The effect of water birth on infant health:a prospective study

Objective: To investigate the effects of water birth on infant health.Methods: Four hundred and fifty-six healthy women were investigated using matched prospective cohort method.The pregnant women were divided into the water birth group and traditional birth group(228 cases each group).Two groups were matched according to the voluntary choice of water delivery.All cases were followed up at 1,6 and 12 months after delivery,which was used to investigate the infant health.Results: The differences of the birth weight,APGAR score,heath in neonatal hospitalization and within 1 month,and the incidence of disease during the following-up of 1 to 6 months and 7 to 12 months between two groups were not statistically significant(P>0.05).Conclusions: The water birth to baby is safe and reliable.