keeping water warm in la bassine

[alton]

I'm hoping some of you might have used the la bassine/ made in water pool and can give me some feedback.
My plan is to fill it from the hot tank (probably twice I think), then cover it over with a homemade cover of bubblewrap and tinfoil. Hopefully it will cool gradually to body temp and when I need it I can either toss in a few panfuls of hot or cold water. Does that sound like a plan?
I'm curious to know how other people managed.
DH is in favour of using this pool as a back up and renting a super-duper heated pool but I'd rather keep chemicals to a minimum if I can.

[Belle]

We had a false alarm the night before dd was born so we filled up the tub the night before she was born. We put a cover on it. (I think the cover was made out of those cheap foam mats that you might take camping) In the morning when I was ready to get into the tub again the water was still quite warm to the touch and only needed a couple teakettles full of water to bring it back up to temp.

I think that La Bassine keeps its temp pretty well because the inflated sides are really good insulation. Most tubs with heaters have really thin plastic sides and are not insulated well at all. Thus the need for the heater in the first place.

Edited to add: Also we turned up the heat on the hot water tank when we got the birth tub at our house. It didn't take emptying the tank more than once with the higher temp water.

[JennTheMomma]

My Midwife suggests putting a shower curtain over it and maybe another blanket. We're going to use the AquaBorn tub and it comes with a inflatable cover. So I'll cover it with that and then probably put a quilt on top of that.

[hapersmion]

When I filled my La Bassine to test it, it kept its temperature quite well. I just covered it with a vinyl/cloth tablecloth I got at a garage sale. Here are the temperature notes I wrote down, if they help:

105.8 was the hottest the water got, when the tub was about halfway full - this is without turning up our water heater. I put in an inch or three of cold water in the bottom, then did straight hot water for the rest of the time. When the tub was about half full the hot water gave out. I rather wanted to get in, I like really hot water, but restrained myself until the water got down to 99 or so.
98.4 full temp at 12:20PM - This felt slightly cool to me, at the point when I turned off the water, but I remember feeling overly hot in labor last time. We'll see what temperature I like when the time comes. When I got out, I did feel a little shaky. I then covered the tub with a tablecloth and let it sit. It lost heat quite slowly, which is good.
95 at 4PM
94 at 5
92 at 7

I'm planning something like what you are, I think. It's easy just to boil up some water if it gets too cold, I hear, or you can scoop hot water out and add cold. I think I need another practice run, that tub was comfy...

ETA: Oh, and we keep our house pretty cool, at 67 degrees during the day, so that probably made it cool off faster than it would in a warmer house.

[alton]

Thanks for those great tips and feedback.
I'm wondering if I should put something underneath the pool. it will be sitting on a cold tile floor. I know la bassine has an inflated bottom but maybe some foam mats or even a blanket wouldn't be a bad idea.

Also did it take long to pump the water out afterwards?

[jljeppson]

I have used the souped up kiddie pool in the past and now currently use a la bassine. It holds onto it's temps pretty well and only takes one tank to fill. My last client that used it had it set up on a hardwood floor and couldn't tell the difference. To keep the temp regular during the birth I get it to the appropriate temp, and then keep 2 pots ready. One pot is empty and the other is filled with water that is brought to a boil and then kept on med-high to med temp. When the pool starts to cool down I remove a pot of water and put it on the stove to boil and then pour the other (already heated) water in. Works like a charm and isn't labor intensive.

[hapersmion]

All I had under it was some plastic to protect the wood floor. It seemed comfy enough, but if we find a big cheap rug at a yard sale (not too likely in this season) or goodwill or something, we might grab it for added softness and water absorption. I think the inflated bottom is probably enough, though. Foam mats or a blanket would probably work just as well... wouldn't hurt anything, anyway.

We just siphoned the water out the window, it didn't take long, probably about the same as it did to fill. (That took 55 minutes, plus 13 minutes to get it set up and inflated.)

[eternamariposa]

I am glad to see this post! We just set up our Le Bassine to have it ready for whenever the baby decides he/she is ready in the next couple of weeks. We are planning on filling it with mostly cold water from the sink and adding in a couple of pots of hot water to balance it out. We are chicken about turning up our water heater because our 3 year old loves playing with faucets and as it is our water seems to heat up pretty quickly. Hopefully it won't create a hassle in the moment. Also, I tend to favor warm water not hot so maybe that will provide extra slack for us?

[jljeppson]

Originally Posted by eternamariposa

Also, I tend to favor warm water not hot so maybe that will provide extra slack for us?

You do however need to keep in mind that it's recommended that the water temp not get below 98 degrees. Not for you of course, you can have what is most comfortable, but babe seems to do better if the temp is 98-100. I'd probably keep it the warmth you are comfortable with during labor and when birth is imminent (baby crowning, maybe) then you can raise the temp to 98 or so.

[eternamariposa]

That is a really good point. We have a floating thermometer, but I will mention to dh to keep the temp at a good point not just for me but for baby as well. What an obvious thing to totally have not thought of,

[Carson]

Alton, I was thinking the same thing - I have the fishy pool with an inflated bottom, but it still seems potentially cold on our basement floor. I'm going to put those interlocking foam mats underneath.

[callieollie]

I haven't homebirthed so this might be a dumb question but why do you need to boil water to put in the pool if the water gets too cold? Couldn't you at that point just fill it up with the hose again since presumably the hot water heater would have heated up another tank full of hot water?

[jljeppson]

It mostly depends on how long a persons hot water heater takes to warm up, plus you have to take water out before you add more to keep it from overflowing so lots of people just reheat the water rather than keep pouring it down the drain. With the reheated water you just pour in the exact amount you need, rather than waiting a minute or two for the hose to refill what you removed and you don't have to worry about annoying the mom with the hose. (Some moms are EXTREMELY sensitive and the sound of the hose, or the feel of the water entering the pool is distracting so you get it done as quick as possible).