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I'm currently 37 weeks pregnant with #4. My last two were born at home, and this time I'm hoping for a home water birth. My midwife suggested purchasing a kiddie pool rather than a birth tub, saying it would be easier to keep enough warm water in the smaller pool. Has anyone gone this route? Any thoughts on birth tubs or water birth in general? Anything else I should know about water birthing? TIA!

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I had ds in a birth center, partly because of the lovely jetted hot tub they had. I labored in the water until I was 10 cms, and then got out and pushed and delivered him on the bed. Although I loved the water for the labor, I didn't personally want an actual water birth. However, a lot of women have had water births, and have really appreciated the experience.

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Me! I had ds in a inflatable birth pool. LOVED it. Our hot water heater couldn't quiiiite fill it, so dh would occasionally boil pots of water on the stove to add to it. The water is extremely relaxing. I have a history of fairly quick labors & no tearing, but even so, ds's water birth was impressive--posterior with (as far as we can tell) nuchal hand, 9lbs, 22 inches, no tearing, and I was not convinced we even needed to call the midwife until my water broke, and he was born 7 minutes later (before she arrived). :lol: That will not happen to most people, LOL, but it was definitely very relaxing. (I had weird early labor that seems to be classic for posterior babies. I was also at least 5 cm to begin with.) I hope all of mine are water births from now on.

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Yep, I used an intex inflatable pool when I had my 3rd baby (homebirth) in 2010.

 

I had two easy labors w/ my older 2 kids and wasn't sure I'd want/need a pool for the homebirth. I didn't want to go to the expense given my history of not really needing the water, or not wanting it when it was available. With DS1 I was at a hospital and labored in the tub there, but wanted out in transition. THeir policy was no waterbirth, but laboring in the tub was ok. I wouldn't have wanted to remain in the water anyway. I wanted out.

 

With DD, things moved fast and I never missed having the water (was at a FSBC, had the option to do a waterbirth).

 

THe third baby was born in the water. 2 pushes, no tearing. Easiest recovery of the 3 (never even wanted/needed to use a peri bottle).

 

I am short (5'2" or so) and a few more inches of water would probably have been ideal. For the price, the option we had worked out well. I think our pool was $30 via amazon as it was early spring and we couldn't find much out at B&M stores. I really wanted the intex "fishy" pool a lot of HBers use, but couldn't find it in stock anywhere at the time. I'm not sure if it was discontinued.

 

Ours was the one that looks like a star with rainbow colors LOL ;)

 

I am not sure if you encountered this advice, but we got a special adapter to fill it from our bathroom sink, a pvc free/drinking water safe hose, and an aquarium net (in case you need to remove a BM from the water. Didn't need it, but the aquarium net is like 2 bucks). Oh, and an aquarium thermometer w/ a little suction cup so we could gauge water temp (was very inexpensive). And lots of towels.

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My last one was a water birth. I had to birth in a rented house but it had a hot tub. Wonderful for birthing. I liked that it was tall. Once I was in that water, I didn't want to get out. Thankfully, all went well and I didn't have to. :D I got to catch my own baby, and that was a neat experience!

 

I if were to have any more, I would definitely water birth again.

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I'm so excited for you! I had my first water birth in January and it was amazing. I wasn't sure I would actually end up delivering in it, but the baby came soooo fast (before the midwife even showed) that it just happened that way. It still hurt, but the water was amazingly insulating.

 

I borrowed a tub that my friend owns. It is basically a portable jacuzzi with it's own filter and heater. We set it up in the living room a week or so before I was due and I sat in it nearly every night and "practiced" and meditated with my candle and my pretty music. I think that really helped me feel ready. We did have to drain and refill the tub every few days as we waited for the birth (8 days late.)

 

I can't imagine how a kiddie pool would work as well unless it was pretty deep? An inflatable pool? I'd be worried about the flooding potential. Having the pool set up for a while and the heater always running and ready was pretty nice.

 

I hope everything goes perfectly for you!

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I had a tub for DD's in-hospital birth, but to my surprise once I was in labor, I didn't like it... it didn't work for me. I wanted to be UPRIGHT, and the tub only covered me if I was sitting or laying back. I got out. It's different for everyone of course but I can't help thinking that more depth might have been good.

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Oh...I hope you can do it. My midwife let me labor in the tub the whole time. I had the tub full and ran the shower head over my tummy. It was so relaxing. I didn't have pain and I felt wonderful! I think the water took away the anxiety and my pain. I read that it stimulates so many nerves that you lessen your pain. It worked for me!!!

