legionella can be a problem when the population develops rapidly and spreads into man-made water systems, such as showers and taps, torrents of water, plumbing, until the pool of water in the bath is not drained clean.

A person can get Legionnaire's disease when they breathe small droplets in the air containing bacteria. This can happen when water goes down to the wrong "pipe" - instead it enters the trachea (throat) and lungs, rather than the digestive tract.

Legionnaire's disease may be difficult to diagnose at first, because the signs and symptoms may be very similar to pneumonia in general. Symptoms of Legionnaires disease generally include high fever (more than 40ºC, chills, coughing, muscle aches, headaches. Signs and symptoms usually appear between 2 and 10 days after the initial infection. If symptoms appear more severe, the fever will be higher and pain the muscles are also more severe.

Most healthy people who are exposed to Legionella do not feel sick. But, elderly people, COPD patients, who are undergoing chemotherapy, or who have certain diseases such as diabetes, kidney failure, or liver failure are more susceptible to Legionnaire's disease. Then, why can babies be at risk of being infected with Legionella bacteria through water birth?

Why can Legionnaire's disease arise as a risk for water birth?

Giving birth through the water birth method requires you to soak in a bath or plastic pool filled with warm water following the normal temperature of the body. Your midwife or obstetrician will usually ask you to stay in the water until the labor is completely over (until your baby is out and 'swimming' with you).

Infection in babies born through water birth is indeed rare. But keep in mind that even if the equipment you use for giving birth is new, for example a new bathtub and a new water hose, the tap water used for your "pool" at home is not 100 percent sterile.

Bacteria can multiply in water and spread in plumbing. What's more, warm water (36.7 ° C) used during labor is the ideal environmental temperature for the growth of Legionella bacteria. Even though during labor, the baby will enter the water and it is not impossible if water enters the baby's mouth.This is where the bacteria begins to infect the baby's lungs.

In 2016, there were two cases of Legionnaire's disease found in infants in the United States born through the water birth method. The two babies were then rushed to the emergency room of the nearest hospital after experiencing a high fever when they returned home. In both cases, the baby was treated with azithromycin antibiotics for 10 days. One of them was reported to be fully recovered. But there are also cases of babies in Texas who died of Legionnaire's disease after being born through the water birth method in 2014.

Can it prevent the transmission of Legionnaire's disease in babies born through water birth?

The risk of infection cannot be completely prevented because water birth requires a large supply of warm tap water during the process. But the risk of this water birth can be reduced by flowing hot water through a hose for three or four minutes before filling the tub to clean the inside of the hose and the tap water pipe from the buildup of dirt.

To be more secure, the water birth process should be carried out in a hospital under the strict supervision of your doctor's team. Hospitals that have water birth facilities have protocols to carry out the process from beginning to end - including infection control procedures, maintaining and cleaning all tubs and water hoses, as well as detailed plans for how to move mother and baby from the bath if complications occur.

Not all pregnant women can undergo a water birth

The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) says that the method of birth water does not have proven benefits for both mother and baby. ACOG also emphasized that the risk of water birth can cause serious health problems for newborns, therefore water birth is not recommended to be chosen as the main method of labor.

Seeing the potential risk of water birth for baby's health, you cannot undergo the water birth method, if:

  • Your age is younger than 17 years or older than 35 years
  • You have pregnancy complications, such as preeclampsia, gestational diabetes, and gestational hypertension
  • You are pregnant with twins or more
  • You give birth prematurely or prematurely, because premature babies need special care
  • Your baby's size is very large
  • You have had a history of caesarean section or had difficulty in giving birth before
  • Babies are breech so they need to be born by caesarean section
  • You have an infection
Be Alert, Home Water Birth Makes Your Baby At Risk for This Disease
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