Wang Chiew Kian (above, with husband) created history when she gave birth to a 3.64kg baby boy through the water-birth method.

She is believed to be the first person in the country to have opted for the method.

Water-births, which are new in Malaysia, are already a norm in other developed countries.

It is simply a normal birth carried out with the woman immersed in water.

Wang's baby, who was born at 5.20pm on Thursday at the Island Hospital, is her fourth child with husband Goh Beng Huat, 37, a subcontractor.

She opted for the water-birth method after being told that it reduced the intensity of labour pains.

"When I had my first three children, I had a severe back pain which was unbearable.

"With the water-birth method, the pain only lasted a short while," Wang said.

Goh was supportive of his wife's decision and recommends the method for other couples.

Island Hospital's consultant obstetrician and gynaecologist Dr Narinder Singh Shadan said they had to use a water tank as a birth pool as the hospital did not have the facilities for a water-birth delivery.

"The tank was filled with water up to Wang's abdominal area and we maintained a temperature of 37oC which is the body's normal temperature."

Dr Narinder said a woman's position in the tank varied according to the individual. In Wang's case, she was kneeling in the water with her arms on the rim of the pool. Her husband, who was also in the pool, supported her.

Dr Narinder said the waterbirth method required three things -- a couple who is motivated, family support and finding the right obstetrician to carry out the process.

"The water-birth method is good as the patient is not given medication, and there is no intervention.

"My job is to check the heartbeat and monitor the progress of the labour. Also I do not touch the patient at all unless necessary.

"This method reduces the intensity of pain, as the buoyancy of the water supports her weight and enables her to move freely."

"There is less trauma to the mother and baby, as the baby is born into an environment he is familiar with."