NICE Intrapartum Care - Water birth: second stage of labour

AIMS submitted comments on the draft NICE Guideline update on Intrapartum care for Water birth: second stage of labour (August 2025). You can read the the draft here

You can read the comments we submitted here

The updated Intrapartum Guideline is due to be published on the 14th November 2025. Further details on the NICE website including the evidence reviews of the study: Maternal and neonatal outcomes among spontaneous vaginal births occurring in or out of water following intrapartum water immersion: The POOL cohort study a publication which led to the update of this NICE guidence.

Read more about the 'the POOL Study' here


We hope that this page is of interest, especially to our colleagues in the maternity services improvement community.

The AIMS Campaigns Team relies on Volunteers to carry out its work. If you would like to collaborate with us, are looking for further information about our work, or would like to join our team, please email campaigns@aims.org.uk.

You are welcome to quote from or link to this article in your own work to improve maternity services but please credit AIMS as the source. If you are using a quote please include the following words: “Quote from the AIMS article {URL}. AIMS is a charity that works towards better births for all by campaigning and information sharing, protecting human rights in childbirth and helping maternity service users to know their rights, whatever birth they want, and wherever they want it. See www.aims.org.uk

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