Water Birth at home - any tips

[arsmith]

Hi

Am planning a home birth and would like to have a water birth. Thought I'd post on here to see what tips people have?

Rigid v inflatable pool? People seem to say inflatable is more comfortable but t

he rigid ones seem to have the filters and heaters ....

Likely we'd have the pool in our kitchen on a wood floor was thinking an old piece of carpet underneath would help to soften the floor - do I need to get loads of towels to have around it?

Any other tips all welcome

Thanks girls

[amyw]

Lots of towels, already out so nobody has to look for them.

Possibly an extra helper / birth partner to run around getting the pool to the right temp at the moment of birth. I was lucky in that a student midwife was there and worked her butt off boiling water etc.

Cover your sofa or anything else that you might be examined on or plan to lounge on afterwards. Our sofa took a battering. Also the route from pool to said sofa.

I had an inflatable pool but imagine a rigid one might have been good to brace against? Not sure it matters but perhaps someone will have experienced both! And we had a rug underneath.

[EmilyE]

I had one with an inflatable bottom as well, so it was fine, though I had also put a thin-ish quilt thing underneath too.

The midwives brought loads of those absorbent mat things (sorry can't remember their name) - pretty much the same as you put under kids beds when they might wet them - and that protected the sofa and so on.

Check the hose fits your tap well before you need to fill the pool.

[charlottep]

Good luck! I'd suggest lots of taurpaulin and cover more than you think you'll actually be in contact with - not attractive but very practical and you can easily chuck it away afterwards. I had the birth pool in a box and it felt very sturdy and was also comfy. Try and make sure you leave sufficient room around the whole of the pool if poss, for 2 midwives and partner. Mine was near a corner making it harder for the midwives to reach me at times.

[Gubodge]

Get the best pump you can afford. While you get to cuddle up in bed with your new baby, your partner will be bailing out. A really powerful pump can make all the difference.

We had the birth pool in a box and I loved it, but giving birth on the hottest weekend of the year meant heaters weren't really a concern of mine.

[BellendenBear]

I had a birth pool in a box too. It comes with a non-slip mat I think. Didn't need anything else underneath. It was brilliant. Very comfortable to relax against between contractions but rigid enough for leaning against to push.

You need lots and lots of towels. More than they tell you and more than you think. You might get in and out of the pool a few times and it's nice to have a dry towel each time. Also towels to stand on, towels to put on bed / sofa if you need to be examined, towels for afterwards for you and baby.

I also had a few shower curtains from the pound shop. One under the sheet on the bed and one for anywhere else I might have ended up had I had to come out for the last bit.

Definitely make sure the hose fits your tap. And inflate it and fill it as soon as things start moving because that bit seems like it takes forever.

[mrs f]

We got lots of shower curtains from the pound shops on rye lane one sells packs of two for 99p/?1 & covered furniture & floor etc also I put a post up asking for old towels & sheets & cushions which were great to have to sit/lie on without worrying

I had the la bassine pool which was great, sturdy & comfortable

We tested filling it first & then at the time my husband kept it at temp (I was in there hours)

We had a pump to drain it which was great, although of course I'd hope you have nothing to do with emptying it afterwards!!

Other than that, yes put it with room all around so you can stay in position & the midwife can work around you

Don't forget your sive & mirror!

Good luck, I'm so happy I had my baby that way, it was lovely, especially as the midwife tucked us up into bed afterwards :-D

[jollymummy]

I bought some bubble wrap and sellotaped pieces together to make two large pieces; one to go under the birth pool and one over the top. A really cheap way to make a heat retaining cover & it worked brilliantly.

One other tip I've got is to have straws to hand. I found them really fab for drinking hanging over the side of the pool. I had Birth pool in a box and second all the above comments.

Good luck!

[mrs cuckoo]

Depending on your water pressure, you may want 2 hoses filling the pool. Our pressure wasn't high enough so my husband had to to-and-fro with about 40 buckets. And comedy sounding emptying scenario which I wasn't involved with, where hose for pump wasn't long enough to reach kitchen, so my mum and husband had it poking through the letter box. It was November and freezing, so they were worried about pool contents icing over...you can imagine... I think rigid pool better, only because more sturdy for leaning on.

Good luck, pool births lovely. Make sure your partner has his trunks ready in.case he wants to get in. Brierly midwives said they didn't want to see any nicky-nacky-noos while they were busy!!

