Mar 21, 2014 04:26 PM EDT By Jaleesa Baulkman, UniversityHerald Reporter

Though it is a growing trend, giving birth in water has no proven benefits and is dangerous for both the mother and the newborn, Counsel and Heal reported.

Researchers from the American Academy of Pediatrics Committee on Fetus and Newborn and the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) issued a new report Thursday advising against the practice, except in very controlled experimental conditions, The Boston Globe reported.

In the report, the two prominent physician groups concluded that soaking a tub of water during the early part of labor can reduce a woman's pain and might shorten labor and the need for epidural or other painkillers, but there is no evidence established the safety and efficacy of delivering a baby into a pool of water.

"There are rare risk associated with [water births], especially if the baby is actually delivered in the water,"  Dr. Tonse Raju, chief of the Pregnancy and Perinatology Branch at the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, who was involved with the recommendations, told the Huffington Post.

For the study, investigators analyzed available data on water births. They examined the effects of water births during early stage labor and late stage labor, Counsel and Heal reported.

However, supporters of water birth have argued that babies have a reflex that prevents them from inhaling water, but doctors said the reflex could be overridden.

Researchers also found that water births were tied to an increased risk of infections.  

"When a newborn is born underwater, the baby's ability to regulate his/her body temperature becomes jeopardized. Furthermore if the umbilical cord breaks apart unexpectedly, it could lead to hemorrhaging and shock. In the rare case, the newborn could end up drowning," Counsel and Heal reported.

Members of the two physician groups admitted that no one really knows how risky water births are because there are very few studies that have analyzed the risks and benefits of the practice, Counsel and Heal reported.

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