The technicals of filling a birth pool

[JorgieGirl]

My first birth was 4 hours s-f, so this time I may not have a lot of time to waste getting the tub filled. I hopped in the tub last time while pushing. lol.

So, to get the most out of my hot water tank, is it best to turn it to full hot and start fillling? Or should I turn my tap to the temp I want and fill it that way? DH and I do plan to have a few of our empty water cooler jugs refilled and ready at room temp to help with volume. And of course, everyone who is coming to the birth has been asked, if possible, to bring an electric kettle. We'll also have a few pots on the stove if necessary.

I own a La Bassine (last time I rented a BPIAB). So, is anyone experienced in the art of filling a birth pool so there is as little fuss as possible for expeditious use?

ETA: I don't have the pool yet, as it is still at my midwife's house. She has given me hers. (yay for awesome midwives!) So I can't do a trial run just yet.

[AlishaB]

No advice, but I have the same questions as you, so I will be following the replies.

[JorgieGirl]

I just found this: http://www.howtodothings.com/family-...hing-pool.html

How to fill your pool. The easiest and quickest way to fill your birthing pool is to use a hose. Always use a new hose; an old garden hose could contain bacteria. Attach the required length of hose to your kitchen or bathroom faucet. If you have separate faucets for hot and cold water, begin by filling your birthing pool with hot water, then add cold water later until you reach the desired temperature. You should never fill inflatable pools with very hot water, so ensure that the water you're adding doesn't exceed 50 degrees C (122 degrees F)-follow the temperature guide in your birthing pool's instruction manual.
If you're topping up the birthing pool from a kettle at a later stage, make sure you add the water away from the sides of the pool and, more importantly, away from the mother -preferably add the hot water when Mom is out of the pool.
During birth the water must be 37 degrees C (98.6 degrees F), as this is roughly the same as the mother's body temperature. This ensures that the water temperature will not be a shock to the baby as it is born. This is one reason that many women feel a water birth is such a peaceful and natural choice: your baby is born into an environment similar the womb.

Sounds good!! I guess I should have googled first. If anyone has any other tips, I'd be sure appreciative.

[erin_brycesmom]

Yes, I would recommend starting with as hot as you can go. This is what we did and it worked well. We had the full size BPIAB and it took about 30 minutes to fill and the temperature was spot on.

[eternamariposa]

So far what I have read has suggested filling the tub about a third of the way with straight cold water to keep the bottom from scorching and then adding straight hot for the rest. Any experience with this method? What about the whole addition of hot water via tea kettle or big pot deal?

[bethanyclaire]

This thread is kind of buried in the Resource thread here and it is AWESOME!! It answered so many of my questions when we started planning for the pool this time!

http://www.mothering.com/discussions...d.php?t=589333

I have also heard that you shouldn't start with hot water. From what I understand, very hot water can burn through and pop inflatable pools. We turned our hot water heater up to prepare for filling the pool and the water gets hot enough to melt the pool's plastic for sure. By filling it with cold water first you protect the pool. HTH!

[tellmemore]

Some info

I just copy and pasted this from a post a few months ago

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.

HTH! And we just filled a little hotter at first, then adjusted. I thought it might be more complicated, but it was such a breeze! And the birth, too! :P

[MammaV]

I had one homebirth in an inflatable pool. DH started filling it with the correct temp until we ran out of water, then he added some hot as it had cooled down. We always turn our hot water as hot as it will go so that we get more bang for our buck. I was in the tub for 1/2 hour, just to push the baby out. I've also had two homebirths with an aqua doula tub. I like the inflatable better because it has the thick sides to lean on. The nice thing about the aqua doula is the built in heater. You can fill the tub ahead of time if you need to...