The birth of water embolism.

© www.sarawickham.com This article first published 2005 Practising Midwife 8(11):37. Republished with permission for personal use only. Page numbers do not correspond to the original. Please do not reproduce/reprint without prior permission, thank you. Most midwives have heard of the “theoretical risk of water embolism” that is often cited as a reason to haul women out of a birth pool and onto land for the third stage of their labour. I first heard the story of the birth of water embolism several years ago from Michel Odent, who might justifiably be called the father of water embolism, and it is a fascinating one. Michel has kindly supplied me with the facts of the story so that it can be told in print and, hopefully, serve to provide midwives with a way to challenge policy based on this alleged risk.