Anyone used shower faucet to fill birth pool?

[kismetbaby]

We live in an apartment, and I can't figure out how to get the sink faucet to fit to the python adaptor which is what I was hoping to use to make draining the pool easier. In fact, I can't figure out if the sink faucet can be made to work with any attachment!

So I was thinking of filling the pool from the shower (seems simple enough to remove the shower head and use the shower adaptor). However, I don't know how I would drain the pool in this case? I am not sure a siphon would work as it will be all level. We can't drain out the window (apartment again and the yard beneath the window isn't our. . .pretty sure our neighbors won't want labor water coming down in there yard!).

Can you use the python in the shower? Would simply siphoning work over a flat surface from bedroom to bathroom?

I'd be grateful for any words of advice on this before I start buying things that won't work!

[MandyB]

We hooked ours up to the shower for BOTH of our homebirths. That's how the midwives told my husand to do it. I am oblivious as to how they drained it, but just asked dh, and he says they syphoned it back into the "real" tub somehow.

[Mamatoabunch]

We have used the shower the last 4 times I think, very easy. Dh drained pool w/ a bucket down toilet, bath or outside.

[Defenestrator]

On the python attachment, there is often a white plastic piece that seems to be one piece but is actually two pieces. If you separate the pieces, that white adapter should fit on most kitchen sinks and some bathroom sinks. If you can't get that to fit, you should attach the pump to the shower with a shower to hose adapter (I bought mine at waterbirth international, but you can get them at a hardware store).

For draining, (if you don't use the python) you just make sure that the hose is free of air bubbles and then you can get it to siphon at least partially into the bathtub (you need to create suction at the end of the hose). It will run slow but should run. You can then bail out the rest of it. It isn't that bad.

We use submersible pumps and send the water down the toilet. It is nice and easy and less cleanup.

[tellmemore]

We filled the La Bassine Made in Water successfully using the tub pipe, which just like a shower pipe is 1/2" (my DH says). He went to Home Depot and bought a hose spicket for $5 and screwed it on the tub pipe after removing the tub spout. He did use new plumber's tape to be sure the seal was tight, so I bet that was a couple bucks. It took minutes to swap for the test, and was easily switched back. We filled the pool with a drinking water safe RV hose (blue or white usually, available at lots of places, or borrow from someone with an RV?) and our water heater did beautifully. It's around 75 gallons, though.

FYI tub was 4 min to inflate with a Coleman QuickPump, 12 min to fill with water, 40 min to syphen off our porch. That's our method, and it's so easy! I have an extra hose to syphen off cooled water so that we can just add more hot from our nifty invention.

I wish I had kept my Python from fish tank days to try. They aren't that cheap though, and filling several 50 gallon fishtanks did seem to take forever back in the day. They come with some adapters, and others can be purchased. But the metal plumbing fixtures are foolproof with the hose, and can be sealed so tight using the plumber's tape.

I am 39+6 today!! :