when to order my birth pool

[Sheepoverthemoon]

I'm 23weeks3days, when do I order my birth pool in a box? My mW is supportive of home/water birth, I'm fit and healthy and no complications. When do we finally agree on trying for a hone birth? And do a birth plan? When is it they tell if baby us not breech etc.. Don't want to leave it too late to order, anyone got advice? Thanks

I suspect that you order soonish. Homebirth isn't usually confirmed until 36 weeks here, which would be cutting it fine.

Hmm that's what I was thinking... My next appt is 28 weeks and I don't want it to start getting too late to order, but I would like to discuss it with midwife first, make sure she recommends birth pool in a box etc, she is aware I want a home/water birth, but she says to discuss later on (still positive about it). I have a home appt with a maternity care assistant so hopefully she can discuss this with me... I wish they had more time to talk about birthing options from the start and not just leave it until the end...

Sheep, I just ordered a new liner for my BPIaB (i already had the pool from previous HBs). They do an automatic next business day delivery. The midwives will come out to you from 37 weeks, but not beforehand. If you have time to practice inflating it and making sure you've got all the right connections, etc, for the taps, as soon as you get it, then i'd recommend ordering it at 36 weeks. It will be there the following business day, and you'll have a week to practice before it will have the chance of being used. If something goes awry (eg this bump decided to be footling breech until recent intervention), you may reconsider with different risk factors. It will save you a lot of faffing if you go into labour early, too, and don't get to use it!

Something else to investigate is whether your home birth team loan out pools.... mine do (though you still have to buy a liner and a hose etc to fill it). Your HB midwife will let you know.

If you're thinking of saving some money by buying the pool 2nd hand, you might want to get it earlier just in case there is a delay or some issue with the pool. Mind you, if you're thinking of getting one 2nd hand, you could PM me; this will be my last, and i've got all the kit :-) (you'll still need to buy new hose and a new liner, though!).

WRT other things like breech, etc .... babies can be breech right up until the end, and turn in labour! You can still have a breech baby at home, but consider how they are positioned - eg footling breech (feet first) has 18% chance of prolapsed cord (though feet at head is 'fine'). I was footling breech until i had an ecv to turn her last week (37 weeks), which worked (although usually on about 50% chance of it working); i wouldn't personally have taken the risk of a home birth if she hadn't turned, though i have a few other risk factors as well. If you've made it through to 36 weeks, you have no issues, baby is head down, then buy the pool :-) You can buy it as early as you like, but bear in mind that babies do what babies want to do and it may not go as you would like to plan for....

Best of luck with your HB!

Thanks Mayfair, that was really helpful. I think I'll do that and order all going well, at 36 weeks, esp if they do next day delivery. It gives me a good chance to talk to mW about it as well.