This text is aimed at health care professionals and parents who wish to make use of birthing pools during labour. It includes points from the first International Waterbirth Conference held in April 1995. Subjects include midwife accountability, international perspectives on waterbirth, setting up a waterbirth facility, maternal and fetal perspectives, current research issues, complications and problems, professional and parental accounts of waterbirth, early pioneers of waterbirth and antenatal and postnatal use of hydrotherapy. The book also contains useful adddresses. (view table of contents)