Waterbirth Coalition of Canada

10/19/2026

💦 MYTHBUSTER MONDAY! 💦

❌ MYTH: You can’t have a waterbirth if you’ve had a previous Caesarean birth!

✅ FACT: A previous Caesarean does not automatically mean water immersion is off the table!

Planning a VBAC (Vaginal Birth After Caesarean)? You may still have options! 💙

Warm water immersion during labour may offer:

💧 Natural pain relief and relaxation

💧 Greater freedom of movement

💧 Reduced muscle tension

💧 A calming environment during labour

For VBAC candidates, individualized assessment, appropriate fetal monitoring, and access to emergency care are especially important.

While labouring in water may be possible, giving birth underwater requires additional consideration and may not be offered by every care provider or facility.

✨ Your previous birth does not automatically define your next birth experience.

At the Waterbirth Coalition of Canada, we advocate for informed choices, evidence-based education, and respectful maternity care.

💬 Have you had a VBAC? Was water immersion offered as an option?

10/16/2026

10/14/2026

💦 ASK AWAY WEDNESDAY! 💦

It’s Wednesday, and that means it’s time to get your pregnancy, labour, birth, and waterbirth questions answered! 🤰💙

At the Waterbirth Coalition of Canada, we believe that education empowers families to make informed decisions about their birth experiences.

Whether you’re curious about the benefits of labouring in water, wondering if waterbirth is right for you, or have questions about your options during pregnancy and childbirth, we’re here to help!

💬 No question is too big or too small!

Drop your questions in the comments below or send us a private message. Let’s start a conversation, challenge misconceptions, and empower families through evidence-informed education.

Because every birthing family deserves to feel informed, supported, and confident in their choices. 💙

10/12/2026

💦 MYTHBUSTER MONDAY! 💦

❌ MYTH: “You can’t have pain relief in the water, so labour will be too painful!”

✅ FACT: Water itself can be a powerful form of natural pain relief during labour! 💙

Did you know that warm water immersion is sometimes referred to as nature’s epidural?

While it doesn’t eliminate labour pain, warm water can provide significant comfort and help birthing parents cope with contractions.

🌊 Here’s how water can help:

💙 Reduces muscle tension: Warm water encourages your muscles to relax, allowing your body to work more comfortably through contractions.

💙 Encourages relaxation: The soothing effects of water can reduce stress and anxiety, helping you feel calmer and more in control.

💙 Promotes freedom of movement: Buoyancy makes changing positions easier, allowing you to find what feels most comfortable.

💙 Supports natural pain management: Water immersion can reduce the need for additional pharmacological pain relief during labour.

💙 Works alongside other comfort measures: Breathing techniques, massage, position changes, and continuous emotional support can all complement the benefits of warm water.

⚠️ IMPORTANT SAFETY REMINDER:

TENS machines can be a wonderful pain management tool during labour, but they must NEVER be used while immersed in water. Always remove the TENS unit and electrodes before entering a birth pool, bath, or shower.

✨ The bottom line?

Choosing waterbirth doesn’t mean choosing to labour without pain relief. It means having another evidence-supported option to help you navigate labour in a way that feels right for YOU!

At the Waterbirth Coalition of Canada, we believe every birthing parent deserves access to evidence-based information, informed choices, and compassionate care.

💧 Education. Evidence. Empowerment.

Just add water. 💙

10/09/2026

💙 FEATURE FRIDAY | Celebrating Waterbirth Options Across Canada! 🇨🇦

🌊 This week, we’re highlighting the McMaster Midwifery Care Unit in Hamilton, Ontario!

Located within McMaster University Medical Centre and part of Hamilton Health Sciences, this unique, hospital-based unit offers families the opportunity to experience midwife-led, physiological birth in a supportive, home-like environment.

✨ What makes this unit special?

Opened in 2021, the McMaster Midwifery Care Unit was designed to support eligible low-risk birthing families while providing access to hospital resources when needed.

💙 Some of its features include:

🩵 Three spacious birthing rooms designed for comfort and mobility.

🩵 Upright birthing chairs and equipment that encourage freedom of movement during labour.

🩵 Water immersion options, including an inflatable birthing pool.

