Expectant mothers can now use ‘birthing tubs’ at Kingston General Hospital

Kingston General Hospital (KGH) is now offering better access to water immersion labour and water birth for expectant mothers.

With a donation of $110,000 from the local Lions Club, the hospital was able to purchase two “birthing tubs” for the labour and delivery unit.

“The tubs bring us to the standard of care, as water immersion during labour has been shown to decrease the request for pain medication and epidurals, which increases a woman’s opportunities to have focussed care during her labour,” said head of obstetrics and gynecology Dr. Graeme Smith.

Up to this point, expectant mothers used temporary, inflatable tubs at KGH, which took about an hour to set up, and because labour is sometimes quicker than expected, the set-up at times wasn’t complete before the baby was born.

With the new tubs, immersion labour and water delivery is now readily available for women who are being cared for by midwives or family doctors.