Homebirth advice needed!

[EmmyJo]

Am planning a homebirth for my first baby (due date is 29 April) and am wondering if it will be at all feasible to hire a birthing pool without spending a fortune and without creating a logisitical nightmare in our small basement flat!! Has anyone got suggestions on this? I am planning on using hypnobirthing techniques and hiring a tens machine plus opting for gas and air if necessary. So not sure if it is worth the trouble to try and install a pool??

I bought myself an inflatable birth pool. It was brilliant. Inflated it a few days early and went from there. It's not high tech but if money is an issue it is a solution.

this is it

I loved the whole water birth thing. Didn't have any pain relief (although that is not to say there wasn't a time when I was demanding some! It was just too late already ) For me water really sped up labour. Once I was in it only took another hour and a half (and my first labour was very long).

You can also have it leaning against a wall while inflated so it doesn't take up too much room.

we got ours from here 2nd time round delivery and pick up arranged by them.. great service and much cheaper than the company we used first time..

I used a Birth Pool In A Box too. Fabulous. I inflated it in early labour to take my mind off it and afterwards it was dealt with whilst I was in my own bed with my new daughter.

I used the birth pool in a box - really really helpful. sat in a box in a corner till I was in labour, then took just an hour or so (my concept of time got a bit hazy) to inflate and fill but we also had an electric pump - think it would have been much longer with a hand pump. and getting into the pool was the only time I smiled in labour! definitely worth it for pain relief.

you can get second hand ones on ebay from £40, but you'd need to get a new liner from the above site for £20.

I too got a BirthPool in a box. With the electric pump it inflates in 10 mins. Got the regular size, tried to fill it and found it took too long. Was for my second birth and 1st was only 5 hours so I didn't want to wait too long on it filling up IYSWIM. We got the small one and although I'm 5 foot 7, it was fine. I didn't move around much, just clung on to handles and pushed!

I filled mine nearly full with only hot water once I'd inflated it, put the cover on and then topped it up with cold to the right temperature when I needed to get in. I have a combi boiler though with constant hot water.

I've not got around to putting on ebay yet so if you were local buy ours. We're in Harrow until the end of the month then moving to bristol.

I borrowed one from the local hospital. You put your name down on a list and when the previous 'listee' has delivered, you're contacted by the community mws and the pool is passed on from woman to woman, if you see what I mean. The disposable liner is brought to your home by your mw with the home birth pack. A similar scheme may operate in your area?

However, I didn't use the pool. Too late and too quick!

I also used the good birth company (same as the birth pool in a box) but rented the pool for 4 weeks. They were really good and delivered the pool to us - very easy to put up. They then came and collected it after the birth and also refunded us for one week as we didn't need it for the full 4 weeks.

I didn't get a chance to get in the damn thing though as labour was so quick

PS Message for YouDon'tKnowaThingAboutThe Crunch - love the name! It's an outrage!

Sorry - YouKnowNothingOfTheCrunch - aaarrgghhh...

I had home birth with pool for my second (first was very quick just made it to hopsital in time affair).
The pool is magnificent for pain relief - I'd say a must for a home birth, although next time I'm tempted to give it a go in the bath. As I get big I will practice to see if the bath will be big enough if not I'd hire again.
Just be really careful on the hygiene issue. We hired last time and the woman assured us that we did not need to add to the expense with a new liner. We also got the pool with a heater where you can fill it and leave it adding special chemicals every day to keep the water clean. We did this expecting my labour to be very quick and we wanted to have everything ready...Anyway my boy got really sick at 5 days (and hospitalised for a week) with a mystery skin infection. Noone will ever know what caused it but if I hired again I'd get a brand new liner and take advice about how to clean the pool in preparation for birth.

Hi EmmyJo. I had a hospital waterbirth with ds3 and it was fabulous. Didnt need any other pain relief and as YKNOTC said it realy sped up labour. I had a home birth with ds4 on 'dry land' which also was brill and fantastic to have a hot cuppa and hot toast in your own bed when you have had a long night bringing baby in to the world . However I had ds5 in my bathroom (unplanned) where dh delivered him because he was so damn quick. Which I have to say is my favourite birth of them all......
Goood luck to you and I hope your pregnancy and birth all go well xxxx

Thanks Gloriana! I considered WhenYouAreTheMoon, but I think I'm more Shamanic!

Sanja - Thanks for the offer! Harrow a bit of a trek for us so will probably get a pool off ebay seeing as you all sound so positive about this being possible and helpful! Thank you everyone, emmyjo