The idea of giving birth in water is not new. It has been happening for many years across the US and Europe. Probably perceived as something that hippies would do back then, today, birthing in water is as normal a choice as buying a sedan or a SUV in those continents. In India, though relatively new, water birth ought to be recognised as a valid birthing choice.


Rithika Ramesh with her newborn, Raya 

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For me, it started much before we even thought of having a baby. I attended an informal meet-up where a Polish woman and her Indian husband screened a video of her water birth. That meet-up was my introduction to water birth and midwifery. Midwives have existed in India since ages but because people see hospitals as a safer, cleaner environment, the profession is dying a slow death. Nurses and aayahs who support women while they are in hospitals or clinics, have replaced them.