I am planning on having a home water birth & I was wondering what type of pool to hire as there are soo many available.

If anyone has had a home water birth before what did you use & would you recommend it

Thanks

Hilary x

i would definatly recommend a pool in a box. i went for one because:

you can have it as early as you want,
cheaper
sell well seconhand on ebay
no big deposit
more comfy than hard plastic

it was great, so easy to use and really comfortable, i delivered my son in a hard pool and had bruises all up the back of my arms from leaning over the side and bruises on my knees but the bpib is so comfortable to be in and use. if you have any questions just ask away.

sian

Thanks Sian,

At the moment that will probably be what we will end up going for coz like you say its a lot cheaper. As far as keeping it warm did you find that was a problem & also roughly how long did it take to fill?

Hilary x

Hi I used to be an agent for a pool company and brought a fibreglass one when I finished which I used for my home water birth for my 3rd baby. It was very comfortable as it has a step inside which I leant on in labour and was very spacious (plenty of room for hubby). They are expensive to hire but after feeling so safe in it I don't know how safe I would feel in an inflatable one although I haven't heard of anyone having a problem with one.
What area do you live in? I have hired mine out a couple of times and charge £140 which is half the price of the companies I have seen on websites and includes the pool liner, hose, thermometers, emtying pump, heat cover etc. It is the cheapest I can charge after costs but my aim is to enable more women to be able to afford the hire of a birthing pool, and for those who would rather not use an inflatable one xx

Hi arg,

I'm in N.Ireland. the hospital pool I used with my last was a fibreglass one & I know I had no complaints with it. I'm sure getting it sent over here would cost an absolute bomb though!!!

Hilary x

Hi Hilary, yes, I don't think my husband would be very keen to deliver it that far!!! Sorry I can't help, hope it all goes well and that you have as fantastic a home water birth as we did!! xx

when we filled in we made it to hot and we got the heat retention cover and put it on. i got a couple of hours later and it was still a tat to warm so by delivery ( only half hour later) it was perfect. i was so worried about getting them temp righ and stuff but the hole thing just flowed amazingly. it probably took 1/2 to an hour to out up and fill. i would just put it up as soon as your contractions are regular and you know there going to stay, you can leave it 23hours before you have to empty and refresh the water. just fill 3/4 if you do it early then you have room to top up andit will set your mind at ease to know its up.

Hi,
I am also planning a home water birth and I have looked at buying pools. I was originally going to get La Bassine as they say you don't need to use a liner but after comparing the pool with the birth pool in a box (available from the NCT) I am going to go for the latter. The pool in a box has external handles which I think I would use more as I spent most of my time kneeling in my last labour. There is also an internal seat which is useful for sitting on whilst feeding your baby for the first time.
Good luck with your birth I hope it goes to plan,
Sarah
31+2
x

Hiya

I bought pool in a box (regular size) for under £100 from www.biz-e-kids.com. I was very impressed with their customer service and it arrived the day after we ordered it. The pool in a box is significantly larger than La Bassine (which I also compared it with). My midwife recommended the birth pool in a box over La Bassine and after looking at the dimensions we agreed and bought it. The beauty of buying over hiring is that you can use it in the summer in the garden and I have also seen them used for children to play in (filled with rubber balls etc).

We inflated ours for the first time this weekend to check it didn't have a puncture etc, and we are very impressed with the size and the comfort factor.