I asked my OB last week about whether or not the hospital has birthing balls to use. She said yes, but advised that we bring our own if we have one (which I do). She said that although they clean them after each use, she personally wouldn't trust a plastic ball that other people's ladybits had been laboring on for hours, no matter how "clean". I hadn't really thought of that before. I am not a huge germaphobe, but once she said that, I couldn't get the image of nasty used birthing balls out of my head. Just thought I'd put that out there.
Re: Birthing balls
I'm going to try really hard to forget that I read that.
Our hospital supplies them and actually tells people to leave theirs at home because they are so bulky. They don't allow people to sit on them without (what I call) pee pads (you know those things that look like little dog indoor pee pads). They layer them here about 4 ontop before you sit on the ball.
If you get a hospital tour I would ask them rather than your OB. They would have a better idea of what they do.
That's smart! I will see if that's what they do.
As am I, granted I am not planning on using a birthing ball, but still bad images came to my mind that I would like to forget!
OMG, I never would have thought about the potential dirtiness of these. So gross.
Yup.
ditto!! Just added anti bacterial wipes to my list of what to pack
I'd just hope that they'd clean them as well as they clean any other instrument that gets used with multiple patients - like those metal things that they use for paps or birthing tubs.