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Waterbirth in a Trough?  

post #1 of 14
1/14/07 at 4:16pm
Thread Starter 
Ok I am rapidly running out of time here to get my act together, but I am STILL trying to figure out this waterbirth thing *sigh*.

I have visited all of the Canadian tires in the area and there aren't any fishy pools, and I hae confirmed that the one I used for DS' waterbirth is leaky and gross.

Now, at a friend's suggestion I am going to look for an animal Trough at TSC (farm stores) but before I go there and get more "you want a what?" looks (like the one I got in Canadian Tire haha), I just want to make sure I know what I am asking for.

What size should I get? Will this fit in my vehicle? (at present I have a small car, but we are getting a minivan any day, as we are jumping from 1 to 3 children). How much should I expect to pay for it? Will it be there in stock at this time of year?

What do I do with it when I am done? Can I use it as a pool for my son in the summer if I store it in the basement?

Is it hard to keep water warm in a trough?

ok, thanks so much for all the help.(I need to figure this out ASAP I am now 37 weeks with my twins and I am not pushing my luck that I will have a lot more time to procrastinate!) Thanks,
post #2 of 14
1/14/07 at 4:20pm
For my first 4 homebirths, we used a 6ft long horse trough. It was about 2 feet wide and 2.5 ft deep. We had to use our pick-up to haul it home. Another friend used a round trough, also 6 ft. We used a drop cloth to line it and pipe insulation foam to secure it on the trough.
Somewhere I probably have pictures I can scan in when I get my computer back.
post #3 of 14
1/14/07 at 4:27pm
Read this article. In it you will learn how to use a"stock tub" as a water birth tub. Rubermaid makes them in different sizes the article reccomends 150 gallon if you will be in the tub alone or 300 gallon if you wnat your DH in there with you. Check out the link

http://www.midwiferytoday.com/articles/birthtub.asp
post #4 of 14
1/14/07 at 5:48pm
I was supposed to use one for my last birth but alas she came way to fast to get get in the shower
post #5 of 14
1/15/07 at 12:50am
I've known several people who have used troughs or the rubbermaid tubs - maybe not quite as comfy or insulated as an inflatable, but it works. As for getting it home, that I'm not so sure of. They're not, well, deflatable. Know anyone with a truck? Or if the minivan is coming REALLY soon, you could do that.
post #6 of 14
1/15/07 at 12:59am
the tubs my midwives had were the rubbermaid troughs. we padded our's with blankets under an aquadoula liner and it was quite comfortable. i didn't get to birth in it (hospital transfer), but found it fine for laboring.
post #7 of 14
1/15/07 at 2:25am
I labored in the Rubbermaid trough with my first son. I liked it, but it got cold. And I wanted out.

It was about the size of a bath tub, but deeper.
post #8 of 14
1/15/07 at 2:56am
I used a horse trough from A1 Feed for my homebirth with DD2. We didn't have the midwifery link when we put ours together, but we did put a pillow under the plastic for support and we padded the sides, bottom, and rails. It was as comfortable as any of the birthing tubs I've tested out.

P.S. If you are a bit concerned about having to explain the whole "homebirth" thing to the feed store clerk, you might consider just asking for a trough large enough for a baptism. The first store I called I got all flustered and asked the woman over the phone for a trough large enough to hold a body. The silence following THAT statement was deafening. Needless we did NOT go to that store to pick up the trough. For all I know the clerk had the police on standby to pick me up once I arrived!
post #9 of 14
1/15/07 at 2:57am
Oops, I ment to include a link to a picture of our trough in action.

P.S.S/ My labor was fairly quick once I got in the water, so I really didn't have any issue with it cooling down too quickly. Not to mention my husband was ready with more hot water if I needed it.

The heater pad would have been a good option.
post #10 of 14
1/15/07 at 8:41pm
What a great link! Your family looks so proud to be "setting" it up!

post #11 of 14
1/16/07 at 12:09am
Thread Starter 
good news! I shared the price of the trough with DH and all of a sudden he was able to fix our fishy pool and clean it out too!

http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y10...a/PICT2185.jpg
now my 2 year old is showing me some good birthing positions

http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y10...a/PICT2189.jpg
he is having a lot of fun with it haha
post #12 of 14
1/19/07 at 11:18am
Hurray! I guess that's all the motivation he needed! Wishing you a beautiful homebirth!
post #13 of 14
1/19/07 at 11:21am
OMG he has gotten so big! And he looks *so* much like you! Wild!

I'm glad the fishy pool thing worked out. Happy birthing to you mama.
post #14 of 14
1/19/07 at 5:31pm
My midwife provided a trough to birth in. I padded it with pillows, a sheet then plastic. It did get cold but I just had them keep putting in more hot water and it was great. Very deep and comfortable. I didn't birth it it either but it was soooooo helpful in labor.
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