Anneri du Plessis at Birth Natural

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With conflicting information and opinions, many families wonder, is water birth safe?

A 2023 meta-analysis published in theAmerican Journal of Obstetrics & Gynecology (AJOG)
examined maternal and neonatal outcomes associated with planned water birth.

Key Findings

• No Increase in Serious Neonatal Complications
• Respiratory Outcomes Were Not Worse With Water Birth
• Slightly Increased Risk of Umbilical Cord Avulsion — But Still Rare
• Maternal Outcomes Were Favorable

Water birth was associated with:
• Lower rates of severe perineal trauma
• High maternal satisfaction
• Reduced need for pharmacologic pain management

Read more: https://internationaldoulainstitute.com/2025/12/is-water-birth-safe-what-ajog-recent-meta-analysis-found/

👇🏽 Did you have a water birth?

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I occasionally get messages that go something like this:

“My baby suddenly refuses my left breast. They scream, arch, and pull away, but they happily nurse on the right. What happened?”

Moms often think, “My milk must be drying up on that side.” Or, “I must have mastitis.”

Sometimes those are the reason. Especially if one breast is being favored more for feeding or the pump fl**ge is better for to one side. But surprisingly, milk supply isn’t always the culprit for breast preference. A baby who suddenly refuses one breast is usually trying to tell us that something feels different on that side. Babies don’t understand why it feels different. They just know they don’t like it.

Here are some of the hidden reasons this can happen.

💧 Flow or flavor preference

Believe it or not, your breasts are not identical. One side may have a faster letdown, a slower letdown, a larger storage capacity, or simply a flow pattern your baby prefers. Your milk can also taste different and have a different color from one side to the next even in the same feeding!!

Some babies love a fast, powerful flow because they don’t have to work as hard. Others become overwhelmed by a forceful letdown and prefer the calmer side.

As babies get older and become more efficient feeders, they become much more opinionated. They may suddenly decide one breast is “easier” than the other. Or one side tastes different.

That doesn’t necessarily mean there is anything wrong with your milk supply.

👶 Body position matters

Nursing on the right breast and the left breast are not mirror images. When you switch sides, your baby’s head turns the opposite direction. Their body rotates differently. Different muscles are stretched. Different joints move.

If your baby has neck tightness, muscle imbalance, torticollis, lingering birth tension, or simply a side they don’t enjoy turning toward, breastfeeding may be more difficult on only one breast.

Sometimes changing positions solves the problem. Football hold, laid-back nursing, side lying, or even keeping your baby’s body positioned similarly while simply moving them across your lap can make a huge difference. Bodywork like chiropractic, craniosacral fascial therapy, physical or occupational therapy can be a game changer.

👂 Ear infections

This is one of the biggest hidden culprits. Babies with an ear infection often refuse only one breast. Nursing requires them to lie on one side. If lying with the sore ear downward increases pressure, nursing suddenly becomes uncomfortable.

Sometimes parents think the breastfeeding relationship has fallen apart overnight, when in reality the baby has an ear infection that needs treatment.

If your happy nurser suddenly develops a one-sided refusal along with fussiness, fever, congestion, poor sleep, or pulling at an ear, it’s worth having them evaluated.

💪 Body tension

Babies don’t have to have torticollis to have body tension. A difficult birth, a very fast labor, a prolonged pushing stage, assisted delivery, time in the NICU, reflux discomfort, or simply developing movement patterns can all contribute to asymmetry.

As babies grow, they also become much more mobile. Rolling, crawling, and sitting all change how their muscles work. Sometimes parents notice a breast refusal around the same time their baby is mastering a new motor skill.

A feeding assessment that looks beyond the mouth can often uncover these patterns.

❤️ What should you do?

First, don’t panic. Continue offering both breasts without forcing your baby. Try different breastfeeding positions. Feed when your baby is sleepy if they’re more willing then.

If your breasts become overly full because one side isn’t being emptied well, hand express or pump just enough for comfort and to protect your milk supply.

Pay attention to other clues. Is your baby congested? Pulling at an ear? Preferring to turn their head one direction? Seeming uncomfortable during diaper changes or tummy time?

If the refusal continues, or your baby isn’t transferring milk well, working with an IBCLC can help determine whether the issue is related to milk flow, feeding mechanics, body tension, oral function, illness, or something else entirely.

Breastfeeding is a conversation between two bodies. When something changes, it’s easy to assume the breast is the problem. But sometimes, the breast is simply where the baby is expressing that something else doesn’t feel quite right. The goal isn’t just getting the baby back onto that breast. It’s figuring out why that breast suddenly became the one they didn’t want.

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Some women are traumatized by births that everyone else calls successful.

That statement makes people uncomfortable.

Because when we talk about birth trauma, most people picture emergencies.

A hemorrhage.
A NICU stay.
A crash C-section.
A life-threatening complication.

And those experiences can absolutely be traumatic.

But research on birth trauma tells a much bigger story.

Many women who report birth trauma had healthy babies.

Many went home physically healthy themselves.

Many had what medical records would describe as a completely "normal" birth.

So how is that possible?

Because trauma is not determined solely by what happened.

It's also influenced by how a woman experienced what happened.

Women commonly describe birth as traumatic when they felt:

• ignored
• dismissed
• pressured
• manipulated
• frightened
• unsupported
• uninformed
• powerless

Some women say:

"I wasn't asked."

"I didn't understand what was happening."

"I felt like I lost control."

"I kept saying no."

"No one listened."

A healthy baby does not automatically erase a traumatic experience.

Women should never have to choose between a healthy outcome and being treated with dignity.

They deserve both.

Research consistently shows that feeling involved in decision-making, receiving clear communication, having support, and maintaining a sense of autonomy are some of the strongest predictors of a positive birth experience.

Not because birth always goes according to plan.

But because women deserve to understand what is happening and why.

To be clear:

This is not about blaming nurses.

This is not about blaming doctors.

This is not about blaming hospitals.

Most providers enter birth work because they genuinely care.

But good intentions do not automatically prevent traumatic experiences.

Birth trauma often happens in the gap between what providers think they communicated and what a laboring woman actually experienced.

The goal isn't perfect births.

The goal is respectful care.

Because years later, many women won't remember every cervical exam, medication, or monitor strip.

But they will remember how people made them feel.

And that matters more than many realize.

A healthy baby matters.

A healthy mother matters.

And how she experiences the birth of her child matters too.

Have you ever heard someone describe a birth as traumatic even though everything was medically "fine"?

To all the beautiful and wonderful moms out there. May you be blessed and know how much your creator love and care for you. 💗

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There is a LOT we can learn from the collaborative care model in Holland! 

🔥 Hear more about how Dr. Deurloo and his team are making waves of change to give the most well-rounded and individualized care to families, including offering the MAC (maternal assisted cesarean) as a healing cesarean option. 

🎧 Listen to Episode 452 of The VBAC Link podcast on Apple/Spotify or watch on Youtube. Link in bio!


MAC
VBAC
Maternal Assisted Cesarean