Anyone have a waterbirth in a regular tub?

[mintyeyes]

I'm not sure I'll want a waterbirth when the time comes and not sure I want to go through all the effort setting it up, filling, draining, etc. I thought I just might use our tub, I don't want my husband in there with me anyway and I can kneel comfortably in there if I have something to lean on which was my favorite position for my daughter's birth, though that was in a hospital.

Just wondered how it worked for other Mamas. I know Rikki Lake did it, so it's possible

[Marissamom]

If I labor or birth in water it will just be in our bathtub. we rent, so having a birth pool isn't an option. my MW did mention that they do use the regular bathtub sometimes.

[KSDoulaMama]

For me, I really needed to be totally submerged during my labor, like up to my neck haha. I would not have been able to do that in my bathtub.

[rabbitmum]

I did have my middle child in our bathtub at home. It wasn't planned that way, but it worked really well, and was a lovely birth experience. I stood on my knees when he was born, and I was all by myself, so he fell head first into the bottom of the tub with a bump, but it didn't seem to bother him.

My bathtub was big enough for me to lie down and be quite immersed during labour. I didn't actually realise I was in labour until I suddenly had to push, and his head came out. Then I stood up on my knees and pushed out the rest of him with one big push.

Of my three kids my middle one has been the happiest baby, and now he is the one who really loves long soaks in the bath.

[donutmolly]

I've never pushed the baby out in water, but definitely labored in the tub/shower for awhile during each birth. It was fine, and helpful to a point, but I do think you lose some of the effects of waterbirth if you can't be totally submerged or floating. We have wide soaking tub which is not very deep, so I definitely did not have the full effect!

[emily11megan]

I've seen several women birth in bathtubs, and they all seemed comfortable there, and the births went well. Even if you aren't submerged, the calming effects of water can help. I also think it really helps soften your tissues and provide counter pressure that reduces tearing. If you want to get in that bathtub, go for it!

[3 little birds]

First waterbirth was in an aquadoula, second was in a fishy pool and third was in a bathtub. I opted to rent an aquadoula again this time for the depth and width. My bathtub baby had sticky shoulders and I couldn't get in a good position-a real deep squat like I wanted to. It probably depends on the size of your tub. The great part about a regular tub is the easy cleanup and ability to drain and refill as many times as you want.

[moderngal]

I have a corner tub that I birthed in. It's a little bigger than a standard tub, but it's certainly not as big as birth pool. I loved it! And am planning to use it again in a few weeks.

[BirthTender]

Haven' birthed in regular tub, but...

I have caught lots of babies in the tub as midwife, some were planned that way, and some were not, and some were in the tub w/out water, too. Whatever the mother wants.

[HeatherB]

I have not had a birth where we had a tub that was spacious and deep enough for me to comfortably birth in it. My Birth Pool in a Box is awesomely big, comfy, and deep, so it's been wonderful.

Coincidentally, I'm due in 3 weeks and we're close to wrapping up a master bath remodel which will leave us with a brand new whirlpool tub. I haven't even seen it yet (it's to arrive next week) but it's a big one at 5.5' x 3.5' (66" x 42") (exterior dimensions, though you don't lose too much on this tub for interior dimensions) and it's 22" deep. The BPIAB, though, is 26" deep and has a 3" padded floor. The BPIAB's internal dimensions are 56x45" - so not THAT different. I'm curious what I'll end up doing this time! I expect to enjoy the cushioning and depth of the BPIAB but also know that I may want to use the jets in the tub.

[Belle]

I labored in water in a hospital tub that was slightly larger than my home tub during my first birth. I could not get comfortable. I'm 5'11" and my legs are just too long for my belly to be submerged during labor.

For my homebirth I tried a few contractions in our home tub and the only position I could get in where my belly was covered was me flat on my back with my legs up against the wall. I only survived about 2 contractions before I decided I wanted out. I labored the rest of my labor on the toilet and got into the inflatable birth tub while pushing.

[Treeof3]

With my second child, I labored in a "garden tub" which is wider than a regular tub. I enjoyed the water experience some for its relaxing effects, but I was disappointed in the lack of boyancy (sp?) I felt. I still felt heavy in the water because it could only go so deep and the hard bottom was, well, hard on my bottom! Had I added a cushion of some sort I would have lost even more depth than I was already lacking. I wound up laboring in the water for awhile but got out because I was hot and not feeling "weightless".

