How can I rent a tub for waterbirth at home?

[nan]

Hi,
I've recently decided to have a homebirth, and would like to rent a large tub/jacuzzi for the birth. I have no idea where to begin -- how can I find one? what should I look for? I'd like to look via the internet, so even ideas about search tersms would help.
Any guidance much appreciated.
Thanks,
Nan

[yogamama]

Yes, I rented a tub from Aqua Doula. I don't have a web site for them, but do a search and you should be able to find them...

[Ottermom]

If you live in a college town, there should be a place that will rent you a tub also, tho they may charge a larger fee than the actual aqua doula. Make sure you get it enough in advance. As our baby was 3 weeks early, my husband was putting it together while my contractions were 10 minutes apart. And when the midwives arrived they were boiling water to heat up the tub!

Also if you get the plain-jane model, with the "sterile baggie" that lines the tub, think about something to put underneath, like a bean bag, beach chair, or just a cushy foot stool, heck even some pillows would work (everything will stay dry under the "baggie". We actually used an adult sized "barbie-like" blow up furniture foot stool that my husband sat on and I knelt below it and rested on him.

In my opinion, water is the best tool for birth.
o!

[fourlittlebirds]

I used a water trough for two of my births, they are available at farm supply stores. About $100. Nice thing about them is that they are deeper than other tubs so you can submerge as much of your body as you want. Hard plastic, though, so a cushy lining is important.

[babylover]

We have really struggled with what kind of money to spend on a birthing tub. I just can't bring myself to cough up $250 rental and then another $100+ for the S&H for the Aqua Doula. Does anyone know of anything cheaper that is still like the Aqua Doula? We did come accross on E-bay several portable hot tubs and spas for sale pretty cheap. One went last night for $120. We have a storage issue, so I'm not sure that purchasing is our best option. Try E-Bay for some options. We are leaning toward a kiddie pool at this point. We can do it free from our midwives. It's only 22" deep, so I worry that it won't be deep enough for me to benefit from the effects of the water. We're still looking also. I want to look into the farm supply for the trough. Thanks for the suggestion. Jennifer

[Ottermom]

baby lover hmmm, first 22" could probably do it, my tub was probably only 25" deep but I don't think less than 22" would be any good. $120?!!!? wow, that seems good, I'd buy it from you when you were done for $120! or you could probably sell it to someone else! no actually my dh said heck yeah! he wants it! You also could try another midwife/birthcenter in town. I know my birth center rented their tub (for $60) to other non-clients.
o!

[babylover]

It's good to hear confirmation about the 22". People keep saying it, I don't know why I'm remaining a non-believer. We would have done the $120 thing, but we couldn't get the dimensions on the product and bidding was about to expire. We'll certainly keep an eye on e-bay. Good idea about checking with other midwives, etc. I'll do that. Thanks for the feedback.

[DarthP8r]

You can buy a 66"x22" (or so) inflatible kiddie pool at any toy store for probably less than US$40. Sounds like a pretty cheap experiment to me! Buy the little pool, inflate it, and maybe even fill it up and sit in it. If you don't think it's big enough, then you can fold it up and use it when your newest is old enough.

My DW and I just had a homebirth/CPA chat, this morning, and that's what we were shown. We'll get one to check it out. If we think it's too small, we'll just save it for Lela, our 18-mo DD, to play in it later.

[DarthP8r]

Uh, I really meant homebirth/CPM!!! :) [dork]

[NaturalJoy]

I'm a newbie with a question. How do you keep the water warm in the trough or kiddie pool. And how do you get warm water in there to begin with? Did you all put it upstairs in your house, or keep it downstairs in case of a leak?

I just found out I'm pg and dying to do a homebirth!

Thanks.

[BusyMommy]

I agree w/the earlier post about making sure your tub has a disposable liner in it. My dr. was very worried about bacteria that you cannot get rid of in tubs, but my midwife has liners for all of her tubs. I don't know the height, but I could sit on my bottom and it was over my head. The sides need to be sturdy. Remember, dh will prob. be in there, too, and when it comes time to push, the tub will see lots of action. :D

We didn't line the floor or anything first. I did splash a little water over as I was getting out so have towels handy. Of course! And, we kept a hose between the tub and the bathtub for when the water temp. got too cool. There was a thermometer in the tub and the mw just bucketed water out and replaced w/hot water as necessary.