She told me to push and I had no desire but I stood up and tried and felt that ring of fire and finally felt real labor. 2 pushes was all it took her. My husband kind of freaked and made me get to the bed...and I ended up almost having my daughter on the floor! LOL. I should have just stayed in the tub!

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Yup! I had my 2nd child in a blow up pool at home. The blow up pool worked great. Just be sure to blow it up full. You'll want the sides hard, so you can lean against them. I also found the noise of the compressor DH used to blow it up quite grating, so I had him blow the pool up before I was actually in labor. If you have space to do that, I'd recommend it if you are noise intolerant. I am just generally intolerant when I am laboring. :)

 

Right before I started pushing my MW asked if I wanted to actually have the baby in the pool, she said once I started pushing there was no going back and the baby would have to be born in the water and she was. It was a lovely experience.

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I had two easy labors w/ my older 2 kids and wasn't sure I'd want/need a pool for the homebirth. I didn't want to go to the expense given my history of not really needing the water, or not wanting it when it was available.

 

I felt this way, too, after three great hospital births and probably wouldn't have thought to use a pool if my friend hadn't offered. I am so glad she did, though, as it was such a great experience. If I had to do over with out the free tub I would pay the $200 to $300 or so that it would cost to rent one. It would be worth it to me.

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I felt this way, too, after three great hospital births and probably wouldn't have thought to use a pool if my friend hadn't offered. I am so glad she did, though, as it was such a great experience. If I had to do over with out the free tub I would pay the $200 to $300 or so that it would cost to rent one. It would be worth it to me.

 

Yep, I didn't expect to love it, but I did :001_wub:

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My babies #2 and #3 were both born in water. I LOVE waterbirthing!

 

For me, warm water and floating are both very relaxing and calming- just the thing for a mellow labor. I also combined my waterbirths with Hypnobabies and it worked wonderfully as well.

 

Babies #1 and #4 were also planned to be born in water, but I ended up transferring to hospital with baby #1 and baby #4 was born in the restroom as I was on my way to the tub :tongue_smilie:.

 

For me though, I don't think a kiddie pool would have done the trick. I spent a lot of time in the pools almost fully immersed and leaning against the sides. We didn't have tubs deep enough in our homes for birthing, so each time I've planned to deliver in a birth center that offered deep birthing tubs. I also spent a lot of my at home laboring time in our backyard pool. The feeling of floating and weightlessness is very soothing in labor. I was able to enjoy it as well in a birthing tub with a float my husband rigged up with pool noodles.

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Thanks so much for all the information! I'm lovin hearing all these great water birth stories!

 

My house actually has a lovely, deep jacuzzi tub that would be great for a water birth, but I live out of area for a homebirth so we're renting a cottage within the practice area for our midwife. The cottage isn't huge, and I suspect the hot water tank won't fill a super large tub, so I'm hoping I'll strike the right balance with whatever size pool we do get.

 

As soon as I found out I was pregnant I had the thought that this one should be a water birth. It's the first time I even really considered it, though I did enjoy the bathtub near the end of my (very long) labour the last time around. I think this baby must just want to enter the world this way! :D

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I planned on using a kiddie pool for my last birth, but she came so fast that we didn't have it set up. I ended up birthing in my own 1963 sized bath tub, not ideal, but much better than on land!!! Oh that water was heavenly. Pushing was so much easier. Even the "ring of fire" sensation was much more manageable. Due to the smaller size of the tub, we had to get her out faster than we would have in a bigger tub because she was starting to surface and air triggers the breathing reflex.

 

Here is what we bought (and didn't use - at least not for the birth.) The sides were plenty high. You can also rent a birth tub that has a slightly smaller diameter, which may need a little less water and stay warmer due to less surface area.

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Thanks so much for all the information! I'm lovin hearing all these great water birth stories!

 

My house actually has a lovely, deep jacuzzi tub that would be great for a water birth, but I live out of area for a homebirth so we're renting a cottage within the practice area for our midwife. The cottage isn't huge, and I suspect the hot water tank won't fill a super large tub, so I'm hoping I'll strike the right balance with whatever size pool we do get.

 

As soon as I found out I was pregnant I had the thought that this one should be a water birth. It's the first time I even really considered it, though I did enjoy the bathtub near the end of my (very long) labour the last time around. I think this baby must just want to enter the world this way! :D

 

I have a friend who is a doula in HRM. She has five kids, and her last one (2.5 years ago) was a water birth. If you want to talk with her, pm me and I'll send her info. to you.

