Is this the famous "fishy pool"???

[laurabfig]

http://www.amazon.com/Swim-Center-Oc...4159128&sr=8-1

Debating getting this rather than renting a birth tub. Just wondering if this is the one everyone raves about on here.

[momasana]

Yes, that is the one that I had for my DS's birth.

[Momtotwo2004]

I was going to get that one because it was the only one available on Amazon. However, someone on here recommended not getting it because it's larger than the other fishy pool and some water heaters have trouble getting it filled up. I know we would.

So I got the smaller one:
http://www.yourwaterbirth.com/other-...-pool-p-2.html

[laurabfig]

Thanks for that link...I'm sure our hot water heater would NOT be able to fill the whole big one. I was sort of banking on dh just boiling water on the stove to "supplement" the lukewarm water that would be filling the pool near the end.

the small one looks better- and is way cheaper. but i'm wondering if 23" tall is enough for me. I'm 5'8" and that doesn't seem like very deep water!

[laurabfig]

actually i just looked and compared the two- the height is basically the same- it is the width/circumference that is different. so the smaller one would definitely be a better bet to fit in our tiny bedrooms upstairs.

[HeatherB]

I'm 5'6" and have used the smaller fishy pool as well as the BPIAB. I *much* preferred the depth of the BPIAB, though many women are perfectly happy with the fishy pool.

[MommaLura]

BPIAB?

I'm looking at all this stuff too and its so tough!

[Jazzmin]

I gave birth in the fishy pool sold at your water birth. My only complaint was that it wasn't deep enough. However, if you don't have an extra $200 lying around for a made-for-birth pool, the fishy one is great.

[gabbyraja]

I am also 5'8" and loved the 26" depth of the BPIAB (used it in my last birth). I couldn't afford anything close this time, but thought the 2" difference in this bigger fishy pool would work. Another 1-2 inches lower in the round pool would not be good enough for me. I suspected that it wouldn't be good enough, so I asked this question here last week, and got the advice that the bigger fishy pool would be fine (as far as hot water), and would work better for me than the round one with my height.

We could not get/keep the water hot in the BPIAB, but boiling some water on the stove worked fine.

So, we decided last week to go w/this fishy pool. I got a $5 coupon code for drugstore.com (just googled "coupon codes drugstore.com"), and they already have it on sale for $42 with free shipping. So, I got it for 37.99 total there, which is less than the round pool once you've paid for shipping. Thought that might help you with your decision.

[HeatherB]

BPIAB = Birth Pool in a Box.

For heat retention, fill as hot as you can (with water heater turned up - though the initial water should be cool so as not to shock the plastic), then cover with a quilt/bedspread. If you have time to do this a while before you need to get in, then you can top it off with more fresh hot water. Mine sat for hours like that and it still felt amazing when I got in - though once the baby was born my MW wanted it warmer.

[mom2threenurslings]

Keeping the birth tub warm ... we put a tarp and bedspread UNDER the birth pool as well as over the birth pool and it worked great. We tested out the heat retention a few weeks before my edd (and I had a great time submerging myself and relaxing for a while in the process ) and we left the pool (La Bassine) covered over night - started at 110F and 6-8 hours later was down to 99.

A friend of mine not only kept water hot on the stove, but also in her crockpots just in case.

[homemademom]

OP, I hope you don't mind me hijacking, but those of you who used the fishy pool, did you get a liner for it or was it unnecessary? How did you get it clean after the birth (assuming you kept it for your kids to play with)? Thanks!

[Jazzmin]

I didn't have a liner for the pool. My kids did use it to swim in, we just washed it out with soap. I didn't bleed or give birth to the placenta in the pool so it was pretty clean to begin with.

[kittywitty]

This was the pool I used. It was humungous. It wasn't quite as deep as would have been nice, but good overall. Heating it, though, was a HUGE PITA. Dh was continuously dumping in hot water and we only had it filled maybe 2 hours for the birth.