Aqua Doula Birthing tub

[Snapdragon]

HAs anyone used the Aqua DOula birthing tub? This is the one my midwives have and so I will probably use it. It seems pretty good as it keeps the water hot a long time. Any opinions on it?

[nashvillemidwife]

It's a good tub. If I were buying one it's not the one I'd choose, but you're in a great position if it's free.

[seashells]

I used it. High marks for keeping the water warm. I can't score how easy or difficult it was to set up and dismantle because I didn't do it, but I didn't hear any complaints from anybody about it. High marks for the depth and breadth of water. I was able to labor in literally any position, including just floating on my back on top of the water. The only drawback was that you can't lean over the sides. If that seems important to you, consider an inflatable pool. Personally, I lived without being able to hang over the sides, but I can see why some might want to. I'd happily use the Aqua Doula again.

[Snapdragon]

Can you not hang over the sides because it is too tall? Or because of the heating units in the sides being too hot?

[seashells]

Neither - it's because of the material, it's not wide and comfy or soft, it's just a hard, thin edge.

I actually did hold on to the edges with my hands at some points, and that was fine. But I couldn't drape my chest over it because it was just thin and hard, ouch.

We have an inflatable pool that is soft and comfortable to lean on, either to rest on your chest or even the back of your head. I did ok with the back of the head thing with the AquaDoula with a rolled up towel.

For me, the thing about the birthing pool was the ability to move around comfortably. When I was in transition I was pretty tired and not really wanting to move around that much, yet the contractions just keep on coming, so being afloat meant I could shift to any position with minimal effort. Sometimes I liked even darting around the pool in circles, like a fish in a fish bowl, lol. Well that's not specific to the Aqua Doula, but it is why I like the AD better than the idea of just using a bath tub, even a garden tub. Those are nice, but the larger birth pools are definitely different, and better imho.

[Snapdragon]

oh- okay. That makes sense- that does sound nice to be able to move around in hot water. So you can lean up against the sides, though.
My concern with it was that with all those electrical panels (is that what the heating units in the walls are?) in the sides, I would feel resistant in it. Like not comfortable touching the sides.
Is that accurate? Or do you feel comfy in it to lean up (but not over) against the sides all you want?

And with the inflatable ones, do you just add hot water and then it cools and then you drain some and add more hot?

[Comtessa]

I used my MW's AquaDoula with a broken heater (it was cheaper to rent than the one with a functional heater). Even without the heater, the water stayed really warm for a long, long time. I think we draped a tarp over the top so it would keep the heat in when I wasn't in the tub. If you're anything like me, when you're in labor you'll want cooler water than you think, too. I thought I'd be having to constantly heat water (I even had mom downstairs boiling pots on the stove in case our hot water tank crashed, LOL), but it turned out that we only had to drain water off and add more hot water once, and I was in hard labor using the tub for over 24 hours. So you could just decide not to turn the pool's heater on, and see how you do with that.

I didn't mind not being able to drape my body over the side, I was able to drape my arms over the side and that worked well enough. It wasn't super cushy, but it was soft enough. We set it up over a tarp on a carpeted floor - if you're using it on a hard floor I'd put a blanket or something underneath the thing, because the bottom is really thin. You could also sit on a towel in the pool itself (and I've heard of folks buying inflatable pillows for this purpose tool).

I'm not sure I needed quite as much space as I had in the AquaDoula - I felt lost in there, I wanted DH in there to ground me (and there was no way I was convincing that man to get in the pool). In the future, remembering that sensation, I might go with a smaller pool. But lots of women say they love having all the room to move around.

The AD was really easy to set up, too, FWIW.

[seashells]

Originally Posted by Katie34

My concern with it was that with all those electrical panels (is that what the heating units in the walls are?) in the sides, I would feel resistant in it. Like not comfortable touching the sides.
Is that accurate? Or do you feel comfy in it to lean up (but not over) against the sides all you want?

