Water in labour...

[ann_of_loxley]

Did you use water whilst in labour. A lot of people use birthing pools - but I have also heard on here people just hop in the bath or even labour in the shower!...

I do not like the idea of a birthing pool...small house, too much hassle - how do you empty it aftewards?... I suppose if we fall pregnant right away and I am due a nice time of year (hopefully may! lol) then I could have a birthing pool outside which would take away a lot of the hassle but thats to say if its during the day and its nice and if I dont mind giving my neighbours a show lol...The bath sounds nice as well - if I can fit lol... So I really like the idea of the shower? But how do you tell the temperature of the water? I guess thats what I really want to know. Do you make it a certain temperature? - Or do you just do what feels good? Can it be too hot?

[Belle]

Originally Posted by ann_of_loxley

I do not like the idea of a birthing pool...small house, too much hassle - how do you empty it aftewards?... I suppose if we fall pregnant right away and I am due a nice time of year (hopefully may! lol) then I could have a birthing pool outside which would take away a lot of the hassle but thats to say if its during the day and its nice and if I dont mind giving my neighbours a show lol...

I tried laboring in a standard bathtub and it was too small to labor in. The only way I could get the water to cover my belly was to lay flat on my back. It was very uncomfortable.

In the shower can be nice. I labored in the shower for a little bit for my first labor. Unfortuately my hot water ran out in about 20 minutes. My labor lasted a bit longer than that.

I gave birth in an inflatable pool in my small apartment. Not much hassle at all. We emptied it the same way we filled it, with a hose. My midwives had a swimming pool pump that we used that emptied it faster.
In the pool I could be free to assume any position and the water really helped me feel boyant. I've got pics of my birth here. We just moved our dining room table out of the way and put our pool where it normally was.