tub at hospital

KatetheGreat79 · November 2012

Hello!

I am newly pregnant but have always been interested in a natural childbirth. I piked an OB who is very open to this and also plan to get a doula. I was reading on my hospital's website that a limited number of birthing rooms with soaking tubs are available. (I'm guess this just means one or two.) My questions is this... is this just luck of the draw? I'm assuming there is no way to reserve one since I don't plan on being induced. Has anyone else run into this issue? If you wanted to soak in a tub to ease labor pains, did you bring your own inflatable tub to the hospital or something like that? Is that even possible?

Jenilyn and Matthew · November 2012

The hospital where I'll be delivering has 2 labor tubs. I was told during my last pregnancy they were first come first served on who uses them. I asked my OB about them last week, such as how long I could use it, what if my waters broken, etc. He said that nobody ever uses them anymore because of the epidural rate at our hospital, so I should have no problems having one. I guess ask how frequently they're used to get a better idea. I doubt they'll let you bring an inflatable tub to your L&D room just because of hospital equipment policies, but it doesn't hurt to ask.

tokenhoser · November 2012

I laboured at home. By the time I was at the hospital, I didn't want or need access to their tubs. I think there is one, but I was far more comfy in my own house.

I doubt any hospital would let you bring your own tub.

jeggomyeggo · November 2012

My hospital has 3 birthing tubs. My midwife said all I really need to do is call an hour before I plan to go in and they can hold it for me. Now, I'm a FTM, so I'm not sure I'll have the forsight to do this, but that's what she suggested.

BLPL101 · November 2012

There are two tubs at my hospital and it's first come first serve. I've heard from a number of women that they weren't available, but it all just depends on how busy it is when you are in labor.

noraraeuc · November 2012

In this case to ensure I got to labor in the tub, I would labor at home in my own tub as long as possible with the support of my doula and only go to the hospital when truly necessary. Thankfully you may in luck, most hospital births are medicated so the chance of someone wanting a tub to labor in is slim.

MisN · November 2012

Our hospital similarly has only some of the rooms equiped with a soaking tub. They advised that they prefer to give these rooms them to women who want to try natural (e.g. without an epidural) as women with an epidural won't be able to make use of the tub.

I found it extremely helpful when I was in transition labour (7-10 cm) to be in the tub (also by this point in labour I would not have wanted to still be at home).

I am really hoping to get a tub this time around too. I have put DH on notice that he better fight for one!

caymarks · November 2012

My hospital has two tubs. They aren't specific rooms. They just bring the tub in and get it ready knowing that you are wanting to labor in the tub. I was doing a water birth so when I was about 4-5 cm they brought the tub in and started filling it up. Luckily there was only 1 other person delivering the same night as me and she already had her baby so there were no problems as far as that goes. It is first come first serve though.

I don't think our hospital allows laboring in a tub unless you plan on giving birth in the tub as well. For one, they don't allow you to be medicated while in the tub and they had a rule of thumb to only let you in around 7cm. This made it hard for many women to even be able to use it because many had already had the epideral by then. Now I believe they are starting to let you get in the tub around 4cm as long as monitoring is going well.

Luckily I was allowed in the shower and I stayed in there for over an hour thinking they were still filling the tub. (I didn't realize how long I had been in there since I was just trying to think my way through contractions). DH asked them if he should tell me to come out, but since I was handling my contractions very well in there they said to just let me stay. It wasn't until they felt they needed to check me that they asked me to go ahead and come out and get in the tub.

abell77 · November 2012

As with many things, it probably depends on your hospital. There were two at mine, and it was first come, first served. There was no way to reserve one, in fact even if you walked in the door saying you wanted to get in the tub they would ask you to go to a regular room first. I think they want to establish that you are in fact in active labor. They did say though that just the way things work out, they rarely have to deny a tub to a laboring mother who wants one. With my first I straddled a chair in the shower with the water pointed at my back until a tub was available.

KatetheGreat79 · November 2012

Thanks for all of your replies! I know that the labor tubs at my hospital are inside actual labor and delivery rooms, so I'd have to be lucky enough to get one of those rooms. I know that my hospital is pretty natural childbirth friendly, so hopefully they try to keep these rooms for women who want to try labor without medication.

danuli8 · November 2012

Jenilyn and Matthew:
The hospital where I'll be delivering has 2 labor tubs. I was told during my last pregnancy they were first come first served on who uses them. I asked my OB about them last week, such as how long I could use it, what if my waters broken, etc. He said that nobody ever uses them anymore because of the epidural rate at our hospital, so I should have no problems having one. I guess ask how frequently they're used to get a better idea. I doubt they'll let you bring an inflatable tub to your L&D room just because of hospital equipment policies, but it doesn't hurt to ask.

This is my situation too. The hospital where I will deliver only has 2 rooms with tubs, but their epi rate is staggeringly high (85%?), so there is pretty much never a problem with getting one. I would ask the hospital what their epi rate is and go from there.

Aburns42 · November 2012

Ok, I guess I am the only one. My hospital does allow you to bring your own tub because they do not have them in the hospital. They have everything else for a natural delivery but a tub- weird I know. They also do not "recommend" birthing in a tub but after talking to my midwife they say they do it all the time.

reason00 · November 2012

It's luck of the draw.

Not sure if the hospital will allow you to bring your own inflatable. Ask.

tub at hospital

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