I am planning a homebirth with second child. I would love to labour and give birth in the water for lots of reasons but am really unsure about the cost of hiring a birth pool.
Around ÂŁ200 seems the norm around here and ideally I should be thinking about booking it now - am 30 weeks.
What worries me is that ÂŁ200 is a lot of money - worth it if I knew I would be using the birth pool. But at 30 weeks I cannot guarantee I am having a home birth. Last time my blood pressure went up at 36 weeks (not hugely - was 150/100 once and a few times was 140/90 but would go up and down so within those weeks it would also measure 110/65). They made a big fuss about this and I worry that the same will happen again and I will have to go into hospital to deliver.
Now I know I dont "have" to go anywhere but I know if they are scaremongering - or indeed being realistic - that I will go to hospital. So then I will have spent that ÂŁ200 on nothing - a kick in the teeth when I will already be upset about not having the homebirth.
So I was just wondering your experiences - if I give birth at home will that ÂŁ200 be worth it - over and above relief I could get in the bath?
One of my main fears about this birth is repeat episiotomy or tearing and I know giving birth in the water can reduce this. Does labouring in the water help at all or is it just the giving birth in the water?
Options really are
a) go ahead and book pool now and think positively (this is what doula keeps telling me lol)
b) wait until 37 weeks when i see consultant to talk about home birth and then hope that one of the companies will have one free (but bp could still go up i suppose)
c) just use the bath (and then most probably hve to deliver on dry land)
d) Get a birth pool in a box cheap from ebay and then could always sell it again later
Any ideas? Too pregnant to make a decision...
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Childbirth
Is a birthpool for homebirth worth it?
waitingtobloom · 24/06/2008 11:04
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