Does anyone have any words of wisdom about birth pools?

[Flowerface]

I am planning a home birth for DC2 and would like to get a pool... But I am a bit perplexed by the whole thing, what additional paraphanalia is needed, etc. Could anyone tell me where they got their's, and how it was? Is the whole thing a massive palaver? How far in advance did you inflate/fill it? Did you actually like having it? And where did you buy it from?

Thanks

If you speak to your midwife some hospitals either can hire them out or they should be able to tell you where you can (they come with disposable liners for hygiene). When you hire it they will usually send the pump and attachments for fitting to taps to fill it. Otherwise someone I met got one off ebay and it's now in the back garden for the DCs to play in :)

Basically you can get it ready whenever you want, some ppl like to use them right from the beginning (in which case make sure there is an easy way of topping up the warm water so you don't get cold). Other ppl like to wait until they call the midwife out so that they can check this is 'really it' before getting in. You will need to give some thought before hand as to where it's going to go.

Good luck, come back and let us know how you got on x

Thanks, Squished. Had the midwife yesterday for the birth plan and she suggested we buy one, but I got a bit confused about all the additional things you need which aren't necessarily included with it... (2 year old DD was ill and calling tragically from the sofa - it was hard to concentrate!!)

So I thought of maybe getting this one... www.birthpoolinabox.co.uk/birth-pool-eco-mini

Do you need a thermometer?

I bought mine from ebay for £60 instead of £150 new (it's unused, it's just been sat in someone's house for a couple of years!) It's a Birth Pool in a Box Eco Regular :) I was going to get the mini but it just so happened someone local was selling the regular one with the gubbins for a very reasonable price!

You can buy them as just a pool or with a kit to fill and empty (submersible water pump, electric air pump to inflate and deflate and a hose - you DON'T need a food grade hose, a clean new garden hose is perfectly acceptable) so that you're not bucketing the water out afterwards.

You DON'T need a thermometer. Whilst there are guidelines about what the temperature ought to be in an MLU, if you're at home you can have the water at a temperature that you find comfortable. They like you to have the water a certain temperature in case baby gasps under the water at birth, however research in Germany found no cases of this happening (and AFAIK there have been no cases of this recorded anywhere)

You might need a sieve to sieve out the poo...

In an MLU I think you're asked to stay out of the pool until you reach 5cm - yet you can have a bath before that so I don't see what the difference is. I am not consenting to VEs to see how far I am so shall get in the pool when I feel like it, if things slow down then you just get out and that should allow things to get going again anyway.

I bought mine from MFI - but have just seen the same one in The Range, think it was a Lay-Z-Spa. It was in the closing down sale and meant we got to have a hot tub too :)

I had to have a thermometer, as requested by the Midwives when booking my home birth. I bought a floating digital one, it was from Boots for a baby bath and worked beautifully and still keeps the children entertained in the bath now LOL... The midwives also requested that we had a decent torch and a mirror that could go under water, all the things they might need but don't have bags big enough to carry all the stuff around in!

If the water is kept at a constant temperature you need certain chemicals to balance the pH and to keep the water clean - a birthing pool with standing, warm water is the perfect place for bacteria to grow. In a hospital setting, this isn't a problem as they run the water fresh and is hot enough; our little boiler wasn't enough to fill a birthing pool quickly and warmly enough. The temperature of the pool for giving birth in was lovely IMO, but then I do like a hot, deep bath :)

Ahhh, lovely memories of my last baby being born and is swaying me toward another home water birth :)

Thanks all. How far in advance did you fill it up, Soozy?

It was a bit of a palaver and kept dh very busy(back and forwards with kettle fulls of hot water to keep the temp up), so he didn't have time to be with me for back rubs or anything, but it was well worth it.

We got a birth pool in a box and it came with a pump and bits and pieces. We only really used the thermometer and the liner ripped so just got in the way, 2nd time we didn't bother with the liner. The MW needed a mirror and we had a good lamp instead of a torch.

I can't remember when DH started filling it, I think as soon as the first MW had visited and confirmed I was in early labour - with ds2 he didn't get it filled quick enough because my 2nd labour was much quicker.

If you get an inflatable pool, just bear in mind that should you need to transfer to hospital during labour - make sure someone empties the pool for you.

That was my MW's advice, apparently one of her patients didn't and her DH arrived home many hours later to find a flooded front room! The pool had started to sag after a while and...well, you can guess the rest :)

I was going to get the birth pool in a box for my home birth but decided not to bother with a pool in the end. Oh how I regretted that decision when I had DD, she was back to back and the MW forgot to pack a mouthpiece for the gas and air

Home waterbirths are lovely (biassed!) planning 4th for early May :)
I've never got to try gas and air, but have used tens before getting in the water each time. Have heard of people getting a prescription for pethidine from their GP to use during a HB but think it varies between areas, and don't know if it would affect your use of pool, or how you feel about it anyway.
I've always waited for an internal once MW got to house before getting in the pool as getting in too early can relax you too much and slow progress down if you get in too early (before 5cms iirc), but its sooo lovely when you do get in and its all warm and supportive
Yes to thermometer, sieve, torch, mirror to see baby's head, although I like feeling it moving down (no-one has ever touched my kids before me :))
We've never used a liner, but just given it a good going over with milton before use and afterwards, haven't had a pump to empty it with either - DH just started a syphon going with a hosepipe and left it out of the back door down the nearest drain and left it to it
My first pool came from ebay but didn't survive a summer in the garden being used by the 2 who were born in it! Fun for them to have a bath downstairs as baby gets closer though!
MWs will be concerned if water isn't deep enough - baby needs to be under water until body is out to avoid the gasping and drowning issue, v rare
If the water is only just warm enough they may be concerned about baby getting cold but has you'll be cuddling him/her this isn't likely to be a major issue
Some MWs may let you use aromatherapy oils in the pool, others may be concerned about the oils on newborn - depends on how much experience they have with aromoatherapy rather than anything else IMO
Different areas have different policies on you getting out for delivery of placenta, I don't know if you have any preference either way.
I've never needed stitches either and give the water credit for that (more flattering than DHs alternative 'reason'! )
Haven't used a solid pool so can't compare but inflatable ones lovely on the knees for kneeling and leaning against the sides if thats a comfy position for you
Can't rememebr who long it took to fill but can't have been too long as DD was pretty quick and I still got to use it.
Much easier if you have a mixer tap rather than sep hot/cold ones
My loveliest birth memories are more of the older DC meeting the new baby than actually simply holding the new baby myself - esp DC3 born at about 2am and his big brother met him before I'd delivered the placenta, then went back to bed!
Good luck with it all
Sorry this got so long

Apparently you need to check your floors are strong enough esp if not ground floor, esp if new build. You could easily have well over a ton of water concentrated in a small area, and some floors won't take that...

ItsAllGoingToBeFine The rule of thumb is that if you'd be happy to have 10-12 adults standing in that room, then the pool should be fine.

Oh yes, definitely a tarpaulin for the floor. I used some old bath mats around it too, to catch all the drips... water and other stuff!

My pool heated the water itself so needed a full 24 hours to reach the set temperature. I think (going back 4 years!) we had it filled and ready as I was coming up to 40w, but I can't remember for sure.

The checking floors malarky rings a bell, think my DH did something similar. If you have a look at any independent MW website, they often have a checklist for home water birth.

Thanks everyone.

My MW said you have to get out of the pool if you want pethidine. In case you fall asleep. I did have it last time but am hoping to do without this time round.

We were going to have it downstairs anyway, so that's not a problem. Is it 37 degrees it's meant to be?