Waterbirth International

Waterbirth International Advancing education, training, and advocacy for safe, evidence-based water birth.
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Led for 35 years by our director Barbara Harper, we support birth professionals and families worldwide in creating gentle, informed, and empowering birth experiences. Water Birth International
Advancing education, advocacy, and training for safe, gentle birth—one wave at a time. For over 35 years, Water Birth International has been a global leader in water birth education, maternity care training

, and midwifery support. Led by Barbara Harper, we equip birth professionals—midwives, doctors, doulas, and educators—with the knowledge and tools to create safer, more empowering birth experiences.

💙 Our mission:
✨ Promote evidence-based water birth practices
✨ Support birth professionals with expert training & certification
✨ Expand access to gentle birth education worldwide
✨ Strengthen maternity care in underrepresented communities
✨ Advocate for compassionate, respectful birth environments

From hospitals to home births, we provide the resources, training, and guidance to help transform the way babies enter the world. 🌊💙

📖 Learn more: https://waterbirth.org/
Follow our journey:

08/30/2026

Babrabra Harper teaching and training in Lagos, Nigeria

👶💦**Did you know that for more than 40 years, Barbara Harper has worked to make evidence-based waterbirth education acce...
08/30/2026

👶💦**Did you know that for more than 40 years, Barbara Harper has worked to make evidence-based waterbirth education accessible to birth professionals around the world?**💦👶

Recently, that mission brought Barbara to Paelon Memorial Hospital in Lagos, Nigeria, where she provided specialized waterbirth training for physicians, nurses, and midwives.

With much of the trip funded by Waterbirth International, Barbara was able to share decades of research, clinical experience, safety protocols, and practical knowledge with professionals committed to improving care for mothers and babies.

This is our mission in action.

Barbara has always believed that access to high-quality birth education should not be determined by geography or resources. She continues to travel tirelessly, bringing evidence-based knowledge directly to communities where specialized waterbirth training may otherwise be difficult to access.

Joining Barbara was Agnes Ndunguru, affectionately known as Midwife Aggie, a Registered Midwife and founder and CEO of Audentia Birth Center in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania.

With more than a decade of experience, Aggie is a passionate advocate for the Midwifery Model of Care and for bringing Barbara’s teachings to more professionals and families throughout Africa.

This is how knowledge creates a ripple effect.

Barbara teaches providers. Those providers become educators, leaders, and advocates who carry that knowledge into their own hospitals, birth centers, and communities.

Waterbirth International is not simply teaching waterbirth. We are helping build a global community of knowledgeable professionals committed to safer, more respectful, evidence-based birth care.

We are grateful to the physicians, nurses, and midwives at Paelon Memorial Hospital and to Midwife Aggie for helping carry this important work forward.

💧🌍 Education changes birth. Birth changes generations. 🌍💧

Learn more at waterbirth.org.

✨ 💦 Did you know that one of the greatest barriers to expanding access to waterbirth is not a lack of interest, but a la...
08/10/2026

✨ 💦 Did you know that one of the greatest barriers to expanding access to waterbirth is not a lack of interest, but a lack of comprehensive, evidence-based education? 💦✨

For more than 40 years, Barbara Harper has dedicated her life to changing that.

What began as a mission to better understand the physiology of labor and birth in water has grown into a global movement that has educated thousands of birth professionals and helped establish waterbirth programs around the world.

Barbara's teachings have been used to support the development of waterbirth programs in hospitals, birth centers, and home birth settings throughout the United States, Canada, Mexico, Argentina, China, Peru, Tanzania, Dubai, Israel, Spain, Turkey, the Philippines, and many other countries.

Although languages, cultures, and clinical settings may differ, the principles remain the same:

-Protect physiology

-Create safety

-Respect the mother

-Support the baby

-Build confidence through education

Our online Provider Certification Course is built upon decades of clinical experience, scientific research, international collaboration, and the collective wisdom of physicians, nurses, midwives, doulas, childbirth educators, and families.

The curriculum includes more than 14 hours of instruction, clinical guidance, implementation strategies, research reviews, practical demonstrations, risk assessment tools, protocols, mentorship, and continuing support from a worldwide network of birth professionals.

Unlike many programs, our goal has never been simply to teach techniques. Our mission has always been to create knowledgeable, confident providers who can safely integrate waterbirth into their own communities.

From the very beginning, Barbara believed that every provider, regardless of location or income, should have access to high-quality education. That is why our course includes country-based pricing designed to make this knowledge accessible around the world.

Because safe, gentle, evidence-based birth should never be limited by geography and personal circumstances.