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I had #3 in a birthing pool, #4 didn't was a transport so it didn't work out to. I don't know how you would get the water as warm as it needs to be in a kiddie pool. Maybe this was addressed upthread, but I haven't time to read at the moment. I also think the amount of water in a birthing pool is perfect. I was able to rent the pool from my midwife, I don't know that I would have been able to buy one. Maybe you can find someone to rent you one?

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We did a test run in advance to figure out how much hot water we would have, etc.

 

We kept water going on the stove and used that to adjust the temp as needed.

 

It wasn't the easiest thing ever but we had extra hands (MW assistant, and my parents were there to help with the kids, who ended up being asleep for most of my labor).

 

I don't regret skipping a fancier system. I believe my MW now rents pools but she was not at the time I was pg.

 

We used the little aquarium thermometer to make sure we were in the desired range.

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I've had four water births. Even though my master bath has a big, corner, jetted tub, I prefer the inflatable kiddie pool. The squishy sides and floor made it more comfortable, especially since I preferred kneeling. My first water birth was in an AquaDoula, but I much preferred the kiddie pool.

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We used a cattle trough in our oversized walk-in shower (for our last 2). The trough is passed around, on-loan for free, within the homebirth community here. I labored in it twice, birthed in it once. Water is delightful for easing the pressure. ;)

Edited by Geo
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I just had my third homebirth six days ago, and it was my first waterbirth. I was on the fence about waterbirth, as it's never appealed to me before (I am not, in general, a bath sort of person), but I thought maybe I'd try it, just for the novelty. We didn't opt to get a pool or birthing tub, though, figuring we'd just use the bathtub. As it happened, I got to the point in labor where I was having a really hard time; I actually thought I still had several hours ahead of me, because I'd only been in labor for about 3 3/4 hours, and my shortest labor before that had been 7 hours, and I was out of ways to cope. So DH suggested we try the tub and went to fill it. I got in, and it felt so good. So good that a minute or so after I got in, I went to see if I could feel the baby's head, since my water had broken a few minutes before I got into the tub; I could, and I started pushing. One big push (and DH had stepped out for a second to say something to the big kids, so he almost missed the birth), and the baby was in my arms. The water was wonderful! No tearing, and I think the warm water helped me relax just that last bit that was needed to let the baby come down all the way. If we do this again, I'm getting in the water much sooner!

 

I would have a net handy for any icky stuff that gets in the water. And some big towels in case you gush fluid when you get out. Other than that, have a great birth!

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I had planned on my youngest being a water birth, but it didn't work out. (We ended up transferring.) I would've bought a birthing pool, though, because I'm tall. I have a hard time submerging in a bathtub, so me submerging in the fishy pool just wasn't going to happen. If you're petite to average height, though, I've heard the fishy pools work just as well. :)

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I used an inflatable kiddie pool. Worked great, and the sides were comfortable to lean on. Another option is a rubbermaid horse trough. That is what some of my friends used. It has firm sides. Personally the inflatable bottom was a HUGE HUGE benefit. So much more comfortable on my knees. I was on my knees almost the whole labor, and a hard bottom would have been murder. I'm including a picture.

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Edited by ktgrok
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My last two were home water births.

 

My midwife suggested purchasing a kiddie pool rather than a birth tub, saying it would be easier to keep enough warm water in the smaller pool. Has anyone gone this route? Any thoughts on birth tubs or water birth in general? Anything else I should know about water birthing?

It still cools down in the kiddie pools if you labor for a long time.

 

I used the kiddie pool. My third was eight hours and we had to dump and refill with hot water a couple of times.

 

At births we use the Birth Pool in a Box. Same scenario as with the kiddie pool if labor goes long.

 

It's really not a big deal to have to bail water and refill. Plus, the hot water being dumped into the pool feels REALLY good.

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I've had 3 water births, all with this pool:

 

http://www.yourwaterbirth.com/other-pools-c-1_39.html

 

It's very comfy, the bottom is cushy. I'm short so it works great for me, from what I've read, it may not be as comfortable for tall people.

 

Keep in mind, you won't know how you'll feel until you're in labor. Some women find the water irritating, some love it.

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I've had 3 water births, all with this pool:

 

http://www.yourwaterbirth.com/other-pools-c-1_39.html

 

It's very comfy, the bottom is cushy. I'm short so it works great for me, from what I've read, it may not be as comfortable for tall people.

 

Keep in mind, you won't know how you'll feel until you're in labor. Some women find the water irritating, some love it.

Ah, the famous fishy pool :D I was trying to find it when we were planning our HB and no one had it in stock at the time. We went with a different inflatable pool that was like an inch or two shallower. Same idea though. I really, really wanted the fishy pool though at the time!