🩵 A supportive environment that encourages physiological birth and individualized care.

🩵 Access to additional medical resources when necessary, without compromising the importance of informed choice.

🌊 And yes, WATERBIRTH!

Hamilton Health Sciences has previously identified giving birth in an inflatable pool as an option for eligible clients. Families interested in waterbirth should confirm current availability and eligibility with their midwife.

At the Waterbirth Coalition of Canada, we believe that expanding access to waterbirth means recognizing the importance of choice in every birth setting — including hospitals!

When hospitals and midwives work together to support physiological birth, families benefit from having more options for how and where they welcome their babies.

👏 We celebrate the midwives, healthcare professionals and advocates who continue working to make informed birth choices accessible to Canadian families.

📍 McMaster Midwifery Care Unit
1200 Main Street West, Hamilton, Ontario

🌐 www.hamiltonhealthsciences.ca

💙 SUPPORT | PROTECT | PROMOTE
Waterbirth and Birth Choice in Canada

10/07/2026

💧 This week’s Ask Away Wednesday question:

“Can I get into the birth pool before I’m fully dilated?”

Answer:
Yes! You do not need to be 10 cm dilated before getting into the water.

Warm-water immersion can be used during labour for comfort, relaxation and pain relief. Some people choose to get in during active labour, while others benefit from the water earlier.

If getting into the pool causes contractions to slow or space out, that can be a useful signal to get out, hydrate, eat if appropriate, change positions and rest. If labour is established, contractions will typically build again as labour progresses, and you can return to the pool when it feels right.

There is no magic cervical-dilation number that determines when everyone should enter the pool. Timing should be individualized based on how labour is progressing, how you and baby are doing, your preferences, and your care provider’s guidance.

💙 The birth pool is a tool—you don’t have to earn your way into it by reaching a certain number of centimetres.

Warm Water • Strong Births • Brighter Futures
Just add water. 💧

10/06/2026

🇨🇦💙 National Midwifery Week | October 4–10, 2026

This week, Waterbirth Coalition of Canada proudly celebrates the incredible midwives who care for families across our country.

Thank you for the long hours, the middle-of-the-night calls, the quiet reassurance, the skilled hands, and the compassion you bring into every birth space.

Thank you for advocating for informed choice, protecting physiological birth, supporting families who choose water for comfort and birth, and continually working to make maternity care safer, more respectful and more family-centred.

Whether you are supporting a family at home, in a birth centre, or within a hospital, your work matters. Your knowledge matters. Your advocacy matters. And the difference you make in the lives of Canadian families lasts far beyond the day a baby is born.

From all of us at Waterbirth Coalition of Canada, thank you for everything you do. 💙🌊

Happy National Midwifery Week!

10/05/2026

💧 MYTHBUSTER MONDAY 💧

MYTH: Getting in the water will stop or slow down your labour.

FACT: For many people, warm water can actually help labour by encouraging relaxation, easing muscle tension, supporting movement and positioning, and helping you cope with contractions more comfortably.

But here’s an important part of the conversation: sometimes getting into the tub can temporarily slow things down — and that isn’t necessarily a bad thing.

If contractions space out or labour seems to stall once you’re in the water, consider it an opportunity to get out of the tub, hydrate, eat if appropriate, empty your bladder and REST. Your body may simply be telling you it needs a break.

If you are in established labour, contractions will generally resume or strengthen as labour continues. Getting out of the water, changing positions and moving around may also help things pick back up. If contractions stop and don’t return, it may mean you weren’t yet in established labour.

The birth pool is a tool, not a place you have to stay. Get in when it feels good. Get out when your body needs something different. You can always return to the water later. 💙

As always, changes in your contraction pattern or concerns about you or your baby should be discussed with your midwife or maternity-care provider.

Education. Evidence. Empowerment.
💧 Just add water.

10/02/2026

So proud to present Octobers Waterbirth hero. My personal friend Delia. Delia has accomplished so much in her career and I’m honoured to call her my friend. Congratulations Delia for all of the lives you have changed and for all you do for birthing women everywhere ❤️

09/30/2026

Always follow your providers recommendations but yes research shows birthing both the baby and placenta in the pool are safe to do. 💧