For my next birth, I had a BPIAB and it was awesome! I enjoyed having the depth to sorta float, the cushion on the bottom made me not feel like a partially beached whale and we literally drained it out the nearest window. Although if we had been closer to the bathroom, we would have drained it into the tub. Luckily for us it was a window in the back of the house and about 3am so there were no "witnesses" to the mess.

The house we are in has one rather smallish tub so I'll totally be in the BPIAB again... but in a different room than last time so we can drain into the bathtub instead of out the window. All that said - If I couldn't get a pool, I'd use the tub and/or shower for the relaxation effect to keep me from going "over the edge" in transition. I personally don't think I could actually birth in a regular tub (especially since I prefer squatting). HTH some...

[mum4vr]

I labored and delivered 2 of 3 in a regular sized tub at the hospital with a mw. I am short and small, and it worked fine for me. I did not feel boyant, but didn't want to particularly. The water was warm and relaxing, prevented tearing and eliminated the "ring of fire" effect I had without water.

Since I (and others) am short, the mw keeps a plastic bin sterilized and handy to put at the foot so we short ladies can push against for the "squat" feel. Worked great! I'd do it again!

[Shanesmom]

I think birthing in a regular tub sounds doable! Go for it. I birthed in a kiddie pool in my living room,and we did have to fill and refill.

A bathtub sounds nice and simple.....if you like the small space!!

[mintyeyes]

Thanks for all the stories and advice! If anyone has more to share I'd love to hear it.

With my first, I did labor in a tub (at the hospital, it was pretty deep) but after awhile I just wanted to get out and never went back in. My reasoning for the regular tub is that I think I'll want to sit in the water for awhile and don't think I want to go through all the set up of a birth pool just to use it for a bit. I'm short, so I can lay down comfortably in our tub but I know for sure the water won't cover my belly! My midwife said about 75% of her clients who use a pool end up choosing to get out to push, which surprised me.

I guess we'll wait and see, if I end up having a water birth in our tub it'll certainly be an experience!

[Stayathomemommy]

I didnt know what i would end up wanting when it came down to transition. and i didnt like the idea of my husband having to deal with filling up the big pool. i ended up getting in the bath tub (smaller then most) and loved it. i put lots of towels on the bottom so i could get a better grip and rolled some up for a neck pillow/back support. it worked out great. when the baby came i got up on my knees not really knowing what to do but it worked and i caught her. i got out after about 30 minutes to deliver the placenta on the toilet and then finally handed the baby over once i was disconnected to cuddle up into bed and recieve the baby. by that time the tub was clean and trash bags out of sight. never saw a mess at all. my husband and mom said it was nothing to it. i had gotten towels and sheets from goodwill that i didnt care about so they didnt feel they had to keep anything. it was great. will do it again.

[NuzzleNudge]

This is very interesting. I can't wait to have the water birth! I have seen Some rather nice comfy looking Tub Births on Youtube and of course Rikki's on the Business of being Born. But I am 5'9 and Large so while my tub is cozy during pregnancy for relaxing away from my kids and having that special quiet 'me' time, I will be renting the Birth Pool in the Box.

One thing I haven't seen mentioned here tho that I have heard, is that sometimes they discourage birthing in a bath tub because it's not deep enough and the baby could become un-submerged while the head is out and the body is still engaged inside you, which could trigger the breathing reflex. Don't know how accurate that is or how commonly that could or would happen, but it is something to consider.

[mcgee]

I wanted to be in the pool, but my midwife said there wasn't enough time to fill it because the baby was coming too fast! I ended up in our bathtub instead. It is technically a garden tub, but it feels shorter than the regular tub in our other bathroom - it's just deeper. The downside to a regular non-garden tub to me would be that you likely won't be able to fill it with water that will cover your belly, so you may want to have a pitcher available to pour warm water over your belly or have a towel handy that you can put in the tub and use to cover your belly.

Is there enough room in your bathroom for your midwife and the supplies she'll need immediately after the birth? If you have something like shoulder dystocia occur while you're in the tub, can she easily reach you in the tub? Some bathrooms are very tiny, and some aren't. Ours is decent-sized, despite our absurdly small garden tub and absurdly small shower, so our midwife, her apprentice, her backup midwife, and my husband were all able to be there for the birth. I would be most concerned about bathroom size.

[goldenwillow]

I would have digged birthing in our bath tub... I am 5-10 and am waaaay too tall for that. 

[Steady101]

I used our bathtub. Our is a garden soaker ( I think that is what it is called anyways) and it is deeper than a regular bath tub. I also turn the overflow drain upside down so the hole is at the top and it can full all the way to the top.