Every provider we teach has the potential to change hundreds of births. Every family they support has the power to change generations.

Join the global community of professionals carrying this work forward.

💧🌍 Learn more at waterbirth.org 🌍💧

👶💦Did you know that breastfeeding is one of the most powerful ways to support the lifelong health and well-being of both...
08/05/2026

👶💦Did you know that breastfeeding is one of the most powerful ways to support the lifelong health and well-being of both mothers and babies?💦👶

This week, Waterbirth International joins families, birth care providers, and health organizations around the world in recognizing World Breastfeeding Week (August 1–7).

This year's theme, "Breastfeeding for a sustainable start in life: strengthen what works," reminds us that successful breastfeeding is built upon education, evidence, community, and compassionate support.

At Waterbirth International, we have long recognized that birth and breastfeeding are deeply connected. A calm, supported birth helps create the conditions that allow mothers and babies to begin their breastfeeding journey together.

Skin-to-skin contact, uninterrupted bonding, and respect for the normal physiology of birth can make an extraordinary difference during those first precious hours.

The World Health Organization emphasizes the importance of a strong "warm chain of support" that includes families, communities, health care providers, workplaces, and policymakers.

No mother should ever feel that she must walk this path alone.

For decades, Barbara Harper has taught that protecting the early relationship between mother and baby is one of the most important investments we can make in the future health of families and communities.

Whether a baby is born at home, in a birth center, or in a hospital, every mother deserves compassionate, evidence-based support.

Birth is not simply the arrival of a baby.

It is also the birth of a mother, the beginning of a relationship, and the foundation for all that follows.

This week, we celebrate every mother, every baby, and every professional working to create safe, respectful, and nurturing beginnings.

✨🌍 Happy World Breastfeeding Week from Waterbirth International!🌍✨

For more information, please visit waterbirth.org

👶💦Did you know that one of the most powerful ways to change birth culture is to teach one person who goes on to teach th...
08/03/2026

👶💦Did you know that one of the most powerful ways to change birth culture is to teach one person who goes on to teach thousands more?💦👶

This week, our director and founder Barbara Harper is in Tanzania, where the impact of more than four decades of teaching is beautifully coming full circle. Barbara, Midwife Aggie and Shereen Zarroug have created the Africa Birth Support Tour.

Barbara trained Midwife Aggie, who went on to establish Audentia Maternity Center in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania. Aggie created a space dedicated to respectful, family-centered care and the option of waterbirth.

Now, Barbara has returned to support Aggie, her team, and the families they serve.

Alongside them is Shereen, a birth coach and doula from Dubai whose help and assistance are invaluable during the tour. .

Together, they spent the day the first session of the tour for a Couple's Birth Class, were they guided more than 20 expectant couples through comfort measures, birth preparation, and the physiology of labor.

The workshop brought together families from Tanzania, the United Kingdom, Germany, South Africa, and beyond, reminding us that while cultures may differ, the experience of birth is universal.

For more than 40 years, Barbara has traveled the world sharing a simple but powerful message:

Trust the body.
Protect physiology.
Create safety.
Honor mothers, babies, and families.

Today, we are witnessing the beautiful result of that work as former students become teachers, leaders, and advocates within their own communities.

Birth work is changed when knowledge is shared, relationships are nurtured, and communities become transformed.

The future of birth is being shaped every day by people who believe women deserve informed choices, compassionate care, and the opportunity to birth with confidence.

And the work continues. Visit waterbirth.org for more information.

👶💦**Did you know that the first randomized controlled trial of hospital waterbirth in the United States has been publish...
07/27/2026

👶💦**Did you know that the first randomized controlled trial of hospital waterbirth in the United States has been published?**💦👶

For decades, birth professionals have called for more high-quality research on hospital waterbirth.

That evidence continues to grow.

A newly published randomized controlled trial compared planned waterbirth with planned land birth among low-risk families in a U.S. hospital.

The results are very encouraging.

💧 Less Need for Pain Medication

Families planning a waterbirth experienced:

- 64% fewer IV narcotic pain medications

- 62% fewer epidurals

💧 Safe Outcomes

Researchers found no significant differences in overall maternal or neonatal complications between the waterbirth and land birth groups. Those planning a waterbirth also reported higher birth satisfaction and less stress during labor.

💧 Moving Waterbirth Forward

The authors conclude that these findings add to the growing body of evidence supporting waterbirth and provide support for hospitals to offer waterbirth as a pain relief option for carefully selected, low-risk families.

At Waterbirth International, Barbara Harper spent more than 40 years helping hospitals safely integrate waterbirth through comprehensive staff education, evidence-based clinical guidelines, and thoughtful candidate selection. Studies like this reinforce what experienced providers around the world have witnessed for decades.

