Yet another pool question...(draining)

[CoBabyMaker]

I am trying to decide where to set up the pool and just realized that I have no idea how to best drain the thing! What do you do and do you drain it to a tub, a sink or outside? If it matters I am using the fishy pool.
I was originally planning to set it up in the kitchen cause it just seemed easiest and, well, I like my kitchen. The kitchen obviously has a sink and it opens to the back yard with a big sliding door. Then I was thinking after I have the baby it would be easier to not walk down the hallway so maybe I should set it up in the bedroom. Sorry, I feel like this is a silly question but I just can't picture us bailing all the water out after birth.

[dannic]

We used the python attachment set here:http://www.amazon.com/Python-No-Spil...7509870&sr=8-1
last time. Works like a charm!

[XanaduMama]

We just siphoned it out of the fishy pool with a hose (no pump). We let it run into the yard (grass/dirt). Apparently birth water makes for really fertile soil

I had no trouble, after my easy home waterbirth, climbing the stairs to take a bath, get to the bedrooms for a nap, etc etc. I felt AMAZING! The kitchen sounds like a good choice for you.

[broodymama]

We have a little submersible pump that has a connection for a garden hose and DH always used that to drain the tub to outside. Each time it was in a room with a sliding glass door, so that was the easiest.

There was a bathroom on that level for me to use, but afterward each time I walked upstairs to my own bathroom in our bedroom. I usually want to rinse off real quick in the shower before I got into fresh jammies and climbed into bed with my newborns.

[horsecrazy100]

We also bought a python pump.. I'll let you know how it works in the next few weeks though, as we've yet to use it. Our midwives also gave us a submersible pump to use if we wanted, but if I can avoid the extra noise I think we'll use the Python instead.

[frenchkissed]

We used a "drill pump" (from yourwaterbirth.com) and pumped it into the toilet.
It worked fine, but it was loud, and my DH was afraid it was going to burn out his drill. It took about 45 minutes to drain the fishy pool. My advice to those planning home waterbirths is to go with the cheap fishy pool, but get a good (more expensive) submersible pump. I felt bad that my DH had to spend so much time and energy emptying the pool rather than snuggling with the family and new baby.

[goldenwillow]

Our Aqua Doula tub had a pump and we watered our garden with our birth water. Our garden was already bountiful, but geez... after the birth water it went nuts!!

[Jaimee]

We bought the python faucet attachment and planned to use it, but our midwife showed up with the submersible pump and let me tell you, it was awesome. SO easy to use and it was so quick. I highly recommend it. You can sell it afterward no problem.

[Gorrister]

You could use the Waterbuster Cordless Pump. We got ours at Precious Arrows. All you have to do is hook up the hose - we ran ours out a window - and drop it in the water. Doesn't need to be plugged in. Runs on "D" batteries.

[XanaduMama]

Am I really the only one who didn't use a pump? It seemed really easy to drain our fishy pool by siphoning with a hose only...

[LaydieBugs]

No pump here either, just siphoned out the bedroom window with the same hose we'd used to fill 'er up.

[aloneinid]

So, tell me EXACTLY how to siphon the pool. Ours will need to be emptied out the sliding door to the back yard, but the kitchen floor and the yard are on the same level (not even a single step down to the patio). At my last birth my midwife just left (even though she said she would help with the pool beforehand) and the next morning my DH had to figure out how to drain it. It was a nightmare and he almost refused to let me have a pool this time. There has to be an easier way- I really don't want to buy a pump...

[ShwarmaQueen]

Originally Posted by frenchkissed

We used a "drill pump" (from yourwaterbirth.com)

We used this also. My DH didn't mind doing it because it involved him using his manly tools.

[lyshy]

We have a swimming pool so we had a fairly large pool hose. My birth pool was in the kitchen which is on the second floor (raised ranch) so it was super fast to empty and we just ran the water down the stairs. (this was during our trial run.) It took like maybe ten minutes to drain.

[lyterae]

Silly question, what is considered a "fishy pool" ?

[Pineapple Head]

I am so glad you asked this! I had just been reading on some site that we were suppose to strain the water when we drained it and that to me seemed like a lot of work after giving birth(not that I would be doing it but really who wants to ask someone to strain the birth pool???) I had been intending to just pump it into the garden so it makes me even more thrilled that the water makes good fertilizer!

[XanaduMama]

"Fishy pool" is a generic term for an inflatable kiddy-pool type birthing pool. The one I had was an Intex Aquarium, decorated with underwater scenes, which I think is where the name comes from!

As for the siphoning...well, men usually know how to do this. You get the water running (either by sucking, or using gravity to get some flowing), and then the suction does the rest. So, for example: fill the hose with water and block the end so it stays filled. Immerse one end in the pool, and let the other end go in the yard. Gravity does the work. We used the same white RV hose we'd bought to fill it--just ran it out the door into the yard. There may have been a bit left over afterward, but then it's easy to scoop or just tip out...I don't remember all the details, except that I know it wasn't a big deal.