Birth pool reviews?

[madasa]

I noticed that in the Natural Parenting section they have a stickied thread for sling reviews, and I thought it might be a good idea to have a similar one here, but for birthing pools...

I think quite a lot of ladies like to have a pool when they birth at home (or they want to birth at home because they want the water option) and "which pool do you recommend" seems to be such a common question, I thought a review thread would be really useful.... does anyone else think it's a good idea?

 

[trumpetbum]

Sounds like a good idea to me.

 

[JenStar1976]

Yes, a very good idea.

I used the Birth Pool in a Box (Eco Mini size). My due date was 12 Jan (freezing cold in the UK at that time!) - the only problem we had with it was that the floor kept deflating. I contacted the company who I purchased it from and they said that it was because of the low temperatures outside when it was delivered - I may have tried to blow the pool up too early before the material had a chance to aclimatise to the indoor temperature. I was still able to use the pool, we just put duvets on the floor underneath instead. It had no impact on how comfortable my experience was. I was only in it for 20 minutes though so can't comment on how well it would have held the water temperature for! All in all, I think it was a brilliant pool - good value for money. I've kept it just in case we have another baby! x

 

[milkmachine]

i have an aqua born pool, although ive not used it for labour yet me and my little girl do 'indoor swimming' alot. its super fast to set and fill (i do live in a new house tho so new decent plumbing) emptys via a pump thats included in the brilliant price. its lush green we call it the kermit pool. and it has a large inflatable lid that keeps the water hot for hours. so good in fact i was chilling out in the pool at 40degrees watching telly on evening put the lid on the night before so my wee one didnt throw toys in it when we came down in the morning and the water was still like warm the next day!!!!

 

[Lillylemon]

I am hiring a birth pool in a box - the larger one your partner can get in to too - for 5 weeks from 37 weeks to 42 weeks. It comes with all the pump and hoses etc as I didn't want the hassle of having to sort this ourselves. I will let you know how I get on!

 

[Mervs Mum]

We used the La Bassine Pool from https://madeinwater.co.uk/ and I really recommend it.

5 mins to inflate (with the electric pump included or bought cheaply from camping shops)
It takes some filling so it will depend on your water system. We dont have constant hot water so we had to empty the hot tank in then wait for it to reheat. It took about 2.5 hours to fill with hot and then we covered it with foil backed 'bubble wrap' style insulation which kept it scorching hot from 9/10am until I got in at 8 PM!! It holds heat really well.
Emptying is easier with a little electric water pump as you just leave it in the water and use the hose you filled it with to empty it.
You need a length of hose that will reach from your taps to the place you want the pool - if you're setting up in the lounge ensure you have enough hose before the day!
I recommend a trial run to see how it all works in your home - one is enough but you may find after wallowing in it when heavily pregnant, you might want another trial run!

 

[Ju_bubbs]

Ooh what a good thread!! i've been looking at the pool MM metioned, anybody else have any experience with it, any good/bad points to bear in mind etc?

 

[madasa]

I used the La Bassinine as well (made in water) - good size, easy and quick to inflate and fill, kept the heat well, very comfy, would love to use it again!

 

[milkmachine]

This is what we use our spare birth pool in a box pool for as its not as deep/comfy as the aquaborn one

https://i56.photobucket.com/albums/g169/uvlolly/100_1671.jpg

 

[urbanbumpkin]

I did a post about my hired rigid sided pool from Birthworks here:

Rigid Pool Review on Home Birth Thread

it has some photos and info on putting up the pool etc. The few posts after that one have a bit more info as I respond to a few people's questions about it.

In general

Pros: You can leave it up all the time (for weeks) as it has a filter and comes with oxygenation tablets that you add each day, it is nice and solid, it is big (big enough for two people), you can set and maintain the temperature, not inflatable so good if you have pets who might pop an inflatable one.

Cons: It is expensive, it is big so you need plenty of room (our large bay window was perfect), it can make the room a bit more humid than normal, you are paying for the electricity to run the filter and heater, there is no solid cover so you would have to watch older children around it.

I loved it.

In the end I didn't get a homebirth but I felt like I got my money's worth out of the pool as I had been using to relax each evening for the previous 3 weeks of the hire. That was a great thing to have, the feeling of floating is lovely in late pregnancy, and MrUrban got use of it too which he enjoyed.

I was in hospital when it got taken down so I can't say much about packing it away but my husband says it was easy. It came with a long hose to fill it and a pump to empty it (also a thermometer, jug, step, floating cover, sieve, spare filter, spa treatment tablets and liquid, plastic step stool) and he said the pump was quite quick to empty it,and then he bunged our dehumidifier on to dry out the liner. It disassembled pretty quickly too. We just contacted the hire company when we were done with it and they arranged the courier to pick it up on our day of choice.

Hope that helps anyone wondering about hiring a rigid sided pool!

 

[winegums]

great thread! originally i was going to get a birth pool in a box as they seem to be the main ones on ebay and i'm a cheapskate!!

in the end i bought a paddling pool! haha. the dimensions were the same as the normal (not large) birth pool in a box... i had a c section so never got to use it

the last couple of weeks have been SO hot so we decided to open it and use it in the garden for my son. I was so impressed. Took about 10 mins to fill up BY MOUTH! the sides were strong enough for two 15-STONE people (me and OH yes we're not the skinniest lol) we were both laid out on it and that's like 30 stone of weight combined.

We filled it up with cold water then added about 10 buckets of hot water and it made it warm like bath water!

it was up for over a week of me and OH laying on the sides, LO bouncing around in it etc before it started to look a bit deflaty!

so........ basically i think i'm definately going to use this instead of buying a birth pool and everything else! it was only a few quid as well some of the birth pools are 100s lol

 

[winegums]

BPIAB - 165 x 145cm
my pool - 183 x 61cm

so its wider....... but shallower! but im short so its ok when im sitting in it goes up to my boobs anyway

 

[mrsmo7]

I have had 4 waterbirths and have used 3 different pools. I had ridged side ones for my first 3 which where ok but i had a birth in a box mini for my last birth and found it much more comfortable! I was nice to be able to lean against the side and it mold to me. It was also easier to get in and out of. I will be using it again this time so it was really worth the money to buy too!
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