Canadian mother gives water birth in Turkey

A Canadian mother living in Turkey's capital Ankara said on Thursday that she deliberately chose a Turkish hospital to deliver her baby through water birth.

Janette Bramley gave birth to Layla Afife on Jan. 29 in Etlik Zübeyde Hanım Obstetrics and Gynecology Hospital in Ankara.

"The doctors don't actually work with midwives [in Canada]. If you want a water birth, you only get the midwife," Bramley told Anadolu Agency, describing her experience of the Turkish healthcare system as "incredible."

Adding that she was reassured and kept informed by the Turkish doctors' -- who were fluent in English -- she said that she had had a "comfortable" birth in the hospital.

"Turkey is one of the healthiest places to give birth, so I definitely recommend it to people abroad. I was able to have a very healthy experience," she said

Father Barış Kaba praised the high standards of Turkish hospitals which do not charge for childbirth under the country's healthcare system.

"We are a training center of water birth in Turkey," said Dr. Özlem Moraloğlu, chief physician of the hospital which boasts four water birth units and has been certified for medical tourism.

She added that water birthing is a method practiced in 71 countries where a mother is placed in a hot tub filled with warm water and is "very effective" in reducing pain during labor.