[Yak]

Mrs cuckoo, I have just splurted coffee all over my phone. Nicky-nacky-noos indeed. Brilliant.

[Carbonara]

We bought a large cheap plastic tarpaulin from B&Q or somewhere and covered the whole floor with that, then put bathmats round the pool.

It's quite good to have a practice beforehand, putting it up, making sure the hoses reach, things like that.

[oimissus]

I don't know anything about water births beyond the fact that everyone I know who planned to have one didn't for one reason or another, but having read this I thought I should point out that there is the very real likelihood that there will be a hosepipe ban after Easter, so I would suggest you need to prepare other ways of filling your pool should this happen (not knowing your due date of course), should this usage fall under the terms of the ban.

Best of luck, water births sound lovely!

[amyw]

I think hosepipe ban would apply to the garden rather than the living room!

I have a load of shower curtains I didn't end up using so if you want to save the trip to rye lane pm me!

[arsmith]

Hi all so many great responses thank you so much.

Amy - may well take you up on those shower curtains. I'll pm you.

Still choosing between pools. Birth pool in a box - the one with the seat seems quite good but part of me is hankering for a rigid pool as it looks more luxurious. Hmmmm

Am also with Brierley so will make ure the trunks are at the ready :)

[amyw]

The other thing I wondered was whether the bigger pool would have been better? A bit more room?

[tomo]

I used birth pool in a box and can highly recommend it. I had the slightly larger one with the seat and was plenty big enough for me I'm 5ft 10. It is very sturdy when inflated, so great for leaning against mid contraction. I was also with Brierley midwives, they were amazing!

My top tip- get some of those dry nights bed sheets- I put them over the bathroom floor when my waters went- or rather continued to trickle for several hours! Agree with the bendy straw suggestion and lucozade to keep your energy levels up. You may not feel like eating anything. Also we had to buy a hoselock tap adaptor to fit our kitchen tap as the ones supplied with pool didn't fit.

Good luck!

[The Nappy Lady]

Hi there

I used the birth pool in a box & it was great. I wouldnt have used a seat myself as I knelt in the water and then leant forward onto the side of the pool during contractions. The sides supported me really well whilst also being soft & comfortable. It's worth having a little step to use outside the pool for easy getting in & out - one of those plastic ones they sell for children to use at the sink will do. We put an old folded blanket & shower curtains under & around the pool and had lots of old towels to hand too.

The Brierley were fabulous in every way & even dried me off when I got out (I felt like Cleopatra with hand maidens!!).

Buy a baby bath thermometer to check the temperature of the water & then use it afterwards when you run baths for your baby! I got mine from Lloyds on Northcross Rd.

Good luck & enjoy - water births are just wonderful!

[polly hope]

Hi i am also plannning a home water birth at the beginning of May with the Brierly team - i am in the realms of wondering which bath to go for so thanks for all these post - would be good to hear what you go for in the end and if you feel like it was the right thing -

thanks and good luck -

[arsmith]

HI Polly - are you going to the meet the Brierley midwives session on saturday? if so see you there !!

[sandy_rose]

I had the large pool in a box at home, and then ended up in hospital were they use the smaller version. The inflatable sides make it super comfortable, I spent most of the time hanging over the edge/ resting my head on the side. Tbh I prefered the smaller one as I could reach the other end with my feet to help stabilise when pushing or working through a contraction, and found that I was slipping around in the big one (i'm about 170 cms tall). Make sure your boiler can cope, ours broke down so had to keep boiling pans to help keep the temperature up - luckily it was a hot summer's day.

My only other advice would be don't expect everything to go to plan. We ended up transferring to hospital which I was totally unprepared for, but we were pleasantly surprised at how nice the facilities were and the Brierley midwife stayed with us until our baby was born.

The Brierley are amazing, the first thing I did when we found out we were expecting another was to phone up and book them again. Make sure you get a copy of the notes afterwards, it's a lovely detailed breakdown of the events - you may think you'll remember it all but for me it was all a blur after 35 hours in labour!

[arsmith]

Thanks SandyRose a going into it open minded - will have a bag packed in case I have to go in. What makes me feel comfortale with Brierley is thE idea that if I go in its because I really have to and that the Brierley midwives will come with me.

Who knows what will happen on the day just trying to be prepared:)

Good tip about the notes too thank you