Have fun!:thumb:

[Ottermom]

I didn't really worry about a leak. Things get wet, carpet bed etc. I figure it is just water, so everything will dry . . . (and we boiled water or just plug in a crock pot in your bed room and have someone keep emptying it into the pool after it is warm.
:)

[Brigitte&Eitan]

Start saving now for the Aquadoula, in my humble opinion. As a homebirth midwife, I can tell you nothing works half as well!!! Clean-up is a snap, the water stays at a constant, WARM temp, and it has a soft floor and sides, really important if you plan to labor there for extended periods of time! I had a waterbith in an Aquadoula, and am planning another one for this baby ( due in Sept.):hippie

[I Love My Boy]

Hey nan,

Gee, everyone's suggestions sound really expensive! We used a kiddie pool :) Like this one:
http://www.outdoorguides.com/outdoor/pool_pic/intex47-1.jpg
but a little bit smaller. That one is 90" across and ours was 60". It was perfect for just me, but you'd need the bigger one if you wanted anyone in with you. I think we paid around $45 for ours, and that's CDN, so it's practically free in USD! haha.

It was easy to empty and fill. Used a garden hose attached to the kitchen sink to fill it up and the thick plastic sides kept the water the perfect temp for over an hour. If we'd needed to keep it warm longer I think we could have covered it and it would have lasted a really long time. We used a little drill-powered syphon to empty it and again, used the garden hose and emptied it into the bathtub drain.

I just love the fishies and the fact that it's clear. Our ds will have fun playing in it some day!

[lovinmama]

We just had a waterbirth on the 16th and
got our pool from Redspools.com
its a kiddi pool 24" deep and it worked great
we set it up on a big tarp, attatched a hose to
our sink and filled it up as much as I needed and
had plenty room to keep adding warm water as
I needed it. I paid 16 dollars plus shipping for it, it was on
sale when I bought it. My main concern was the offgassing
of the plastic and all, we just set it out for a few weeks ahead
of time and set it up a week or so before I had the baby and
it was fine, no funky smell at all.
Racheal

[I Love My Boy]

Hey yeah, that is exactly the one we used. Congratulations on your new bundle of love!

[Serenity]

I've got a jacuzzi at home and would like to use it during my labor. How do i keep the water warm for hours?

[stephanie]

If there is no temp. control, then keep adding(or have someone else keep adding) warm water. The midwife w/ whom I am working uses a horse trough regularly w/ this method.

Happy laboring!

[Serenity]

The problem is that once i fill up the tub, my hot water heater is empty, it takes a while to heat up more water again. i thought maybe there was some kind of heater i could hook up to the tub but i don't want it to be dangerous.

[indigolilybear]

what we did was just to boil water and add it. I don't know about the side heaters or anything. but boiling water wasn't that hard and worked pretty well. good luck

[NaturalJoy]

Hi a few of you mentioned below you ordered your pool from redspools.com. I was wondering, did you get the Aquarium inflatable? And did you get the 60, 77 or 90 inch? Was your dh able to get in with you? Was the 22 inches deep enough for you to soak comfortably?

These are a great deal now, I might go ahead and order mine.

[lovinmama]

I got the smallest pool from redspools (60)
and it was plenty big for me. I was worried before i ordered it that it would not be deep enough but it was. I filled it up to where it would cover my belly fine and still had lots of room to add water as needed.
Dh did not get in with me but both of my older sons did
and there was room for more! Both Dh and I could definately
have fit in it.
Racheal

[I Love My Boy]

I also got the 60". It was just right! And when they say the walls are sturdy enough to support a person sitting on them, it's true. It's a great little pool, and has an inflatable bottom so your tush will be comfy.

:thumb

[NaturalJoy]

Oh, I'm sold! This seems so much more economical than renting the aquadoula. I mean, my hb will cost 2100, I don't exactly have an extra $300 sitting around after that for a birthing tub! My mw suggested a horse trough, but I think that would be hard on my back and tushie. The kiddie pool will be softer (and make nicer pics too :)

Thanks!

[Serenity]

that'll work too-- thanks

[babylover]

First of all, thanks for letting all of us in on redspools. My dh had a super time on the website. In addition to the pools, they had a link to some Christmas sale items (lawn lighting art). he had been searching the web for these things and almost cried when he saw them. I think he wants our house to look like the Griswold's or a Christmas wonder land next year--I digress. Anyway, we bought the 77". We haven't received it yet, but will inflate it and check out the depth. I'm very encouraged by all of the comments so far. We chose the 77" because my husband is a very tall man. Neither of us would be considered petite. We just thought it would be better. I'll let you know. Jennifer

[Mommy StormRaven]

A friend of mine has one of those new "Softub" hot tubs - it is big and deep enough to seat 3 people comfortably and it is collapsible so storeage would not be a problem. She paid about 1600.00 for hers two years ago she has offered to let us borrow it for our next birth (hoping to be PG soon) sincw we are hoping for a homebirth this time. WE had midwives with our 13 month old daughter and were thrilled enough to want to try it at home next time. Good luck!