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My middle child was a water birth at a hospital birth center. It helped a great deal with pain control and with being able to relax (both things that I struggled with greatly when I was in labor with my first child due to prolonged back labor). It was hard to find a position that was comfortable to push in and squatting wasn't comfortable (I use that word loosely obviously LOL). My husband ended up sitting down and I sat against him for support and that helped.

 

Of the 3 births, this was by far the "easiest" (another loosely used term). I planned it for my youngest too, but because my water broke before I got to the birth center and it had some meconium, I wasn't able to birth in the water per hospital policy.

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I had a really nice waterbirth with my last child. The big thing to remember is to fill the tub high and keep your bottom fully submerged when you push the baby out. Once air hits the baby's face, it triggers the first breath. You don't want your baby to get a breeze and then go underwater because it could inhale the water.

 

I don't think my ds even cried when he was born. Just looked around and snuggled with me in the tub. It was awesome.

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I had a water birth with my middle child. It was at a midwife led birthing unit within a maternity wing of the hospital, so emergency care available was reassuring for me. It was a huge bath tub and it was very relaxing at first. The temperature of the water and the baby's heart rate were monitored regularly. I had the choice to get out for delivery, or had to if I wanted pethidine. I didn't plan to stay in but when I came close to delivery I didn't want to move. He was in the posterior position with his hand on his face, thumb in mouth. Honestly? It was agony. I couldn't up stand straight for a couple of days. Obviously because of his position rather than it being a water birth, but bad enough for me not to try again with the next baby.

 

But, he was a very relaxed baby, very alert straight away, looking all around till he found his way for some nourishment.:D

Edited by lorrainejmc
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It's really not a big deal to have to bail water and refill. Plus, the hot water being dumped into the pool feels REALLY good.

 

It's not dumping it that might pose a problem. We're just not sure that the hot water tank will give us enough hot water to fill the pool in the first place. I guess either way we'll have to keep kettles/pots going with more water at the ready!

 

Thanks for all the tips and advice. This is all so helpful!

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Coming in late, but wanted to say I "missed" two water births, lol.

 

With #3, labor sped up a bit faster than anticipated. Once the tub was filled, I got out of bed, stood up, and said "Nope! Too far!," collapsed back on the bed, and delivered.

 

With #4, I got to labor in the tub for a while and enjoyed that. Baby went into distress (cord issues) and the mw wanted a better view and easier access, so I was evicted from the tub.

 

With #5, I just wasn't in the mood for the tub, so we never even filled it.

 

Anyway, I'm a big fan of water labor/birth as an available tool, but I (obviously, lol) have no strong commitment to it!

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I have had two home water births with my LaBassine pool. I loved it because is was deep enough to keep all parts covered when I changed positions, but it was also narrower so it didn't take up the entire room (or use as much water as a wider pool). I felt very safe and sheltered in this pool because of its shape and size. My MW loved it, too. I hope to put it to good use again in the next year or so! :)

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I was going to go with the fishy pool linked above, but I ended up using my midwife's Rubbermaid horse trough. It was amazing! So nice and deep. I put old pillows on the bottom with a plastic liner over them, and nothing got wet. They used water from the stove to make up for what the water heater couldn't do.

 

Let me tell you, the idea of giving birth gets pretty real when you have a giant horse trough in your dining room. :)

 

Happy birthing!

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Yeah, I love my big jacuzzi tub for baths, but I prefer the squishy kiddie pool for births. :)

 

I am really loving hearing people say this! I was thinking it was a bummer I couldn't use my tub, but hadn't considered the advantages of the squishy kiddie pool. I'm starting to think that would be better even if I were at home!

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My first was a planned waterbirth at home.

 

We got a pool with very wide walls and that was inflated on the bottom. It's a huge difference sitting on something soft and inflated compared to the hard bottom of a tub. It was very sturdy and had comical fish all over it. We had a waterbed kit that we bought (very cheaply) to fill and drain it with warm water. My midwife said buying a kiddie pool was better because birthing tubs get a lot of wear and tear being rented to client after client and moved and set up dozens of times. Sometimes they leak.

 

It was WONDERFUL laboring in it. It's cruel and inhumane to not give women the option of laboring and delivering in water.

 

The midwife couldn't get a good angle to check dilation around transition, so she asked to met get out and on the bed for a "quick check." I was fully dilated and my oldest daughter was out 15 minutes later so we didn't get our waterbirth. She was born on the bed.

 

My midwife said every woman should have several options available so she can do what feels best at the time. We had the bed set up, a birthing stool, and a pool at the first two births.

 

My second was a planned home waterbirth, but we had to do a hospital transfer for a c-section. The youngest arrived at the airport at 7 months old.

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