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Questions RE home water births??
Hi all, i hope you dont mind me joining over here?
Im 33+ 2 today and am really set on a home water birth, my midwives were really surprised as apparently im the first in my area to want one in about 6 years!!!!
So my questions are
- What pool would you suggest?
- Would you hire one or buy one?
- When should i order it?
- How long (if hiring) should i hire it for?
- At what stage of labour do i get in the pool?
- What size should i go for?
- How does the water stay at a stable temperature?
Sorry for all the quistions ladies, i dont get to see my midwife again until 7th Jan, and we wont go through my water birth plans until im 36wks and im worried thats leaving it a little late to hire/buy one?
Also were did you set up your pools? My living room is far to small, my dining room is in chaos as im currently decorating, i will if need be rush to get the decorating finished in time, but i wondered if the pools are to heavy when filled to put upstairs in my bedroom??? Its close to the bathroom so there is access to water etc.
Thanks in advance for your replies girls.
xxx
Im 33+ 2 today and am really set on a home water birth, my midwives were really surprised as apparently im the first in my area to want one in about 6 years!!!!
So my questions are
- What pool would you suggest?
- Would you hire one or buy one?
- When should i order it?
- How long (if hiring) should i hire it for?
- At what stage of labour do i get in the pool?
- What size should i go for?
- How does the water stay at a stable temperature?
Sorry for all the quistions ladies, i dont get to see my midwife again until 7th Jan, and we wont go through my water birth plans until im 36wks and im worried thats leaving it a little late to hire/buy one?
Also were did you set up your pools? My living room is far to small, my dining room is in chaos as im currently decorating, i will if need be rush to get the decorating finished in time, but i wondered if the pools are to heavy when filled to put upstairs in my bedroom??? Its close to the bathroom so there is access to water etc.
Thanks in advance for your replies girls.
xxx
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Replies
I had one 5 weeks ago and it was an awesome experience although I ended up staying in the bath tub and didnt get to use the pool (it all happened too fast!)
To answer your questions..
- What pool would you suggest?
I had the birth pool in a box eco
- Would you hire one or buy one?
Mine was provided by my mw. The liner was brand new and therefore sterile which is most important if you were to hire one. One of the November girls bought one from ebay and had an awful experience when it arrived (it contained rat droppings, gnaw marks and a dirty sock!!) and then had to buy a brand new one in a panic at the last minute. So if you are buying I would buy brand new, or otherwise hire from a reputable place.
- When should i order it?
Now, it will give you time to have a test run. They pack up quite small so you don't need a lot of space to store it. You can be guaranteed a home birth once you reach 37 wks (as long as everything is going well in your pregnancy still) so best to have it all ready in case you go early.
- How long (if hiring) should i hire it for?
From 37 wks until the birth I would guess.
- At what stage of labour do i get in the pool?
Depends how quick it comes on! I jumped in the bath tub about 1.5 hrs after my labour started but it came on so quick. Hubby did get the pool up but I was in established labour after only 3 hrs when my mw arrived and they decided to keep me in the bath tub. I gave birth 3.5 hrs later. In hindsight I would have preferred to have been transferred to the pool as while the bath was good (I have a big bath) I was not fully submerged and had to have water poured down my back to ease the pain from the contractions. So I wish I had gone into the pool at least an hour before I delivered.
I think when you get in the pool, it depends on your birth. How quick it happens. If you get in too quick it can slow down your labour (which the bath apparently doesnt).
- What size should i go for?
I am 5' 7" and had the mini size and it was perfect for our small living room (when I gave it a test run!)
https://www.birthpoolinabox.co.uk/birth-pool-eco-mini
- How does the water stay at a stable temperature?
The pool holds the water temp but you can always top up with hot water from the kettle or hose if need be. Generally you won't get in until the end though so it should still be warm.
I live in a basement flat so had no issues with the heaviness of the pool. We had it set up in the living room which isnt that big. You don't need much space at all surprisingly.. afterall I gave birth in the bathtub in our bathroom which is not that big and we had me, hubby, my 2 mws and my mum in there throughout my labour!
xx
Great to hear you are considering a home water birth. I gave birth to my daughter at home in september this year and I honestly think it was the best decision Ive ever made having a home birth.
