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Labor

Poster Session 3

(728) Water Birth YouTube Videos: Understanding Its Accuracy in Accordance to Evidence-Based Guidelines

Wednesday, February 14, 2024

8:30 AM – 10:00 AM

Location: Prince George's Exhibit Hall CDE, Lower Atrium Level

Primary & Presenting Author(s)

Erika G. Fleming, BS, MS

Medical Student
Hackensack Meridian School of Medicine
Nutley, NJ, United States

Coauthor(s)

Jamie Chen, BS (she/her/hers)

Medical Student
Hackensack Meridian School of Medicine
Nutley, NJ, United States
KC

Katherine Collamore, BA

Hackensack Meridian School of Medicine
Nutley, NJ, United States
Antonia F. Oladipo, MD, MSCI (she/her/hers)

Assistant Professor
Hackensack University Medical Center
Hackensack, NJ, United States

Objective: YouTube is a frequently visited video platform for seeking and sharing advice during pregnancy, specifically around natural delivery methods such as water births. We aim to assess the most popular water birth videos on YouTube to determine how accurately these videos reflect published recommendations put forth by the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG).

Study Design: A YouTube “water birth” search was conducted on 3/9/2023 with a new profile and private browser using the filter “most viewed”. The first 100 videos were selected and a strict inclusion criteria was followed. Video views ranged from 457,296 to 78,035,874. Reviewers scored videos in accordance with published guidelines using the “ACOG Water Birth Rubric”.

Results: 96 videos met criteria. 77.1% (n=74) scored neutral, 13.5% (n=13) accurate, and 9.4% (n=9) inaccurate. Accurately addressed guidelines include increased maternal satisfaction (12.5%), need for monitoring protocols (7.3%), and candidate selection and infectious disease protocols, (each 3.1%), limitations of the diving reflex and rates of episiotomies (each 1%). Inaccurate information included denying neonatal aspiration risk (5.2%), and need for candidate selection, neonatal benefit of water birth, (each 4.2%), denying the limitations of the diving reflex and the need for a monitoring protocol, (each 3.1%), false report of maternal health benefits and false information on rates of analgesia, (each 2%), neonatal infection risk, duration of delivery, and maternal satisfaction, (each 1%). No videos addressed alternative methods of delivery, avulsion, maternal health, or neonatal infection risk

Conclusion: Caution is warranted viewing YouTube water birth videos as the most popular vastly overlooked ACOG recommendations. Some accurately emphasized increased maternal satisfaction, but inaccurately addressed neonatal aspiration risk, candidate selection, and neonatal benefits of water births. Future research should assess the impact that such videos have on patients’ perceptions of labor and delivery options compared to healthcare provided information.