Active discussions

Meet the Other Phone. Child-safe in minutes.

Meet the Other Phone.
Child-safe in minutes.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

Talk
Pregnancy

Talk about every stage of pregnancy, from early symptoms to preparing for birth.

Original poster

Q for midwives about birthing pools?

16 replies

Gerdticker · 13/08/2020 19:57

Can any midwives help me?

I had my first baby in the water at a Midwife Only Unit. It was a great delivery, quick (6 hrs start to finish) but the 2 hours in the water were amazing.

Sadly I had a retained placenta with PPH and had to go to hospital for removal in theatre. So for this pregnancy, the obstetrician insists I deliver in hospital, which I’m v v sad about Sad

I’d love to deliver in the pool at hospital, but have been warned my delivery might be so quick there’s no time to fill the pool!

Knowing what a fast delivery I had last time, would the midwives agree to start filling the pool while I’m on the way to hospital?!

Or can you only fill the pool once you’ve seen the woman in Triage, and checked that she’s dilated enough etc?

Thanks so much for your help Flowers

OP posts:
RowboatsinDisguise · 13/08/2020 20:04

Yes of course we would! Not a problem at all. We do it all the time when we know a second, third etc. Time mum is on her way in and think or know she’d like to use the pool.

annlee3817 · 13/08/2020 20:04

Not a midwife, but generally it's a first come first served basis, I was on labour ward waiting to be told I could go onto MLU, but a woman ahead of me was umming and ahhing about taking the last room on MLU, thankfully she decided to stay on the labour ward.

So, if someone arrives before you and wants the pool and it's free I'd imagine they'd be allocated it first 🤔

RowboatsinDisguise · 13/08/2020 20:04

(Obviously the only caveat to that is that there is a room and a pool available at the time but that’s not usually an issue in my trust)

ToxicTracey · 13/08/2020 20:56

Oh this is good to know! They didn't have time to fill the pool when I was already in hospital with my first so hoping I can get in with number 2.

I had a 2hr labour with my first so I'm assuming the MLU would take me in at my first twinges instead of waiting til 4cm? Only took 40 mins to go from 4cm to baby delivered with number 1.

Original poster
Gerdticker · 13/08/2020 21:07

@ToxicTracey wowee good effort! You make my labour look positively slow!

OP posts:
ToxicTracey · 13/08/2020 21:17

@Gerdticker ah the amount of people who would wish for a 'slow' 6 hour labour! When are you due? Curious to know how quick no2 is for you! I've been told to plan for a home birth but I could think of nothing worse. I'll risk the 10 min drive to hospital!

Original poster
Gerdticker · 13/08/2020 21:34

@ToxicTracey due early Nov - I’m 29 weeks

I’d love a home birth! but sadly not allowed after last time :(

Was your labour crazily intense?! It must have been! Did you have an epidural?

My obs consultant wants me to have an epidural this time because of the retained placenta last time (it means that anaesthesia is already taken care of if you have to go to theatre) .... but I don’t want one! I really liked being in the water, and I’m not keen on being on my back in bed Sad

OP posts:
ToxicTracey · 13/08/2020 21:42

I gave birth on the bed on my back with my legs in stirrups and pre birth that was my biggest fear, although it only really dawned on me the position I gave birth in about a week after actually giving birth. So it definitely isn't as bad as it seems in your head!

I only had gas & air, it's all I had time for. It was a lot more effective than I imagined though. Whole thing was crazy intense, I went from being told I'd be "a good few hours yet", to walking in the delivery room and thinking I needed a poo to be told that was actually the head! I had to check what day it was after giving birth, I had no idea what was going on and thought the gas & air must have just blurred out half of the day!

ToxicTracey · 13/08/2020 21:43

Oh and you're 4 weeks ahead of me so it really would be interesting to hear how you get on this time!! So exciting!

Twizbe · 13/08/2020 21:47

I had a 6 hour labour with my first. My second was under 3 hours. It was fast, but they had time to fill the pool for me. We got to hospital at 4am and she was born at 5:30am.

Pink15 · 13/08/2020 22:23

How long does it take to run a pool? I'd assumed about 10 mins like a bath? 🙈

WhatwouldRuthdo · 13/08/2020 22:27

Midwives filled the pool for me when I was on the way in to have DC2. He took another 5 hours to arrive so they needn’t have rushed, but I appreciated it!

HouchinBawbags · 13/08/2020 22:47

I was never checked with baby No 3. I just got to the hospital (after telling them I was on my way) and told them he was on his way. When I arrived I asked if I could have a pool birth this time and they filled it in minutes. My whole labour from waking up with contractions to holding him in my arms was 3 hours (and that included the 40 minute drive to the hospital)

I think the only check I had was listening for a heartbeat. Once. That's all.

ToxicTracey · 13/08/2020 23:10

@Pink15

How long does it take to run a pool? I'd assumed about 10 mins like a bath? 🙈
My pushing stage was only 7 mins so it definitely takes at least 8 minutes as they had to turn the taps off when I'd delivered 😂
RowboatsinDisguise · 14/08/2020 09:59

[quote Gerdticker]@ToxicTracey due early Nov - I’m 29 weeks

I’d love a home birth! but sadly not allowed after last time :(

Was your labour crazily intense?! It must have been! Did you have an epidural?

My obs consultant wants me to have an epidural this time because of the retained placenta last time (it means that anaesthesia is already taken care of if you have to go to theatre) .... but I don’t want one! I really liked being in the water, and I’m not keen on being on my back in bed Sad[/quote]
The rate of reoccurrence of retained placenta is thought to be about 25% so high enough that it’s worth being cautious but not so high that I’d be affecting my whole labour for it. You have a 3 in 4 chance that you won’t have the same experience. Personally I wouldn’t want an epidural just in case of something that on probability won’t happen!

Usually with retained placenta the situation takes a little while to develop. It would be quite easy to get a spinal in during that time if needed.

Original poster
Gerdticker · 14/08/2020 10:44

@RowboatsinDisguise

Thank you so much for this.

My labour at the MLU was so amazing, I really want to go there again.

Unfortunately after they transferred me to hospital, it all went downhill. I had to wait a few hours (5hrs 20min in total) before they could get me into theatre, and in that time I had a severe PPH. They found 1400ml of clots inside my uterus in the theatre. Total loss 2.4 litres. I spent the night in HDU and had a transfusion.

I requested my notes and learned that a Serious Untoward Event report was filed, so I now know it was an extreme and unusual thing to happen. But I really don't want to go to hospital again, as I have such terrible memories - I had no anaesthesia in the 5 hr wait before theatre, and thought I was going to die.

But sadly the MLU say that the blood transfusion automatically disqualifies me from going back there for my labour. I'm so sad about it!

As you say, if the chance of a retained placenta happening again is only 1 in 4, I'd rather just go to the MLU. But I'm not confident as to how much I can argue with them about it!

OP posts:
New posts on this thread. Refresh page