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Background: the opportunity for women to give birth in water vary globally, and in Sweden waterbirth is offered in some of the maternityclinics in the country. An increased demand of water birth from pregnant women have been noticed. Research on waterbirth mainly focuses onwomen's experiences, but rarely on midwives' knowledge and perception.

Aim: the aim of this study was to describe midwives' experience of, and knowledge about waterbirth. With a qualitative method and inductiveapproach, 16 midwives with varying experience, working in a clinic that provides waterbirths, were interviewed. The interviews were analyzed withcontent analysis.

Results: The difficulty of estimating bleeding in water was perceived as a challenge. Also, the surveillance of the baby when CTG was usedwas another challenge. The working environment for the midwife working in positions where they had to lean into the pool was also mentionedas a challenge. The state of education and knowledge was varying, but trusting one's skills in assisting a waterbirth was based both in the level ofexperience as a midwife and in the number and frequency of assisting waterbirths. The clinic's policies and guidelines on waterbirth also played apart in the perceived safety.

Conclusion: midwifes experienced of waterbirths was that waterbirth is positive both for the woman and the midwife herself. Knowledge wasobtained mainly through practical experience, other midwives, and clear guidelines.