I live in 2nd floor - Can I have waterbirth?

[sora]

Hi,

Has anyone had a water pool set up in a higher than 2nd floor in an apartment building? Our apartment does not have concrete floor, just wood floor. I am worried if it can hold up to 1000 lb of water and birthing pool. The one I'm going to use is La Bassine Made in USA - It says in their web that I need to ensure my floor is going to hold the weight. My building manager has no idea.
Thanks!

[Paige, CPM]

I work in an area with a lot of old, and sometimes not well kept homes and have never had a problem.

You want to make sure the tub is in a corner outside wall or near a wall with a load bearing wall underneath it...all of these are good load bearing options.

[HappyMommy2]

My SD brought this up and it made me mad! We have a house over 100 years old, with creaky floors. But remember the tub weight is spread out across many floor beams.

Someone said it would be like having a party with lots of people standing in that area... and I wouldn't have been worried about that.

My spa-in-a-box was huge! Big enough in diameter for me to stretch all the way and not touch sides. My large hubby and my large self were in it - and had a wonderful waterbirth!!

[nikirj]

Exactly. I figure if my DH (fairly big guy) and a couple of his friends could stand around in a circle talking without me worrying about the floor giving out, it could handle the pool for a few hours.

Any house that could pass modern building codes is going to be able to handle a birth pool . Houses built before 1920 or so also *tend* to be super sturdy.

[sora]

My building is only two years old. I also have a piano. Would be safer to set the pool up near the wall, rather than in the middle of the room? I think that the floor next to the wall might be studier as that's where heavier furniture, such as piano would go.

[Catherine12]

I've had two waterbirths in our house, which was built in 1898 and has wood floors/joists. Both were on the second floor. It wasn't a problem.

If you were going to have a the tub on your second floor permanently, it might bow the joists and damage them over time. But for a few hours or a day, it should be fine. If the floor were weak enough to be damaged by a day of birth tub, it would be too weak to hold up other furniture (dressers, beds, entertainment centers can all be fairly heavy) long-term.

Putting it near a wall, if it is a load-bearing wall, may be helpful. But really, I just wouldn't worry about it.

[leavemealone]

My house is only about five years old, but no one had any worries about putting a tub in our upstairs master bedroom. It was in the corner of the room but it was more b/c that's where it fit rather than being near load bearing walls.

I have really never heard of anyone falling through the floor in a birthing tub. I suppose you could set up it, fill it with water and leave it there for 12 hours as a test.

[*MamaJen*]

I've seen quite a few threads about this, and the short answer is that it shouldn't be a problem.
One cautionary tale I have heard is that you should designate someone who can go to your house in case of transfer and empty the tub, because it is possible for it to start leaking, and that can cause damage.