Birth pools

[carynh]

I'm 7 months pregnant & looking into options for birth pools - does anyone have any recommendations? I know birth is very individual & what works well for one person may not work well for someone else ... but basically I'm just wondering if anyone has used the birth pool in a box vs any other one?

I wasn't able to use the pool when I was in labour, but I was able to take a deep hot bath which I imagine has the same benefits (although the effects will last longer in the pool!) I loved the bath, the water supported all my weight and helped ease the pain of the contractions. Because of this, for my next child I will definately be using a birthing pool! Hot water worked for me anyway!

Thanks very much for the comments. At the moment it's a toss up between the Aquaborn & the La Bassine.

I used pool in a box from Waterbaby (it was £80 for five weeks) and although I used the larger one (I'm 5 foot 8) I didn't use all of the space and could've easily got away with the smaller size one. Extremely easy to inflate (takes a few minutes) and filled in 15 minutes - although fill time will depend on what your mains pressure is like and whether you have hot water on demand (combi boiler). It came with two hoses (one for filling and one for emptying) so you could put in more hot water and take out some cold if required although we didn't bother as i was only in the pool 30 mins before LO arrived! Pool came with water pump to make emptying very quick and easy. Think it took about 30 mins but you don't need to stand around whilst it empties. I chose an inflatable pool because we set it up in our non-carpeted kitchen/diner and I wanted some padding for my knees!

I have just booked a BPIB through Waterbaby & so holding thumbs that it's comfy - just don't know what to expect with it being a first baby.

I've got the Made in Water one and have been testing it this afternoon (due in 9 days) so far so good - it's very comfy for sitting in and watching neighbours if that's any help?

Though it's not large, sitting in it my toes touch the end up but I am sure it sufficient space for giving birth in

Can I ask a stupid question? We are borrowing a Bath Pool in a Box. How padded is the bottom? I have SPD and the midwives are strongly recommending that I labour and deliver, if possible, on all fours/leaning over the side of the pool. Will there be any knee cushioning?!

I just had a big paddling pool. It was fine! No pump or heater though, I just made sure we had the hot water heaters on and plenty of buckets around to fill it up. It was just a paddling pool but with deep wide sides. It was bliss. And DD1 loved playing it (I had it blown up but empty in my bedroom for a week or two beforehand). I lived abroad and birth pools were not available locally so this was my only option. Just highlighting it as a possibility because it was very cheap.

caryhn - good luck and hope you like the pool! My labour was 2.5 hours from start to finish and although I got in the pool about 15 minutes after the midwife arrived and examined me (it wasn't filled as we didn't want to start filling it till the midwife arrived and said it was ok to get in) but my LO arrived only 30 minutes after I got into the pool, so I possibly wasn't in it long enough to fully appreciate how comfy or otherwise it was! The second midwife only arrived 20 minutes before LO emerged so it was all pretty fast. It did seem pretty comfy on my knees though (yes StiffyByng it is pretty padded - I had Pelvic Girdle Pain too and gave birth kneeling) and the warm water was really soothing. To be honest I was concentrating on other things - you wont really notice your knee comfort!!! The most awkward bit was that just as I was getting in, I had a contraction and had to sit there, naked, astride the pool (like I was riding a horse) until it subsided, which was pretty funny - it made me laugh even at the time!