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Anyone buy a birthing stool?

Runningmomma Runningmomma member
in Natural Birth

FTM preparing for a natural med-free hospital birth in June. My hospital doesn't offer/provide anything besides the bed and a shower! I am bringing my exercise ball, and thinking about purchasing a birthing/squatting stool. Can anyone recommend one along with a link? Anything else I should bring that may be helpful? I will have my ipad for music. I'm assuming they will provide washcloths. TIA

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Re: Anyone buy a birthing stool?

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    CelynCelyn member

    I own one of these: https://www.birthrite.com.au/eng/products/floor_studio/components/birthing_seat/index.htm

     

    Make sure they would let you bring one.  I can't always bring it everywhere 

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    wren444wren444

    Ask if they have a birthing bar for the hospital bed - I believe they may even be standard but so few women ask for them they keep them hidden in some mystery closet or something. The hospital my first doula worked at in Missouri and the one here where I live in North Carolina definitely have them...but you have to know to ask for it. Sometimes they are called squat bars - goes over the bed towards the foot of the bed and gives you something to hold onto while squatting on the bed.

    Someone recommended bringing your own towels, since the hospital ones are puny. A light night gown or robe... 

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    Runningmomma Runningmomma member
    I didn't see a bar on the tour, but I will ask. The nurse said something about the beds being these new break away beds, but my OB doesn't typically use that option. I should've asked at the time, but I will definitely be asking my OB what she meant by that. The nurses said they do not have balls or anything else, but I can bring what I want. 
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    KateLouiseKateLouise member

    I don't know how much a birthing stool costs, and I know everyone's exeprience is different, but I hated it when I tried it.

    I was talking to a mw about it afterwards, and she said suggested that sitting on the toilet gives you a similar position.

    So if you can't source one/aren't allowed to take one in etc etc and your room has an ensuite, then maybe you could try sitting on the toilet to give you a supported squatting position?

    Just a thought. 

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    KruPatelKruPatel member
    I was told sqatting was the best position to birth in and helps baby move down slowly and opens up your pelvis. So I took this mini chair my MIL had from when my husband was a toddler and used that. It's just a mini kids chair that comes with toddlers table and chair which was yellow and good support and sturdy. Used it at home to sit on while eating or watching tv instead of sitting on dinning table chair or sofa. It was great. I used the chair at hospital and labored on for 68 hours. It also helped that it had a back support little so we put two tennis balls in a sick and stuck it behind me while I was sitting on the chair so when contractions came I would put pressure on it and roll against it a little. I also used the chair to sit on while while putting my arms n head on the bed and rest. You can even sleep or relax that way. I wish I had picture of the chair on my phone. Some birthing stools done have back support or comfortable to sit on for long time. But this worked great.

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    KruPatelKruPatel member
    That was suppose to be 6 to 8 hours. Not 68 hours. Lol. That would be crazy.
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    KruPatelKruPatel member
    This is the chair I used. Litte tikes classic table and chair. Look it up.

    Surprisingly those chairs are very sturdy.
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    mexicolombianamexicolombiana member

    I just want to jump in and say that my personal experience was that I LOVED MY BIRTHING STOOL!

    I delivered in an alternative birthing room at a hospital with a midwife and some nurses present.  I thought I wanted to deliver in a tub but I was in the shower for most of transition and as soon as I got out of the shower and was ready to push I didn't want anything to do with being in the water.  So I jumped on the toilet and LOVED pushing on the toilet, but of course my midwife told me I could not have the baby on the toilet, and she introduced me to the birthing stool! As  soon as I sat on the stool I knew that was the place I would push out a baby, and I did!





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    Runningmomma Runningmomma member
    imagesmsalat:

    one thing our nurse mentioned at our hospital tour was....I remember this comment specifically "you can bring in your own birthing balls, apparatuses or anything except a birthing tub, but your SO will have to carry it all in and birthing balls are not small, because i n labor you won't want to be lugging that suff in"..

    After being dropped off at the ER and DH parking, it was a bit of a hike, and that would be a lot for him to carry with him.  Even if you went for the luggage later....just something to think about also. 

    Yep, thought about that. Thankfully, our hospital is very small, and they already showed us where to park and the distance isn't bad at all. 

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    Runningmomma Runningmomma member

    imageKruPatel:
    That was suppose to be 6 to 8 hours. Not 68 hours. Lol. That would be crazy.

    My jaw totally fell on the floor! Thank goodness! Great idea about a little chair and tennis balls too. 

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    Runningmomma Runningmomma member

    imageKruPatel:
    This is the chair I used. Litte tikes classic table and chair. Look it up. Surprisingly those chairs are very sturdy.

    Great idea!

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    Runningmomma Runningmomma member
    imageRunningmomma:

    imageKruPatel:
    That was suppose to be 6 to 8 hours. Not 68 hours. Lol. That would be crazy.

    My jaw totally fell on the floor! Thank goodness! Great idea about a little chair and tennis balls too. 

    How did you attach the tennis balls to the stick?? 

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    KruPatelKruPatel member
    Two tennis balls were in a big sock and just placed behind me between my lower back and chair. So during contractions I would push against them. One would work too.
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    ABeautifulMindABeautifulMind member
    imagemexicolombiana:

    I just want to jump in and say that my personal experience was that I LOVED MY BIRTHING STOOL!

    I delivered in an alternative birthing room at a hospital with a midwife and some nurses present.  I thought I wanted to deliver in a tub but I was in the shower for most of transition and as soon as I got out of the shower and was ready to push I didn't want anything to do with being in the water.  So I jumped on the toilet and LOVED pushing on the toilet, but of course my midwife told me I could not have the baby on the toilet, and she introduced me to the birthing stool! As  soon as I sat on the stool I knew that was the place I would push out a baby, and I did!

     

    LOL.  My MW said the same thing about delivering on the toilet & then moved me to the birthing stool.    I too loved it and would have delivered on it had DD's shoulder not gotten caught.  I ended up pushing her out on my hands and knees.

     

    ETA: sorry, I don't have any info to share.  My MW provided the stool.  But I did LOVE it so if you can find an inexpensive one, I say go for it.  

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