Water Birth in Bangkok, Thailand | Natural Child Birth

When I discovered I was pregnant, I did some research and discovered that Samitivej was the best place in Bangkok for a natural birth. I liked the fact the hospital has well-equipped natural birth rooms and is known for doctors that support this method. I spoke with various other women who had given birth or assisted with natural births in Bangkok, and several recommended Dr Yaowaluk Rapeepattana here at Samitivej.

When I first met Dr Yaowaluk, I explained that I wanted a natural birth. She was very understanding about that, which I really appreciated. Throughout my pregnancy, she listened to my concerns and gave me sound advice.

I used hypnobirthing techniques during my first labor and I was aware that it’s not uncommon for women practicing hypnobirthing to have water births. I also knew that a lot of women do water births at home, but it hadn’t entered my own mind until I was in labor; I had originally planned to just have a natural birth with no medication.

I wanted to try and labor at home for as long as possible and I was able to do that for the first nine hours, which was very relaxing and nice.

Once I decided the labor was moving along, we (my husband, my doula and I) went to the hospital. Dr Yoawaluk saw me immediately in the women’s health center and after some monitoring we went straight to the natural birth room.

Things moved along quickly and we were only in the hospital for about three hours before my baby was born. While I was trying to get comfortable, I saw the birthing tub and thought I would be more comfortable laboring in the water. The nurses were very attentive and when they saw me in the water they asked me if I wanted a water birth. I replied: Yeah, I guess so! They said that was fine, so I stayed in there. It was a great experience and the transition was very smooth.

I spent about an hour and a half in the tub, but it seemed like less because I was so relaxed in there. It was good to have the warmth and the water felt very soothing. I am so glad I had the experience of a water birth because it helped make the labor smoother and faster than my previous delivery. In addition to the warmth, feeling weightless really helps because you are not fighting against gravity and you feel much more relaxed.

Immediately after my baby was delivered I was able to hold her right away while the nurses did everything they had to do. We had our baby for two hours in the birth room with us before she was taken away to the nursery, which I really liked. It was a wonderful opportunity for us to bond as a family. Those two hours were lovely and the nurses were extremely helpful during that time.

This birth was a nice change in comparison to my last labor, which lasted over 40 hours in the hospital! And it was so nice to be with the baby afterwards, unlike in the US where it’s common to take the baby away much sooner.

I want to thank Dr Yaowaluk for being so supportive as she knew I had specific concerns about having a natural birth. She never tried to dissuade me and respected my wishes and I was very happy about that. Overall the treatment at Samitivej was excellent and I am very happy I chose this hospital.

Although I’m not currently planning to have another baby, I would have a water birth again.

About Samitivej Hospital

Water birth

I wanted to try and labor at home for as long as possible and I was able to do that for the first nine hours, which was very relaxing and nice.

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