A system for monitoring health during a water birth includes a health sensor configured to be coupled to a mother. The health sensor includes a first sensor configured to measure one or more health parameters of a mother, a fetus within the mother or both, a second sensor configured to generate a submerged signal representing whether the health sensor is at least partially submerged in water, and a transmitter configured to transmit communication signals representing data collected by the first sensor. One or more parameters of the communication signals change depending on whether the submerged signal represents that the health sensor is at least partially submerged.