For the experienced med-free ladies...how important was a labor tub?

electricdoctor83 · April 2012

I looked into my hospital's options for a med-free labor and they do offer a "labor" pool that they wheel into your room to use (but they do not offer water births that I know of)....it's $200 to reserve the tub. I am wondering how important the tub is compared to just using the shower or a chair in the shower? I know that when I'm in pain or sick I always always take a shower or bath...it's my retreat and I find myself in the tub a lot with this pelvic pain I am experiencing now or if I just feel ill. I've always been this way even though I'm sure my DH would love our water bill more if I didn't take so many baths

So I guess my question is if you used a labor tub how integral was it in your success in having a med-free birth? Would a shower with a chair or standing be just as effective you think? Tell me your experience

My hospital does offer waterproof mobile monitoring so they will not be asking me to get out of the tub or shower a lot to "stay on the monitor" which I am so so thankful for.

(if you don't remember my previous posts on the NB board...I am the one that can't get an epidural for a medical problem so I am not really loving the idea of no epi...I just know it's best for me to not get one otherwise I could have more damage to my pelvis)

xnbride · April 2012

Hmmm....that is tricky because you are not a FTM. How long was your labor last time? Generally labors get cut in half the second time around so you may not have time for the tub especially if your plan is to wait until you are in transition to arrive at the hospital.

I think it is a great option though. I wish we had that at our hospital. I think if I had a history of longer labors and tearing then I would definitely spend the money on reserving the tub. I hear the water is amazing for pain management.

electricdoctor83 · April 2012

With DS from first noticable cramping (not even contraction) to delivery was 15 hours....I pushed for around 10 minutes or so if I remember correctly. They let me labor down A LOT and I had an epi with him so even though I was a complete DS was not in a good position so my nurse sat me straight up with tons of pillows and told me to "take a nap" and let me just ride it out until DS sank down more...I felt pressure but my body wasn't pushing yet. I have a feeling if they made me start pushing as soon as I hit 10 it would have been much shorter.

I was already 6 cm when I got to the hospital with him so I am hoping this baby comes pretty fast (but not "too" fast ya know?)

nosoup4u · April 2012

I agree it depends on how long your first labor was, but if you haven't gon med-free before, it might be good to have just in case. Do you get the money back if you don't use the tub? You could also labor at home in water.

Being in the tub helped a lot during my first labor. I didn't end up doing it for my second, because I labored fairly quickly.

cattynine · April 2012

Hmm I'm not sure what to tell you.

Our hospital has 1 room with a tub and I made sure to get it because I knew I would want to labor in water. I will say that it felt great and I was able to relax. I really only remember like 5 contractions while I was in there, but I swear that I was in the tub for at least an hour. I don't know how to explain that since supposedly contractions were spaced anywhere from 3-6 minutes.

But I do know that I was at 2cm and 4 hours later I was at 7+. About an hour of that 4 hours was spent in the tub.

Its too bad that they charge you for using the tub to labor, but then won't let you deliver in it.

Sawyerplus1 · April 2012

I would probably reserve it if I had the option and wanted a med-free birth. I LOVED laboring in the tub with DS and spent about 9 hours in there. It was glorious for me. It wasn't an option during my labor with DD, but I got in the shower and hated it! I don't know if it was because of the shower itself, because I was comparing it to my previous birth tub experience, or because it was just a different labor and different things worked (or didn't) than last time, but I was not a fan of the shower.

electricdoctor83 · April 2012

Thanks ladies....I think I'll just reserve it in case I feel the need to use it and if not then it'll be okay to be out the money. Just wondering what other women's experience with it was...I really do think I'd want it.

I didn't even think about the exhaustion thing and not being able to stand in the shower.

Thanks again I am sure I'll be asking more questions and for advice in the coming weeks.

FinallyMrsBMW · April 2012

Honestly, for me it was the key to a med-free birth. I labored in the tub for most of the time. I had to get out a couple times to lay on my side/belly to get my transverse baby to turn and descend down the birth canal, but other than that I was in the tub. On one of my trips out of the tub, I tried the birth ball and walking a bit, but I quickly decided I needed back in the tub immediately! My doctor was able to check me and everything while in the tub. They were also able to do intermittent monitoring in there as well although sometimes I had to get into a posistion that was not my favorite so the nurse could but the monitor on me for 5 minutes or so.

I had the choice of delivering at a hospital that had only one tub available for laboring or going to the hospital I chose that had tubs in every room. The other hospital is about a year old and is beautiful but I didn't want the risk of having the only tub be taken by another laboring mom. I'm so glad that I made that choice! I don't think the same would be true if I only had the shower to work with. I would definitely recommend the tub!

CurbsideProphet · April 2012

I was in the water for about an hour and I thought it really helped. I would have been allowed to deliver in the water, but I ended up in the bed. I found pushing to be more effective out of the water.

