Is this all I need for my birth pool?

[callieollie]

I'm planning to get the fishy pool and am just trying to figure out what else I need. I've tried to look up old threads but all the links they have that look really helpful don't work anymore.  So, are the only things I really NEED are a drinking safe water hose (something like this:  http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000BGHTK2/ref=pd_lpo_k2_dp_sr_3?pf_rd_p=486539851&pf_rd_s=lpo-top-stripe-1&pf_rd_t=201&pf_rd_i=B0058PMSSE&pf_rd_m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_r=1K8YXPCQKKN1BBC24MP5)  and an adaptor that will allow me to attach it to the sink or shower (like this:http://www.petco.com/product/108291/Aqueon-Faucet-Adaptor.aspx?Ntt=faucet%20adaptor&OneResultRedirect=1)?  I am trying to save as much as possible, but also not have anything be a hassle.  I know some people have mentioned a siphoning kind of thing where you can fill and remove water easily (rather than using a bucket) but I've also read some people somehow use the hose just to get water out of the pool (something about making sure the one end is lower than the other end and then water somehow comes out).  So, if I figure out how to use the hose to do that, would I only need a hose and an adaptor?  

What about something under the pool?  It will be in our bedroom on carpet, so it will be nice and soft on the bottom so I don't need any padding. Do I need towels under it and/or around it?  Or should I instead use some kind of plastic thing (like a shower curtain or something you'd put down for painting)?  

Thanks!  

[Mom31]

we put a tarp down under it.

[Mom2SammyJoe]

We did as you said and just siphoned the water out the bedroom window after the birth. My husband took care of it. We put a tarp underneath. I found a similar hose for around $10 at Walmart. Have plenty of towels available for you in case you get in and out a lot. I also draped a towel over the side of the pool so I wasn't leaning on the plastic.

[heidi_m]

We used the octagonal fishy pool for our first home water birth (in 2006).  Would have used it again if we could have found it - it was great, I am 5'8" and there was plenty of room for both my hubs and me!  Our mw had BPIAB for hwb #2, and for our upcoming hwb #3, mw has La Bassine.  But I digress... we put a tarp under the pool the first time and two shower curtain liners the second. 

For draining, we found an attachment at a local hardware store for under $10 that worked for filling and then you flipped a lever on it and it pulled the water back out and right down the sink drain - VERY convenient!  Alas, IDK if we can find another one (different state now) and we got rid of it the last time since we thought we were done having babies.  ;)  If we don't get another one we'll just siphon it out the window with the hose. 

GL! 

[help007]

I remember asking one of my midwives, multiple times, what else do we need (apart from the inflatable pool)?  And she just said, "nothing- I have the adapter.  That's all you need."  Then, when hard labor hits suddenly, "where is your hose?"  "You mean the icky garden hose that leaks?  In the backyard."  That was not fun to deal with during labor!  Her adapter was broken, too, so we ended up hooking the cleanest, least-leaky hose we could find directly to the hot water hookup to the washing machine.

Regarding actual advice, we used shower curtains under the tub, and an another to cover the tub so it didn't cool off during filling and before I needed to get in.  I found the newer shower liners that are pvc-free so they wouldn't smell noxious, and over the next year or two, we were also able to use them in the bathroom.

Be sure to get one of those fish things (http://www.amazon.com/Marina-3-Inch-Nylon-10-Inch-Handle/dp/B0002AQJH6/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1330306395&sr=8-1).  I didn't need mine, but one of my good friends had a bowel movement during pushing, and I've heard it is quite common, like 1 out of 3 or 4 mothers. 

[Onkiekat]

You will need a small fish net, in case of poop or other yucky floaties. A flashlight is also a good idea so midwife and hubby can see into the water. A large clean bucket for scooping out cold water during the labor. We had a tarp under the pool, attached a clean house straight to the hot water from the washing machine. Then used the same hose to siphon the water out. Oh, and lots of extra towels.