Birthing Pool at Home

[Cocoa]

Hi, I really like the idea of a home birth and the midwives are very supportive of this and said we can borrow one of their birthing pools. However one midwife informed us that it can take 3hrs + to fill the pool and that we'd need a good hot water system! Our boiler is 30+ years old and only one of us can have a shower in the morning as there is never enough hot water for the other person! So no way would it keep a pool warm enough!

I'm pretty disappointed now, as I think this will be the deal breaker for having a home birth as I'd really like water and I'm not sure if my bath would be comfortable enough! Another problem is our taps, I bought a hose and several different tap fittings and none of them fit our taps!

Would using buckets of cold and hot water be too tedious to fill up a birthing pool? Is a bath too uncomfortable to labour in - our bathroom is tiny!

 

[Mervs Mum]

Why dint you look at hiring one with a water heater. I think Blob had one that she raved about and she's in Scotland

 

[Cocoa]

Why dint you look at hiring one with a water heater. I think Blob had one that she raved about and she's in Scotland

Oooh great idea, I never thought about a water heater - that would be ideal! I doubt my fish-tank one would work lol

 

[Bournefree]

Look into the ones with a heater, that certainly could be your best bet - but if you can't afford to hire one, don't worry all is not lost!

A pool is going to be about 2 standard immersion type tanks with of hot water (but of course that would depend on what temperature you have set your immersion heater to?) or 2 bath fulls.

So yes it can take some time - but it is surprising how long the water in the pool can stay warm for, as it is a large volume of water (plus esp if you get a cover for it - didn't need one with my DD birth and that stayed warm for 4 hours), YOu can always fill it 1/3 warm water very early on then you only need to add the hot? (I know some poepl have done that)

What tap connectors have you tried? I searched about a bit for ones for our kitchen sink mixer tap.. The fittings were different to our first home birth, where we could just get away with a standard garden rubbery fitting with a jubliee clip to the hose (it leaked a bit, not loads, but it also meant that it wasn't quick to get off either.. so my gallons of orange squash I drank in labour all had to come from the bathroom sink tap!)

So this time I have found that HOSELOCK do a mixer tap fitting - what a god send! It means that the hose can just be clicked on and off when needed. My plan A was the old fashoined shower attachements you used to use over the bath (if you know the ones). I was just going to use the rubber stops and fit it to a hose.

Let me find some pictures and things...

Mixertap fitting
https://www.hozelock.com/watering/hose-fittings/connect-to-tap/tap-connectors.html
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cbEAWoC2K1U&feature=player_embedded

shower attachment things
https://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=300532146431

So it all depends on what taps you have got and where you are going to put the pool?
Xx

 

[Cocoa]

Thanks so much for your reply! I think a cover might help keep the pool warm. I've tried square abd round mixer tap fittings and neither stayed on. I also tried standard ones for our bathroom taps and they dont stay on either. I've been looking for those shower hose rubber ones but havent found any so far.

My main worry is that hubby will be spending his time keeping the pool heated than spending time with me - not from my p.o.v but his

 

[Mervs Mum]

Sound the money on a doula we can do all those things thar take partners away so he can concentrate on supporting you. when your lovely bundle arrives all you need to do is snuggle up together. The doula can empty and clear your pool away, make drinks and food, put fresh bed linen on and generally ensure your first hours together are completely uninterrupted and stress free .....but I would say that!

 

[indigo_fairy]

I've got slightly awkward taps too! We've found one that does connect without spitting water all over the kitchen now, and it does easily clip on and off - actually it IS that one thats in the video I just noticed (love that 'job done' thumbs up at the end!). What a great invention, as during labour the water is going to need to be used constantly, for washing hands, drinks, etc... But it has taken us years of crappy fitting ones to finally find this one!

I was also thinking about the water temperature but I've read and heard from ladies on here that it keeps the heat pretty well for hours, so once the initial bit is done it's fairly easy from then, so that could be done very early labour so that hubbie is not spending his time away from you A lid of some kind, even if its a layer of bubblewrap would definitely help too.

 

[Mervs Mum]

For my own home birth I got an off cut of insulated bubble wrap. The kind they use to insulate roofs.

https://1.bp.blogspot.com/_p-WTsj6n62A/SWCbhmSYIPI/AAAAAAAAAPs/JHD5o25qTU4/s400/reflective_insulation.jpg

I contacted an ebay seller and told him the dimensions I wanted to buy which were much smaller than they sold. He said if I could collect it I could have it for free. we filled the pool at 9am and covered it and I got in at 8pm and we still needed to cool it down!

 

[sam#3]

Good idea Lisa!

Also if it is an inflatable pool they do hold the heat really well - they only lose on average 1 degree per hour

 

[NaturalMomma]

I used the La Bassine pool and it took about an hour to fill up. You can buy a top for it, or use tarp to put over it and it'll keep it hot. We kept pots of boiling water on the stove, but it actually didn't need it. I filled it up at 10 am, but I didn't get into it until 10 pm and it was still 100 degrees.

 

[Cocoa]

Thanks everyone, I actually have that foil backed bubble wrap as we insulated our rabbit shed with it not long ago! I could try taping all the scraps together hoping it'll cover the pool

A Doula sounds awesome! Will have a look to see if there are any in our area!

 

[Mervs Mum]

Doulas often provide a pool free of charge in their package too