Read the study summary at: waterbirth.org/2025-study

💬 Has your hospital, birth center or private practice expanded access to waterbirth? We would love to hear your experience.
🌍Comment below!🌍

💧 Become a certified waterbirth provider at waterbirth.org 💧

👶💦Did you know that the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) has released new national guidance re...
07/17/2026

👶💦Did you know that the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) has released new national guidance recognizing doulas as valued partners in maternity care?💦👶

This landmark Committee Statement, "Partnering with Doulas in Clinical Settings," outlines how doulas, physicians, midwives, nurses, and hospitals can work together to provide more respectful, collaborative, and patient-centered care.

The guidance emphasizes that successful partnerships are built on mutual respect, communication, and a shared commitment to keeping birthing people at the center of every decision.

The Evidence Supports Doula Care

ACOG has long recognized that continuous labor support, including support from doulas, is associated with improved birth outcomes and should be considered an important part of maternity care.

As committee member Angela Daniel shared:

"This guidance demonstrates what is possible when we come together with mutual respect, a shared purpose, and a commitment to keeping birthing persons at the center of every decision."

For more than 40 years, Barbara Harper has taught that the best birth outcomes come when every member of the birth team—physicians, midwives, nurses, doulas, and families—works together to protect physiology, respect informed choice, and support safe, evidence-based care.

Collaboration is not just better for providers, it is better for mothers, babies, and families.

✨ Read the full ACOG Committee Statement here :https://www.acog.org/clinical/clinical-guidance/committee-statement/articles/2026/08/partnering-with-doulas-in-clinical-settings

Waterbirth International and Barbara Harper will continue to build bridges that strengthen maternity care for everyone
💧🌍 Learn more at waterbirth.org 🌍💧

👶💦Did you know that research continues to show babies born in water have excellent outcomes when waterbirth is supported...
07/09/2026

👶💦Did you know that research continues to show babies born in water have excellent outcomes when waterbirth is supported by trained providers?💦👶

Every baby featured here entered the world through the warmth and calm of water and had a gentle transition from womb to mother's arms.

One of the greatest gifts of waterbirth is supporting a calm, physiologic transition for newborns. Warm water helps maintain a familiar environment as babies move gradually from the womb to their mother's embrace.

A systematic review and meta-analysis published in the American Journal of Obstetrics & Gynecology analyzed more than 287,000 births across 52 studies and found:

💧 Lower NICU admission rates
💧 Fewer low Apgar scores
💧 No increased risk of maternal or newborn infection

The same review also found a reduced risk of postpartum hemorrhage, reinforcing that appropriately managed waterbirth benefits both mothers and babies.

The authors noted a slightly increased risk of umbilical cord avulsion, highlighting the importance of skilled providers who understand waterbirth physiology and safe clinical practice.

Behind every peaceful waterbirth baby is a birth team committed to evidence-based care, thoughtful clinical decision-making, and protecting the normal physiology of birth.

Barbara Harper's Online Provider Certification Course teaches birth professionals the latest evidence, physiology, and clinical protocols drawn from more than 40 years of international experience.

Download the full study at:
waterbirth.org/2024-study

07/07/2026

👶💦Did you know that one of the greatest turning points in labor often begins with a single act... surrender?💦👶

In this beautiful waterbirth, we witness a mother, supported by her husband, midwife, and older daughter, trusting her body exactly as it was designed to birth.

As she entered the birth pool, everything changed.

"After I got into the water... my body just let it go. I surrendered to the pain."

The warmth, buoyancy, and feeling of safety allowed her body to relaxand physiology took over.

She continued:

"After I really relaxed, my body really took over... in about an hour to an hour and a half, I went from one to ten."

Research has long shown that warm water helps reduce stress hormones while supporting the release of oxytocin, the hormone that drives effective labor. When fear decreases, the body is free to do the work it already knows how to do (Odent, 2014; Cluett & Burns, Cochrane Review).

One of the most touching moments is watching her partner remain by her side while her older daughter observes and helps welcome her new sibling. Surrounded by love and respectful support, this family experiences birth together.

Then, after hours of surrender, strength, and trust...

"After you see the baby in your hands... wow... there are no words."

This is the heart of Waterbirth International's mission: helping birth professionals create environments where women feel safe enough to trust their bodies, supported enough to surrender, and empowered enough to birth with confidence.

Learn how to support physiologic waterbirth through Barbara Harper's evidence-based Online Provider Certification Course.

💧🌍 Learn more at waterbirth.org 🌍💧

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