My memory is fuzzy at this point and I don't even remember where the heater was or what it looked like, etc. But I definitely was fine touching the sides all I wanted to, no concerns or issues in that regard.

Originally Posted by Katie34

And with the inflatable ones, do you just add hot water and then it cools and then you drain some and add more hot?

Yeah. Like the PP said, I think you don't have to worry as much as you'd think about keeping the water warm, for a variety of reasons. One being that as you progress with all that HARD LABOR you might like some cooler water anyway My team (midwife, assistant, husband and mom) partly drained the pool and refilled it while I was pushing (I was pushing a looooong time... 6 hours) because the water was getting pretty gunky, and I remember I was telling them not to use so much hot water now, I was wanting it a little cooler. Also I think maybe the pools retain heat a little better than bathtubs do, maybe because of the higher volume.

I never gave birth in an inflatable pool but one time DH and I filled one up inside our house one night just for fun Total waste of water, but it was a one-time fun thing, and DD loved it. But anyway, we enjoyed hours in there without topping off the hot water that I remember.

[nashvillemidwife]

It's been several years since I used an Aqua Doula, but then the heater was in the bottom. It was just a waterbed heater, basically just a big heating pad that sat under the pool. There were no side panels of electronics.

Also, in my experience, the heater often did not work or the family's hot water heater was not big/hot enough to fill the tub and we ended up putting hot water in from the stove. That is one of the reasons I went a different route when I purchased pools for my own clients, but if it's free I certainly wouldn't pass it up.

[Snapdragon]

nashvillemidwife what is your favorite birthing tub?

[nashvillemidwife]

La Bassine or Birth Pool in a Box. I personally have La Bassine, because I started buying them before BPIAB came on the market. I don't like round tubs, they are a waste of space and water.

[Snapdragon]

The thing I don't understand about la bassine- isn't that one of the blow up ones? I live in a cold area and am having a winter baby. SO it just seems like the water would get cold really fast. I don't know.

[Snapdragon]

Re reading this thread I guess I already asked that last question and it was answered!
I guess I am just still unsure if I want the big aqua doula or a smaller one.
I love my home bathtub and would prefer to use that- but it is so small it far from covers my belly with water. But I can see how I might feel ungrounded in the aqua doula. hmm.
My ideal would be a big bathtub- like a hot tub sized bathtub with a direct tap and direct drain and tucked into my bathroom. I was thinking of trying to rent a hot tub or something to achieve this but it seems very unlikely and way too pricey.
So anyway- still researching my best choice. Any more opinions on birth tubs welcomed. I know this is a well worn subject here but it is still new to me.

[nashvillemidwife]

Originally Posted by Katie34

The thing I don't understand about la bassine- isn't that one of the blow up ones? I live in a cold area and am having a winter baby. SO it just seems like the water would get cold really fast. I don't know.

Is your house not heated? And/or do you have a stove to keep a pot of water hot to add if needed? It's really not a big deal, I promise.

I don't understand why you're asking about La Bassine when you've got access to an Aqua Doula. Isn't is a moot point? Just go with that! Although one thing to remember about Aqua Doula is that because it is round, it has a lot more surface area to lose heat through, so if the heaters end up not functioning it's going to be harder to keep it warm than would a La Bassine.

[Snapdragon]

Yeah- I am pretty sure I am going with the aqua doula. I am just researching different options to wee what my choices are.

[Belle]

Originally Posted by nashvillemidwife

I don't understand why you're asking about La Bassine when you've got access to an Aqua Doula. Isn't is a moot point? Just go with that! Although one thing to remember about Aqua Doula is that because it is round, it has a lot more surface area to lose heat through, so if the heaters end up not functioning it's going to be harder to keep it warm than would a La Bassine.

Also, La Bassine is probably better insulated on the sides with the air cushions. But I agree, if you've got access to an Aqua Doula for cheap you might as well go with it.