A water birth is thought to be a gentle welcome to the world for baby, but it's important that you know exactly when it's safe to labor in water and when it isn't.

For healthy, low-risk people who labour in well-run hospital or midwifery settings, water immersion (and sometimes water birth) can be a perfectly reasonable and satisfying option. The evidence so far ...

Credit: Xaver Caré Dubbed the “guru of natural childbirth” and “the water birth doctor,” the French obstetrician Michel Odent campaigned tirelessly into his 90s against what he regarded as unnecessary ...