Nursing Students’ Perception on Water Birth

Water birth is the process of delivering baby under the water in a tub of warm water. Water birth eases pain during labor and lessens the use of analgesics. Water birth facilities are becoming a slowly growing trend; women’s prefer water birth than other birthing techniques. This study aims to explore the nursing students’ perception on water birth. Qualitative research approach was used. Focus group interview and survey was adopted to collect data on perception of nursing students’ for this study. A total of 50 final year B.Sc. nursing students studying in a selected nursing college at Madurai were selected using purposeful sampling technique. Ethical considerations namely informed consent, confidentiality, and privacy and the right to refuse to participate in this study were followed by the researcher. The data collected from the students were compiled and analysed manually. Five themes were extracted from the interviews. These were: Benefits of water birth, Concerns and risks of water birth, Preferences and cultural considerations, Emotional well-being and support, Safety and emergency considerations. The study shows that it is important to address the concerns related to water birth through education and providing evidence based information to students. This can help dispel misconceptions and ensure that students have a comprehensive understanding of water birth.