Heated birth pools at home?!

[kienstra33]

Hi ladies! I'm due 4th March with second DD - first birth planned and successful HB 7 hours start to finish. I have the same MW this time and she has agreed that it is likely to be a fairly quick labour. I'm concerned about my husband getting pool up in time and that this may inhibit oxytocin - esp if hes's faffing!! I'm wondering if any other mums have used a heated birth pool which can be set up in advance - despite the current government guidelines about not using them - I believe that if you use cleaning chemicals correctly there won't be any problems. However, Have also heard that the chlorine required to keep them clean can be harmful to newborns...very tricky dilemma! TIA

I used one, just before current guidelines. I would again, but the company I used appears to have vanished - gone under I guess.

thanks for reply - am finding it so difficult to decide - if we go down that route we will buy a lay z spa so it will be a brand new pool - it's the chemical side I'm worried about. A local lady had a business hiring them since 1987 (not since 2014 though) and said as long as you get the chemical right there's no risk. I have also been told that current guidelines state that level of chlorine isn't safe for newborns...but it seemed fine for the thousands before 2014!! Also, what do they use in hospitals?!

It really isn't necessary. Do a couple of test runs with a normal birthpoolinabox type thing. Make sure you have a working thermometer.

My dc2 was quick but still had enough time to sort bpiab and fill etc. I prefer the inflated floor to re rigid ones anyway and if us going I be quick then the heater function is unnecessary.

Thanks both, interesting as a couple of ladies locally weren't able to get them filled in time and I hate the idea of giving birth on dry land think some practice runs sound like a good idea...

We inflated our BPIAB two weeks before and propped it up so it would just need filling (had all three of mine at home in pools and the second two were very quick). Managed to fill in time!

Good to know, husband seems to think he can do it so maybe I should stop worrying and let him crack on!

I would inflate the pool before hand and fill when you start labour.

We intended to waterbirth our second, but it was super fast, so had a dry birth, but do you know what, it was bloody incredible. :)

My active labours are less than 2 hours. We had inflated the pool when labour started but I held hubby off filling it as my latent labour can be long. Things then ramped up and we had to get it filled quickly but we managed to get it filled although it was a bit too cold initially when I got in. By that point things were too far progressed to slow anything down and hubby got the temperature right for baby being born (I was only in the pool half an hour before she came but she was born in there so that was the important bit for me).

I honestly wouldn't bother with a heated pool. Seems more faff to me and the risk of infection would really put me off. Mine only took 5 mins to inflate so have hubby inflate it as soon as labour starts and then fill it fairly soon after. He can always top it up with hot water and empty out some cold if needs be.

Thanks for all the advice, really appreciate it - good to know that so many of you have managed to get it filled in time xx

I researched the chlorine issue because I intend to have a heated pool for my birth. What I discovered is that the level of chlorine that is a "good" level to kill germs in hot tub/pool water is very nearly identical to the highest levels of chlorine acceptable in city-provided water here in the US. If my water from the tap could conceivably have that level of chlorine and the government doesn't think it'd hurt me or baby to bathe in, there's no reason the same level in a birth tub would hurt me or baby. It's all the same chlorine.

That's interesting, can I ask which pool you are going with?

It's the Coleman La-Z-Spa.