[TheMoMo]

I've been wondering about this too as we bought our house not knowing the 40 gallon water heater was working at about half-capacity. The bedroom is upstairs from the kitchen and I think it'd be a pain carrying boiling water up the stairs so I think I'm going to buy an electric kettle and keep it going in the bedroom. I guess really the Mr. Coffee would work fine too....just a thought!

Maureen

[Milo]

Do make sure you keep the water warm...I wasn't planning on a waterbirth, but once it was time to push, I did not want to get out of the tub when Eli was born. Unfortunately, we hadn't set the tub up in time to get the water warm enough for the birth, just warm enough for my comfort during labor. Bottom line, I had to stand up (was supposed to get out of the tub) and make sure baby's head didn't get in the too cold water and breath water instead of air. May this time, I'll actually get to have the baby in the water...we've tried twice already.

[organicmama]

Boohoo!!! Redspools is sold out of the 60" Aquarium pool! Now what!?! I was SO excited. It was only $27.20 with shipping as compared to about $370 for the Aquadoula (with shipping). Wah!!!:confused:

[I Love My Boy]

I'm sure I can find it for you someplace else.... look for another post from me tomorrow!

[smarmie]

We had the hot water heater turned way up several days before I was due, with a hose attached to the sink. (You can get an attachment) I did'nt care to have any extra hot water in the tub while I was labering, that was hard work and I was hot, hot, hot! The hot water had to be added for the baby when I started pushing. Good luck!

[I Love My Boy]

They have all sizes:

http://www.dmartstores.com/aqpool60byin.html

:thumb

[organicmama]

Thank you, I Love My Boy! You're brilliant & very sweet! It's ordered. :D

[MamaMel]

<eek> I wonder if I got the last one?? I ordered mine after reading this thread on Friday. Well, I am glad that you found somewhere else to order it. Thanks for the tip everyone. This will save us big $$ and I'm sure the kiddies will love playing in it after it's already fulfilled it's origanial purpose!

[organicmama]

Ok now...I'm trying not to take this as a sign but dmart just e-mailed me that they are sold out of the Aquarium pool. Now what!?! I Love My Boy??? You gonna save me again? :o

[MamaMel]

I don't feel so bad now. I got an e-mail yesterday saying that redspools couldn't process my order because they were sold out. I thought okay, so I will go to the other place. I got my "sorry" e-mail from them this morning as well. So Organicmama, it looks like we are both in the same place, still without birthing pools. I have been looking all of the web and can't seem to find to 60" anywhere, maybe I will start calling around about the 77" one. Let me know if you have any luck and I will do taht same!

[I Love My Boy]

Hmmm, well, here is the toll free number for the manufacturer:
(800)234-6839

They might be able to tell you the location of a place near you that carries them, or maybe you can even order directly from them. Other than that... geez, I'll look around online some more. Must be the time of year? Hey, I'll even call the place here where I got mine and see if they have any left in stock. I'm in Canada, but maybe they would ship it to you. :D

[organicmama]

Bless your heart, I Love My Boy. :love

[MamaMel]

Well, I just called the number. They were not able to give me any retailers in the area and they could only give me one website that might still have them. The web site is www.qualityinflatibles.com . They do have a 60 incher, it looks a bit different from the ones I had been seeing on other sites (the rim is blue not teal), but it seems to have the same discription, so I ordered it. I haven't gotten a "we're sorry" e-mail yet, so I am keeping my fingers crossed. Organicmama, go check it out!

[organicmama]

I ordered one! Thanks MamaMel! Wow, I hope 3rd times a charm! This is wearin' me out! hehe :D

[MamaMel]

Yippie!!!! I just got my shipping confirmation e-mail..I think that's probably a good sign!

Is anyone else doing anything to prepair their tubs? I am planning on inflating mine and then letting it air out in the yard for a while. I can't stand that overly strong smell of new plastic..yuck, I can't even imagine it during labor... What do you think would be good to use to clean it after it sits outside for a couple of weeks? hmm...I guess I will have to think about that...

