HB mammas birthing pool vs. bathtub

Erica92 · September 2011

For those of you planning or who have had a HB did you use a birthing pool or just your bathtub. Our bathtub i pretty big and has jets but I def couldn't get into any other position then reclining in it.

If you used a birthing pool how much was it? Where did you buy it? what should I be looking for specifically?

Oh and this may be a really silly question but we have a plastic kiddie pool that the kids play in in the summer could I use that? How do you deal with filling it up/emptying it/getting the water warm?

kesrya · September 2011

We rented the largest size birthing pool from my midwife's office for $200. It was like have a mini-pool in my bedroom, and I used every inch of that thing to move around and change positions. Not only would I have found a bathtub that I could not change positions in unhelpful, I think it would have increased my pain to be stuck in reclining position only.

To fill it, we turned our hot water heater as high as it would go, and had a never used before garden hose and sink attachment that ran from the bedroom. When the 50 gallon tank ran out, they boiled water on the sink. There were three different fill lines -- minimum amount, mid amount, and maximum amount of water. Each time I had gotten out and was ready to get back in, hot water was added to the next "line" to warm it up. It needed to be between 98 and 102 degrees, I think, so they had me buy a "minute" themometer and they tested it each time.

indiana101 · September 2011

We're planning a homebirth in December and was wondering the same thing.

Ideally I'm looking for a pool large enough to move around in with ease, one that is able to regulate the temperature, is not too high so that I can get out as easily as possible if something were to go wrong, and has a drain/pump on it. Our midwife does not supply them so I am scouring the country looking for the best one.

I look forward to reading other homebirth mamas recomendations.

CTri17 · September 2011

we rented it from our MW for $50 I think. I would have hated to be in the actual tub rather than the birth pool.

If you can rent one for fairly cheap I think it is totally worth it

CTri17 · September 2011

oh and we hooked it up to the sink and filled it up, my MW's boiled water and added it to it when it started to get cold (on the other end of me obviously) and they had a thermometer in there

pinksweetpea2 · September 2011

We are moving at the end of October and our new place has a awesome tub, but we are still going to rent an aqua doula. It is deeper than the tub, comes with a heat pump and I think the clean up with be easier- just drain and toss the liner. I am not so sure about cleaning out a tub with jets.

Also, I used one with my first and already know I like it.

We are renting ours:

https://www.aquadoula.com/

ABeautifulMind · September 2011

pinksweetpea2:
We are moving at the end of October and our new place has a awesome tub, but we are still going to rent an aqua doula. It is deeper than the tub, comes with a heat pump and I think the clean up with be easier- just drain and toss the liner.

This.

We are renting the aqua doula through our midwives for $250. I think it is the same online, though need to check. Our m/w also gave us the option to do a non-heated pool or they told us some people just buy a plastic kiddie pool, but I'm going to pass on those. Heat and as much space as possible, please . . .

mhickey12 · September 2011

https://www.waterbirth.org/mc/page.do?sitePageId=45085

This pool came highly recommended from our midwife. After doing some research I decided to go with it because it seems to be the biggest option on the market and reasonably priced.

BethEliza813 · September 2011

We were originally planning to use an inflatable kiddie pool but when we tested it we realized that it was slowly leaking air within a few hours of filling it up. I also wouldn't have been able to put any weight on the sides without sloshing the water around. So with just a few weeks until my due date we decided to go with an unconventional solution and buy a 100 Gallon Rubbermaid Stock Tank from our local farm and ranch store. It didn't look pretty but it worked PERFECTLY! It was tall enough that I was able to be on my hands and knees and it was strong enough that I could lean against the sides for support, and it was only $80.

We filled it using a garden hose and an attachment to our shower and then drained it by sticking the hose out our second story bedroom window to our garden in the backyard and let gravity siphon it out.

If you're looking for an affordable option that's easy to find locally I would definitely recommend this!

nonoemily · September 2011

BethEliza813:
We were originally planning to use an inflatable kiddie pool but when we tested it we realized that it was slowly leaking air within a few hours of filling it up. I also wouldn't have been able to put any weight on the sides without sloshing the water around. So with just a few weeks until my due date we decided to go with an unconventional solution and buy a 100 Gallon Rubbermaid Stock Tank from our local farm and ranch store. It didn't look pretty but it worked PERFECTLY! It was tall enough that I was able to be on my hands and knees and it was strong enough that I could lean against the sides for support, and it was only $80.

We filled it using a garden hose and an attachment to our shower and then drained it by sticking the hose out our second story bedroom window to our garden in the backyard and let gravity siphon it out.

If you're looking for an affordable option that's easy to find locally I would definitely recommend this!

I love this!!! I just really enjoy creative solutions.

flyer23 · September 2011

I used our bathtub. We have a massive jacuzzi tub, easily big enough for two adults... in fact, my midwife said that it looks just like the tub at one of the local birth centers where she sometimes attends births. It was really nice not having to hassle with setting up a separate birth pool.

There were no problems cleaning out the tub, at least not that I was aware of!

We're moving, and I'm not sure the tub in our new house is big enough for birthing in. Sigh.

AmyLaurel89 · September 2011

My waterbirth was at a birth center and they have a large regular type tub. I struggled to get footing when I wanted to bear down so I'd keep that in mind when setting up your tub. DH ended up sitting on the edge of the tub with his feet in the water so I could push against his shins. Also, the water was not able to come up high enough to cover my belly and I would get cold every so often so make sure your water level will high enough for you. I wished it was covering my belly which would have felt better when LO started to shift and move farther down. I'll wrap it up by saying waterbirth is freaking AWESOME!

GL!

HB mammas birthing pool vs. bathtub

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