Vidhai Birthing Centre and Hospital, Mylapore, recently celebrated a very special milestone — its first water birth. More than simply marking a new beginning for the hospital, the birth reflects Vidhai’s larger vision of creating a space where childbirth is approached with respect, informed choice, compassion and appropriate medical support.
For the mother and her family, it was a deeply positive birth experience. For the team at Vidhai, it was an opportunity to demonstrate that childbirth can be safe and medically supported while still allowing a woman to feel heard, involved and in control of her birthing experience.
What is Water Birth?
Water birth is a method in which an eligible mother spends part of her labour in a specially designed pool of warm water and, when appropriate, gives birth in the water. Warm-water immersion during labour can provide comfort, encourage relaxation and allow mothers greater freedom to move and adopt positions that feel natural to them.
However, water birth is not simply about giving birth inside a pool. Careful selection of suitable mothers, continuous assessment of maternal and fetal wellbeing, infection-control protocols and a trained clinical team are essential. If at any point the clinical situation changes or medical intervention becomes necessary, the mother is advised accordingly and care is escalated.
The philosophy behind Vidhai extends beyond water birth. The centre believes in what it calls conscious birthing— ensuring that women understand what is happening during labour and are actively involved in decisions about their care.
Pregnancy and childbirth can leave lifelong memories. Unfortunately, some women remember birth primarily through fear, loss of control or feeling that decisions were made around them rather than with them. Vidhai hopes to create a different experience.
Whenever circumstances permit, mothers are encouraged to move freely during labour, choose comfortable birthing positions and participate in decisions surrounding their birth. Procedures and interventions are explained, questions are encouraged, and the mother’s preferences are respected.
At the same time, respecting a mother’s birth choices does not mean avoiding medical intervention when it is required.
Our philosophy is simple — we do not want to choose between a positive birth experience and medical safety.
Dr.Nandini .J
Founder and Medical Director of Vidhai Birthing Centre and Hospital. “A mother’s choices should be heard and respected. When pregnancy and labour remain low-risk, we support her body’s natural process. When medical intervention becomes necessary, our responsibility is to recognise it and act appropriately.”
Vidhai’s first water-birth mother described her experience as positive and reassuring, particularly appreciating the way the team communicated with her and supported her throughout labour.
For the hospital, her feedback was especially meaningful because the experience of birth is shaped by much more than the final few minutes of delivery.
From the doctors and nurses caring for the mother to the women’s health physiotherapist supporting her during labour and the nutrition team providing appropriate food, Vidhai follows a multidisciplinary approach to maternity care.
The environment itself has also been designed to feel different from a conventional clinical setting. Private birthing suites allow mothers to labour with privacy and family support, while the clinical team remains prepared to intervene whenever required.
Empathy, communication and dignity remain central to this model of care.
Water birth is still relatively unfamiliar to many families in Chennai and across Tamil Nadu. Some expectant parents are curious about it, while others have questions about safety, eligibility and what actually happens during a water birth.
Through this milestone, Vidhai hopes to encourage informed conversations around the subject.
Not every pregnant woman will be an appropriate candidate for water birth, and the decision should always follow individual medical assessment and counselling. Similarly, a planned water birth may need to be changed if circumstances during labour make another mode of birth safer.
The aim is therefore not to promote one particular mode of delivery as the “perfect birth”, but to broaden the conversation around how women experience childbirth.
Vidhai hopes its first water birth will help more families understand that maternity care can combine evidence-based medicine with dignity, compassion and informed choice.
For some mothers, that may mean water birth. For another, it may mean an unmedicated vaginal birth, pain-relief options or a medically indicated Caesarean section. What remains constant is the belief that every woman deserves to understand her choices and to feel respected throughout the process.
Ultimately, a beautiful birth is not defined by where or how the baby is born,” says Dr. Nandini. “It is a birth where the mother feels safe, heard, respected and cared for — and where both mother and baby receive the medical care they need.”
For Vidhai, its first water birth is therefore more than a milestone. It represents a larger hope — to help make childbirth in Chennai and Tamil Nadu more informed, compassionate and mother-centred.
