Once it was an unusual choice by women seeking a particularly natural birth. Today, more and more laboring women in Israel ask to enter the birth pool instead of the delivery room bed. Water births, which until recently were rare in hospitals, are gradually becoming a sought after option, as hospitals expand the service and report a sharp rise in demand. At Assuta Ashdod, where more than 400 water births have already been performed, staff explain that the combination of a calm birth experience and medical safety attracts women from all over the country.
"More women hear about the experience from friends, look for a natural alternative, and ask to give birth in a way that suits them," Dr. Tal Ben Valid, midwife and head of delivery rooms at Assuta Ashdod, told Walla. At the hospital, they report an increase of about 40% in demand for water births over the past year, and recently a significant milestone was crossed: More than 400 water births have been performed since the service was launched.
"Our belief is that every woman deserves to receive the best professional service, regardless of her financial ability. Therefore, the service and equipment are provided here completely free of charge," she explained. At Assuta Ashdod, they note that it is currently the only hospital in the South providing regular water birth services. According to them, quite a few women arrive specially from Beit Shemesh, Jerusalem, and the Central region. "Our advantage is availability," she explains. "We have a dedicated room with a permanent birth pool, but in fact a water birth can be performed in almost any delivery room using suitable equipment. If the laboring woman meets the medical criteria for a low risk pregnancy, the chance that she will be able to give birth in water is very high."
Pros and cons of water births
"Water birth is not dangerous. We do not see more complications compared to regular births. In advance, these are women with healthy, low risk pregnancies, and we monitor them throughout the entire labor," she emphasized. According to her, the fetus is also under continuous monitoring using a waterproof monitor. "If we identify any change that requires medical intervention, the laboring woman immediately exits the pool and continues the birth in bed. In practice, very few women are forced to leave the water due to a complication."
According to the staff, the main advantage of a water birth is the natural coping with pain. "Water is one of the best natural pain relievers. It calms, reduces pain, and allows the laboring woman to be more relaxed. In water births, there is no option to receive an epidural or laughing gas, so the water itself helps in coping with contractions.
The baby is in the womb in amniotic fluid, and even when emerging into the pool water, it does not start breathing immediately. Therefore, the transition from the womb to the water does not pose a danger when the birth is performed according to protocols."
Is this a trend promoted on social networks? According to her, social networks indeed increase exposure, but the main reason for demand is actually personal recommendations.
"Women tell each other about their birth experience. When someone says she had a good, powerful, and empowering birth, her friends want to check out this option too. This is much more significant than any Instagram video."
"They ask what is right for them physically, mentally, and emotionally, and look for the way that will give them the best birth experience," she explained. However, a water birth is not intended for every laboring woman. It is suitable only for healthy pregnancies and for women who are not defined as high risk. "This is an additional option, not a substitute for all births. Regular births will continue to be the way most women give birth, but it is important that every woman has the option to choose the way that suits her."
A global trend
Dr. Yossi Tovbin, director of the Obstetrics and Gynecology Department at the hospital, says this is a global trend that is also strengthening in Israel. "Women are looking for a different birth experience. Every laboring woman feels that her child is special, and if it is possible to bring him into the world in a special way, with as few medical interventions as possible and in a calm atmosphere, many choose to do so," he said in a conversation with Walla. According to him, the medical center was among the first in Israel to operate an organized service for water births, after the staff underwent dedicated training with an international expert considered one of the world's leading figures in the field. "We traveled to learn, brought an expert from the United States who guided our midwives, and built the service according to successful models operating in Europe and the United States," he said.
"We carefully select the laboring women," Dr. Tovbin explains. "Usually, these are repeat births, without gestational diabetes, without preeclampsia, without background illnesses, and without concern of a large fetus. The goal is to maintain complete safety." During the birth itself, continuous monitoring of the fetus takes place using a wireless waterproof monitor. "From our perspective, there is no difference between a laboring woman who is in the water and a laboring woman who is on the delivery bed. If a concern of fetal distress, bleeding, or any other complication develops, the water birth is immediately stopped and the laboring woman is transferred for standard continued care."
One of the key features of water births is the inability to receive an epidural while staying in the tub. "Whoever chooses a water birth knows that she goes through the process without an epidural," Dr. Tovbin says. "This requires preparation and endurance. There are women who during labor decide they want an epidural, and then we simply transfer them to a regular bed and continue the birth in the conventional way. Their experience is extraordinary. They are very satisfied, and it spreads by word of mouth."
At the hospital, a dedicated room for water births was established, including a wide medical bathtub that allows convenient access for the midwife and partner during labor. When several water births occur simultaneously, disposable inflatable pools are also used, designed to maintain strict hygiene conditions and prevent infections. The permanent bathtub undergoes thorough medical disinfection after every use, in accordance with infection control procedures.
"We have become a pilgrimage site"
According to Dr. Tovbin, the reputation the service has gained attracts laboring women from outside the region as well. "We have become a place people come to specifically for water births. We are among the leading centers in the country both in terms of the number of births and in terms of professional knowledge. We are in continuous contact with international experts in the field, and our midwives undergo dedicated training regularly."
In conclusion, he emphasizes that alongside the unique experience, the guiding principle remains the safety of the mother and newborn. "Our job is to enable the birth experience the woman wants, but without compromising even for a moment on the medical standard. After more than 400 successful water births, we know that it is possible to combine the two."