As you are looking at what you want for a home birth, using a birth pool for labor and birth is a great option.There are a few things you should be aware of when considering what’s involved in using a birth pool.
Is there enough space for a pool?
The birth pools I use take up a fair amount of space, 65 inches by 57 inches. That is about the size of a kitchen table with one leaf in place.
Is the floor strong enough?
Thinking through where you will put a birth pool is important. Birth pools can weigh a lot once they are filled with water and Mom gets in the pool. The birth pool I have available for my clients holds 127 gallons of water when it is filled to the appropriate level. That means when it is full, it weighs 1017 pounds before Mom gets in.
How much access does the midwife need?
Another thing to consider is how much access to the pool does the midwife need? Does she need access from all sides or just two or three sides? You might need to move furniture, or use a different location than originally planned.
What is needed to fill the pool?
You will need an unused length of hose that can go from the faucet you plan to use to fill the tub to wherever the pool is set up. You may need an adapter between your pool and the hose to connect it. Clients in my practice have used kitchen sink or bathroom sink faucets, as well as showers.
Once it's filled, how do we keep the water at the right temperature?
TThe most common way is to have large pots of hot water on the stove ready to use, bailing some water out of the pool and replacing it with the hot water. If you use this method, be mindful to mix the hot water in with the existing water and not to pour the water on Mom or helpers while adding it. There are submersible heaters, but these seem to be questionably effective, and you often have to be mindful not to let them come in contact with pool surfaces.
Does the water need to be sanitized?
If you are using tap water, there is no need to add anything to the water to sanitize it. If the pool is up for longer than 24 hours, or you want to be cautious, you can add two cups of regular salt to the water.
How does the pool get emptied?
You can create a siphon the old school way by sucking on the end of the hose until pool water reaches the end and then letting the water continue to flow by keeping the hose end lower than the water level (I don’t recommend that). You could use a siphon pumps to empty the pool. Don’t forget to make sure your hose is long enough to reach where you want the water to drain, whether that is a toilet, or outside in a flower bed etc.
What other considerations are there to be aware of?
Hopefully this helps you think through what is involved in using a birth pool. With a little planning, portable birth pools are very easy to add to your birth plan.
Is there enough space for a pool?
The birth pools I use take up a fair amount of space, 65 inches by 57 inches. That is about the size of a kitchen table with one leaf in place.
Is the floor strong enough?
Thinking through where you will put a birth pool is important. Birth pools can weigh a lot once they are filled with water and Mom gets in the pool. The birth pool I have available for my clients holds 127 gallons of water when it is filled to the appropriate level. That means when it is full, it weighs 1017 pounds before Mom gets in.
How much access does the midwife need?
Another thing to consider is how much access to the pool does the midwife need? Does she need access from all sides or just two or three sides? You might need to move furniture, or use a different location than originally planned.
What is needed to fill the pool?
You will need an unused length of hose that can go from the faucet you plan to use to fill the tub to wherever the pool is set up. You may need an adapter between your pool and the hose to connect it. Clients in my practice have used kitchen sink or bathroom sink faucets, as well as showers.
Once it's filled, how do we keep the water at the right temperature?
TThe most common way is to have large pots of hot water on the stove ready to use, bailing some water out of the pool and replacing it with the hot water. If you use this method, be mindful to mix the hot water in with the existing water and not to pour the water on Mom or helpers while adding it. There are submersible heaters, but these seem to be questionably effective, and you often have to be mindful not to let them come in contact with pool surfaces.
Does the water need to be sanitized?
If you are using tap water, there is no need to add anything to the water to sanitize it. If the pool is up for longer than 24 hours, or you want to be cautious, you can add two cups of regular salt to the water.
How does the pool get emptied?
You can create a siphon the old school way by sucking on the end of the hose until pool water reaches the end and then letting the water continue to flow by keeping the hose end lower than the water level (I don’t recommend that). You could use a siphon pumps to empty the pool. Don’t forget to make sure your hose is long enough to reach where you want the water to drain, whether that is a toilet, or outside in a flower bed etc.
What other considerations are there to be aware of?
- Pets. Claws can quickly puncture the birth pool if your pet tries to jump on the sides of the pool, or get into the pool
- Children. Birth pools when filled are a drowning risk, so you need to be mindful of that when using a birth pool with little ones in the home.
Hopefully this helps you think through what is involved in using a birth pool. With a little planning, portable birth pools are very easy to add to your birth plan.
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