Alice Lettius from Allerum gave birth to her daughter Agnes the other week at Helsingborg Hospital. It was her second birth and this time she gave birth in water.

– It was very cool and felt like a natural process in a very calm environment, says Alice Lettius.

Since the beginning of April, when the opportunity opened up to give birth in water, five other pregnant women have had water delivery at Helsingborg Hospital.

"We have noticed an increased demand and now there are many studies on water births. This has contributed to us now being able to offer it here in Helsingborg as well. says Malin Heimdahl, midwife.

Natural pain relief

At the maternity ward in Helsingborg there are two bathrooms with large bathtubs, the light is dimmed and the staff has turned on electric block lights. Bathing in the warm water served as a natural pain relief for Alice.

– I had to stand up once and got a chest ache and it was terrible, I felt a huge difference between being down in the bath and up, says Alice Lettius.

Giving birth in water was not planned but was suggested as an option because she met the criteria.

– I didn't know it was possible and if I had known about it it would have been easier to be able to prepare mentally, but it still felt good, says Alice lettius.

Offered at more and more clinics

The increasing demand has also been seen elsewhere in the country, including Västmanland and Uppsala, which have also introduced this in recent years. In Skåne, the opportunity is already offered in Ystad.

"Demand is increasing, which is the main reason why more and more clinics are starting to offer water birth. So far, we have unequal care in that not all clinics offer water birth," says Hanna Ulfsdottir, midwife and associate senior lecturer at Karolinska Institutet who has researched water birth.

Is water birth something for everyone? Listen to Malin Heimdahl talk about water birth in the video below.

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Is childbirth in water something for everyone? Midwife Malin Heimdahl at Helsingborg Hospital answers this in the video. Photo: SVT/Cecilia Jönsson Silfversparre