Birthing pool - do I get one and how?

[Cha]

Am having my second at home (was the plan for 1st too, but didn't work out) and was wondering whether to get a pool. We live on the 1st/2nd floors of a Victorian terrace (c1885) and have heard you need to get a surveyor in to see if your floor can support the weight of the pool (about a ton?). How do you organise this? How much does it all cost? Live in SE London.

Also was a bit umming and ahhing about whether to get one at all. Is it really worth it? Have heard again and again that it is but have one horror story that makes me slightly uneasy. Also my midwife says you can get the pain relief afforded by a pool by being in the bath. Is this true?
Sorry to ask so many questions!

Motherinferior - Talking to a friend in the park the other day and turns out that she used Splashdown and apparently they have a collection point in Tulse Hill (5 mins from me). Will call them. Am definitely up for a water birth now, thanks to all the help and advice. After spending last night in King's on their labour ward with a kidney infection am even more convinced that being at home is where I want to be - even if it is a lot smarter and cleaner than before. God, listening to labouring women all night - CAN'T WAIT.

Let me know when you've called them. I'll be doing antenatal pilates on Sat and will also ask my mate (who lives in your area) what she thinks too.

I was just about to post a similar thread to this one as I missed it originally when looking through topics!
I am also considering a home water birth for my second child (following stressful first hospital birth) and have been looking into this very topic!
For those of you that have hired pools for home births, I have a couple of more questions if you would be so kind to share your opinions and advce...

1. is it better to go for a rigid sided pool or are the (cheaper) inflatable "paddling" pool type ones with deep sides ok?

2. is it worth spedning out more to get a heated one with thermostat so that you can forget about topping up or is one with a thermal lid ok?

3. what shape is best if space is no option? a bath type rectangle or a more jacuzzi type rounder one?

4. are there any designs or companies to avoid or to pick out as being great service?

5. how early did you book yours? So often the websites say book early to avoid disappointment as we get hired out very quickly....

6.is there anything else that we aught to be considering when looking at this option?

Sorry to ask so many questions but I know you lot are the ones who know about such things and the websites are so keen to sell their products that you have to take some of their claims with a pinch of salt....

Hi Stripymouse, what a lot of questions! I don't think I've added anything to this thread before, but I hired a pool for dd's birth and used it to labour in, although I didn't give birth in it.

(1) I don't know which is better since I've only used the rigid type - I did lean on the side though, so that might have been harder with an inflatable.

(2) The one I had had a thermostat and a filtration system, which was great for the last days of pregnancy - it meant that it was always ready for me to use. I think it was worth spending the extra money on - I'd have one again next time.

(3) I had a round one which was about 5 feet in diameter. It was far bigger than it needed to be - I only really used half of it. I think an oval one would have been better because then you can stretch out one way, and brace yourself across it the other way.

(4) Sorry, can't help you with that. Where are you based?

(5) I can't remember when I booked it (about two months before I needed it I think), but there was no choice of pools by that stage, so next time I'll book as soon as possible.

(6) You need to think about where in the house you are going to put it - will your floors stand the weight of the filled pool?

HTH

thanks Pimpernel - I am only in week 15 now so still have time before booking it - I hope. Sorry for all the questions, thanks for taking the time to tell me about your experiences, it is really helpful. I now need to slowly build my dh up to the idea that it may be fairly costly...I think he thought we could get away with just spending about £30 on a deep family paddlling pool!! He needs to add a zero to the end of his estimate! Oh well, I will wait until he has been paid and is feeling a bit more financially positive before further discussion!
Thanks again

Hi Stripymouse

Just a quick thoughts to add...
I think inflatable is fine but I haven';t tried it - I hear it is quite nice as it is softer. I presume that if it was not suitable they would not be available.
Early booking is preferable (I'd say before you are 6 months) as the best ones/cheapest get booked early.
I did not have a thermostat in mine... if this is your 2nd vaginal delivery I'd say the chance of you being in it for the labour for more than 2 hours are remote. Most 2nd time labours are fairly fast, water will accelerate your labour too so most women who go in opast 5cm (as the famous rule is!) deliver within 1h30 ! It all depends on your hot water supply, if it is endless than it doesn't matter I think.

Pupuce - opps - thanks for warning me. I was 6 months yesterday so better get my skates on !

ooops: I'm definitely too late then with Splashdown - got 6 or so weeks to go now. Incidentally, the inflatable is apparently suitable for women who had 'short labours before' - not first timers or those who laboured for ages...

Motherinferior - you may not be BUT i'd say if you want to avoid stressing about it... i'd do it sooner rather than later !

Does splashdown have a website? If so does anyone know it?

Yes - it's here

Will check them out tomorrow, if not will go for ABC (done the sums, really shouldn't be too bad, pupuce). DP stressing out about whole thing, which is the main hassle...

Hey, what do you know - apparently Splashdown has quite a few left, and the woman I spoke to said the inflatable is actually perfectly OK for me (she asked how tall I was, and when I said five foot nothing, she said no problem) so I've booked it; Cha, anyone else, if you want a peek in the first week of July as long as I'm not actually in it at that point...

the relief!

Thanks for your comments, pupuce - really useful info.
The inflatables are so much cheaper - it is good to know that they might be a reasonable option worth considering as is the non thermostat ones. I had a three and a half day 1st labour so am not sure what will happen this time. I am hopeful it will be shorter but think it could be wishful thinking that it would be only hours long.
I have slowly been building up dh to the idea of having our own indoor "hot tub" for four weeks as a way to "help" him feel that it is a really good idea before I frighten him with the potential cost. I am only 15 weeks so still have time to consider options. We could afford one of the ones with all the features but it would be tight and we would need to save up for it. It would be good if this expense could be limited a little by going for a more basic model.

I hired one from Birthworks in Bristol - would that be close enough?

What happened there?! I didn't type that fast, honest!

thats happened to me Pimpernel on the SN thread my reply showed up before lous reply, it was really weird

beetroot, active birth centre sent one down to me (wiltshire) no problem.... when I'd finished, just phoned them ujp and they collected it the next day. v easy

Got mine from the other place pupuce recommends the name of which escapes me...birthworks, that was it.

Do the ones that you hire for homebirths actually look like the ones you see in videos etc, i.e. more 'jacuzzi' or 'spa pool' than 'skip', which is what the ones in the hospital were...

And I've always wondered ... with the home variety ... how do you keep the water the right temperature? Have terrible visions of being in labour sitting the equivalent of a cold bath!