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waterbirth at home anyone?

hi has anyone had/or is anyone planning to have a waterbirth at home?

i am opting for home birth this time after speaking to midwife and i really hope things turn out ok so i can have one.

i have seen some people speak of hiring water tanks for water birth at home. has anyone done this? where do you get them?do you just fill them up when labour starts?what exactly happens?

sorry for so many questions but this sounds great and im keen to find out anything i can.

also anyone who has had a waterbirth (even in hospital) could you tell me if it actually helps the pain, and if your baby was born in the water ?


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[Modified by: lauragcam on 23 January 2008 17:20:28 ]

Replies

  • Hiya,

    I want to use a birthing pool to help with the pain while in hospital. The professionals e.g. doctors, midwives say it is a VERY effective and safe form of pain relief so I'm hoping it will be just that!

    I'd ask your midwife about where to hire them from - or look in a search engine online for a reputable company. I'm going to be giving birth in hospital as I had a few complications last time. But I would definitely like to use the pool.

    Also, yes you can give birth to the baby directly into the water and it's safe to do so! You oh can even get into the pool too...make sure he's had a bath before hand though lol
  • I'm planning a home water birth hun so I've looked into this quite a lot. You can hire pools for around ??50 but 'birthpoolinabox' is one you can buy and the large one is about ??80 (more for the gubbins like pumps etc though) and you can get them patterned so that lo has a paddling pool afterwards!!! So that's what I'm getting, xxx
  • I'm planning a home water birth hun so I've looked into this quite a lot. You can hire pools for around ??50 but 'birthpoolinabox' is one you can buy and the large one is about ??80 (more for the gubbins like pumps etc though) and you can get them patterned so that lo has a paddling pool afterwards!!! So that's what I'm getting, xxx
    Awww that is such a sweet idea!

    I would love a home water birth and I am low risk so would be allowed one, but it's my first and I'm worried about things going wrong. My bp has the tendency to go haywire and I know if that happens they admit u to hospital anyway.

    You can have gas & air too with a home water birth!
  • You know the blow-up ones that you hire or buy...how are they heated. I don't like the thought of not getting in a nice warm pool.

    I've seen the hospital ones and they are basically like a giant bath you can either top up with hot water or they maintain their heat with underwater heaters.

    So how is the warmth maintained in a blow-up pool?
  • I'm planning a water birth at home this time, I hated the hospital with my lo and Ive done lots of research into it and I'm really excited about it.

    I found http://www.homebirth.org.uk/ is great for info about home and water birth and I've just ordered a book called Home Birth: A pratical guide, which is supposed to be really good as it doesn't look at home birth through rose tinted glasses and gives as honest look at the pros and cons of home birth.

    I'm hiring a birthing pool from http://www.birthworks.co.uk

    I am opting for a 3 week hire with the hexagonal pool with heater and filtration system, that way when we get it we can set it up and leave it. You put a sanatiser tablet in once a day to keep the water clean and change the water once a week. It means you can use it for relaxing in before you go into labour, basically we'll have a big hot tub in our conservatory for three weeks, doubt I'll wanna give it back , ha ha.....I did look at the inflatable ones but for my own personal preferences they didn't meet my needs, firstly as I am 6ft tall and a size 18-20 I want enough room tolay my legs out and for the sides to support me without squidging down, also i didn't want to worry that the pool would not fill up in time as it can take several hours and my labour with my lo was 6 hours.


    I have also ordered a book for my lo called water baby, which is a childrens book about water births at home which I'll read with my daughter in the weeks leading up to peanuts arrival...

    My midwife is really supportive of homebirths and as long as I am low risk at 36 weeks then I'll get the ok...

    I was worried about staff shortages as i know that communtiy midwives are called in to the labour wards when they are short staffed but she said not to worry as home births are priority and if I phoned them they would leave the hospital...cool...

    Sorry I seem to have written an essay but I have done my homework on this and its nice to share...
    xxxxx



    [Modified by: purplebabes on January 23, 2008 11:20 PM]
  • Hi there, I had a water birth at home with my first 8 months ago at was the best thing I have ever experienced!! I hired my pool from splashdown for a month (2 weeks either side of my due date). My partner and I had a test run a week before I gave birth to see if the boiler could cope with filling it and how long it would take. We even had a glass of wine together in it!
    The midwifes are really good and they will know when to start filling it and will keep an eye on temp and depth for you. You can make your birthing room really peaceful at home, we had the lights low and put an under water torch in the pool. I put lavender oil in the water and had candles. When you get in the pool it's like getting into a warm bath after a hard day.

    Mia was born into the water and it was amazing to watch her float to the surface with her eyes open. It was so peaceful and she didn't cry at all. The midwifes don't touch you and only monitor the baby's heart rate every so often with an under water dopler. A good book is Water Birth by Janet Balaskas.

    Best of luck. x x

    Oh and don't forget the Champagne in the fridge!

    [Modified by: Lisa Marie on January 24, 2008 09:28 AM]
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