Well, I'm just glad to have finally found one :) .

[I Love My Boy]

That's great news, I'm glad you guys found something!!

We blew ours up and did a "wet" run, just to make sure we knew how long it took to inflate, how long it took to fill, and how long the water stayed warm. It aired out really quickly and I felt better knowing how the whole scene would play out. We didn't do anything to clean it out - I didn't want any soaps or any residue left behind, so basically it was just rinsed out with the water.

Emptying it was good practice too, because dh knew that was going to be his job (yuck, btw - not to gross you out too much but since he didn't get to that until the next day it was quite an unpleasant job for him. He had named it Lake FrankenStank by the time it was done)

Anyway, we left it inflated - I highly recommend this if you have room - and it took about an hour to fill... hmm, no it couldn't have been that long... maybe 40 minutes? We used a hose from the kitchen sink. It stayed warm for the entire hour that we left it set up, and I got in to soak for a bit - it was wonderful. You will love yours!

Happy waterbirthing, all of you!!!!!

(oh, p.s., If you leave it to air out outside, I would be careful that it isn't in any kind of damp location where it could pick up any mold)

[organicmama]

I got my Aquarium pool today!!! Woohoo!!! I'm SO excited! It came really quickly. I just ordered it...YESTERDAY afternoon!?! I had to look back & double check. That just doesn't seem possible, does it!?! Of course, they're in CA somewhere & so am I. Pretty wild, huh?

Thanks for all the help. Now that's one less thing to worry about. Of course, my boys want to set it up & try it out. I told them we have to keep it clean for the baby.

One of the midwives in the area that I talked to said to buy a new hose so it would be as clean as possible. I hadn't thought of that. Also, I wouldn't leave it outside where a bird could poop in it or a stray cat could get in it or who knows what. I'm going to air mine out in the garage. I can't decide whether to rise it with just hot water or maybe use some of my organic dish soap that has grapefruit seed extract in it to help kill germs.

I Love My Boy, how did he empty it? That remains a mystery to me... ;)

[organicmama]

I tried to get the homeschooling supply link to open & it told me I wasn't authorized to open that page. I'm just about to order some homeschooling stuff for my 5 y.o. & thought I'd check it out. Any suggestions? Thanks!

[I Love My Boy]

Hi, please email me about the homeschooling stuff and I will answer you right away. I don't think I'm allowed to discuss my business in the threads...??? I did that once and my post was erased. Our webhost server went down so our site has been down for three days now. grrrr... email me and I'll tell you what we carry.

Awesome that you got your pool already! Dh emptied ours using a drill-powered syphon. We got it at the hardware store and it worked pretty well. It has a little motor in the center and then two threaded pipe parts sticking out on each side. You hook up the garden hose to one end of the syphon with the other end of the hose in the water, and then to the other end of the syphon you put another length of hose long enough to reach to your sink or bathtub where you will empty the water. Then, you use a regular drill and stick it into the provided hole in the syphon's motor section. Turn the drill on and it spins the motor, and presto, starts to syphon all the water out of the pool into the tub or sink.

Thing is, it was pretty loud and slow. Dh got almost all of it out that way, and then carried the pool to the bathroom to drain and rinse it out. We live in a tiny downtown loft so we didn't have a yard to haul it out into.

We bought a new garden hose and some other short bit of plumbing hose. You might want to bring a bit of your kitchen sink faucet (or whatever faucet you are using to fill the pool up with) with you when you buy the hoses. We had to purchase an additional attachment threading thingy to make it fit.

Talk to you later!

:D

[stephanie]

I was speaking to a midwife who uses an old waterbed heater. I don't know how that would work, but it seems worth a go. Sounds better than adding hot water continuously.

[Sara29]

I ordered my kiddie pool for labor.Found it cheap for 24.46(that
includes the shipping).I had planned on giving that to dd later whether I use
it or not,but it looks rather small so after reading the reviews on the 90x22
at eopinions I got the big one for $44.26(shipping is a killer at 14.85).
The one midwife supply center sells them for 40 and 60 for the big
one(shipping not included) so I figure I did ok.Walmart/toy stores don't have
them out yet,so I don't know if I would have saved that way or not.
Click
here: Intex inflatable swimming pools, family and kids inflatable swim pools
http://qualitytrading.com
http://qualityinflatables.com/poolsfamily.html

Sara
Nimet UC 2-9-99
edd 5-7