I would reserve the tub if you can.

emberlee3 · April 2012

I didn't use a tub in the hospital. I labored at home until I felt really uncomfortable. The shower actually sped things up. Before that , watching TV and walking outside were enough to keep me relaxed. I think if you stay home as long as possible, the comforts available in the hospital are less important.

KateLouise · April 2012

DD1 I loved the tub. It was instant relief and I stayed in it until I'd been pushing a while. MW had me get out as she thought LO was stuck and wanted better access.

DD2 We had an unplanned homebirth. Things moved really quickly, and I made use of the shower, but never got around to thinking about a tub.

So I agree with pp that the length of your first labour may help you decide. Having said that, I loved the tub so much the first time that I definitely would have paid the money to reserve the tub, if our hospital had a similar system.

Genevieve14 · April 2012

This is probably one of those issues that's super particular to each woman, but I had a water birth and found that the water was absolutely necessary to my success. I ended up having to push for 2.5 hours (baby had not dropped AT ALL) and my legs were falling asleep on dry land. The water made it much easier to move.

LaurelBee · April 2012

I had a hospital birth with Ds and didn't use/have access to a tub. But I dream of using one with future Los. I would probably want the tub even more if I knew it was there, but couldn't use it. GL mama!

FyreFlyeRush · April 2012

Let's just say with my first labor tubs weren't a phrase you heard. I labored for a long time at home...and used my own bathtub. Worked fine.

cyclek8bride · April 2012

I wanted to use the tub. I showed up at the hospital at 6+ and was complete before the tub filled up. I have to say I was a little disappointed.

Temp76535187505890 · April 2012

cyclek8bride:
I wanted to use the tub. I showed up at the hospital at 6+ and was complete before the tub filled up. I have to say I was a little disappointed.

Same for me. The birth center had super awesome hot tub sized labor/birthing tubs that I dreamed of taking advantage of but I labored at home too long, showed up at 7 cm and delivered 11 minutes later. I too was disappointed yet also happy I birthed so quickly.

BostonGayGal · April 2012

I NEEDED to be on my hands and knees in the tub because my baby needed to rotate 3/4 of the way around. The tub we had available in the hospital wasn't deep like a labor tub would have been, so we kept the shower head aimed at my back. Standing would not have worked for me.

Had she been in the standard position my position might not have mattered so much, but of course there is no way of knowing this sort of thing ahead of time.

Good luck.

electricdoctor83 · April 2012

Thanks everyone

ateal2490 · April 2012

As a FTM, the tub was so important to me. It offered temporary relief at the very moment I thought I was about to die and it actually really helped me stay on track.

But that's a little nuts that you have to pay for it

anna7602 · April 2012

I did not have a dedicated labor tub. I was very disappointed when I first found out my hospital didn't have them. Then I ended up laboring at home as long as possible and actually hated being in the bath tub. Maybe I would have liked a labor tub better, but the water just did not feel good to me while I had contractions. For a long time after DD was born, I would have a visceral reaction to talk of water births. I never in a million years imagined I would dislike being in water while in labor.

MawrtyrB · April 2012

I labored in my tub at home for a while with my first delivery. I found that once the contractions were really in full swing that I couldn't stay in the tub. I was getting all antsy so I gave up on it. My hospital for my second and third births did offer it, but DH was adamently against it.

lily225 · April 2012

I always dreamed of laboring in the tub and only with my second did I have a tub option. Actually I tried with my first but the tub was a normal size bath tub and I could not get submerged or stretch myself out - it was horrible and I got out pretty quickly.

But honestly, with my second, by the time I needed/wanted more pain relief, walking down to the tub room was out of the question. I just wanted to sit on my birthing ball and not move. Even getting into their awesome shower right in my room was not an option. I just didn't want to move.

But for $200 and knowing you can't have an epi I would probably reserve it.

alice2Bcheshire · April 2012

I found that the tub was a life saver, pain management-wise.

My hospital has what is basically a bath tub (but slightly deeper, I suppose) that is in a separate room and is available first come, first served. On our tour, they mentioned that almost no one uses it, so I knew the chances of it being unoccupied when I was laboring were pretty good.

I got to the hospital at 6:30am, 4 cm. My water broke at 8:30ish and contractions were instantly more painful. I got into the tub shortly after and stayed in for about an hour-- the warm water managed my pain so that I was back to where I was before my water broke. Got to my l&d room and I was at 7 cm. Fifteen minutes later and I was at 10 cm and pushing. DS was born at 10:25am.

The moral of this story is that even if you have a fast labor (I think mine was pretty fast, anyway, especially for a FTM) the tub is wonderful and worth it. I would have paid $200 to make sure it was all mine if I'd had the option.

GL!

Want a personalized experience?

For the experienced med-free ladies...how important was a labor tub?

Re: For the experienced med-free ladies...how important was a labor tub?

Choose Another Board

Search Boards