I'll answer the questions as best I can but there are lots of other ladies who post in this forum who are really helpful too-they gave me lots of useful advice when I was researching it!
- What pool would you suggest? I was intially looking at the 'Birth Pool in a Box' which come in 2 different sizes depending on whether you want your birthing partner in the water with you.
- Would you hire one or buy one? I looked at them to buy and brand new go for about ??160 all inc. However if you can get them alot cheaper on ebay and you just buy the liners new for around ??25. In the end though we decided to hire one. I used the following site who Id highly recommend. They send it to you via courier when you reach 37 weeks, then you keep it until either you've used it or are too far past your EDD to have a homebirth-usually 42 weeks. http://www.waterbabybirthingpoolhire.co.uk/
- When should i order it? As above, it depends on whether you decide to buy or hire but Id say if you are buying you should get looking now if you're 33 wks. Oh and you probably already know this but you cant have a homebirth before 37 weeks anyway (36 in some areas). If you're hiring, with the site I used you paid for the rental and they send the pool out to you when you hit 37 weeks. I did mine quite last minute and was 37+5 when I ordered it in the end!
- How long (if hiring) should i hire it for? Not sure about other sites but the one I used hire it for a standard 5 weeks from 37 weeks so this covers you if you go over your dates.
- At what stage of labour do i get in the pool? I was told by my midwife while I was in labour that I wasnt allowed, a) to get in the pool until a midwife arrived to 'assist' and b) until I was at least 5cm dialated. Again this could vary from area to area.
- What size should i go for? It would depend a lot as to what make of birthing pool you decide on but the birth pools in a box come in 2 different sizes. If you want someone to be in the pool with you then Id say best go for a 'regular' size as its that much bigger and it has a seat too but if it'll just be you then a 'mini' would be sufficient.
- How does the water stay at a stable temperature? The recommendation is that the water stays at 36 degrees, when I was in labour my Hubby didnt fill it right to the limit and the midwives kept checking it throughout so when it dropped a couple of degrees they told him and he went and put more hot water in via a hose that stayed connected to our kitchen taps. Not sure what the alternatives would be apart from to empty some out and then fill it with warmer but that would be quite a faff whilst your in labour!
Id say you're better off staying on the ground floor due to the weight of the pools once they're filled with water. Im not sure how much it is (Im thinking something like 3 bathfuls of water) but the website link I gave above has that sort of info Im sure. Plus then you have the kitchen for the water supply etc. Could you move furniture around to accomodate it in the lounge? Or maybe get a space cleared in the dining room so there is enough room for the pool and also the midwife needs to be able to get to you so you'll need a space all round the pool too.
The midwife should go through all this with you anyway hun at your home check, they'll ask you lots of questions and leave your homebirth pack there in preparation too.
Good luck!!!
And if you have any more questions dont hesitate to ask on here.
Also check out www.homebirth.org.uk too the birth stories on there are great.x
[Modified by: Sarahboo on December 27, 2009 10:22 PM]
The other girls have answered all of your questions but all i will add is i was told the pool is best down stairs as it weight of it is too heavy for most upstairs floors to take.
and as for the size we put ours up at 37 weeks then had it stood on its side in the living room until it was needed so it didn't take up as much room (you could keep it in the dining room and just bring it out when you go into labour?
good luck xx
We have bought an aquabirth eco-pool online (should come up if you google it). The regular and large pools are the same price - we bought the regular pool and it is huge - plenty of room. It cost ??125.00 and that included a lid, a long hose for filling and a pump attachment for emptying and a thermometer. It was delivered really promptly next day.
Whichever one you buy i would highly reccommend testing how long it takes to fill it - ours takes 6 mins to inflate but over 2 hours to fill on our heating system.
It holds temp really well though, my midwife has said temp is crucial as baby might gasp if water gets too cool!!
Good luck with your pool shopping.
Libby xx