Birth Pools

745 Views 16 Replies 12 Participants Last post by StacyL, Apr 16, 2006

doulanichole

Discussion Starter · Apr 14, 2006

Anyone renting/buying a birth pool? Ds was born at home in our jacuzzi tub, but I don't think our bathroom is large enough to accomodate all of us this time. I loved our tub and am set on having another waterbirth, but feel we are going to have to move it to the family room so that we will have enough space for our other children to participate. Here is the pool we are looking at now:www.yourwaterbirth.com/pools.shtml, the La Bassine. It looks like it may hold a little more water than some of the others and the sides look pretty sturdy as well. I also like the fact that it has inside handles for position changes and pushing - pushing while drowning doesn't sound fun to me! lol Anyone else?

1 - 17 of 17 Posts

MidwifeErika

· #2 · Apr 14, 2006

I will just be using my good ole fishy pool again this time around. My son was born in it 2 years ago and then my kids spent 2 summers swimming in it

We are going to blow it up soon to be sure it is still in good shape and that we don't need to replace it.

See less See more

*guest

· #3 · Apr 14, 2006

Our midwives own Aqua Doulas and bring those, so that's what we're getting. I like that it has a heater and filtration and a padded bottom, but the sides don't look as comfortable as the la bassine. It'll still be better than my house tub, that's way too shallow.

coco4cloth

· #4 · Apr 14, 2006

I'm just using the Ocean Reef Pool. The one you listed looks nice, but money wise is a no go for us right now.

Jeni_Houston

· #5 · Apr 15, 2006

We're renting our birth pool from Waterbirth International. We're lucky enough to live in Portland, so we don't have to pay for shipping. They have a nice selection of some pretty awesome birth pools. More $$$ though.

MyLittleWonders

· #6 · Apr 15, 2006

We are renting an Aqua Doula from a woman a couple miles away (she owns a rental company). We were going to do a kiddie pool, but I am almost 5'10" with long legs and could see me not fitting!

Dh was very insistent on spending the money for the AD, so I know he's happy.

See less See more

2

mountainsun

· #7 · Apr 15, 2006

Quote:

Here is the pool we are looking at now:www.yourwaterbirth.com/pools.shtml, the La Bassine

This is the pool that my mw reccomends - but I was looking at their other, cheaper pools and could not really see any major differences! Except for the price! I am going to ask her ay my next appt next week; at this point, the cheaper the better

Quote:

I'm just using the Ocean Reef Pool.

I was thinking about this one as well - have you gotten it yet?/ How does it look?

See less See more

doulanichole

Discussion Starter · #8 · Apr 15, 2006

I am not sure if there are any "major differences," but it did look like the La Bassine had sturdier sides, holds more water and has inside handles...which I can see as being a plus. I have been at several births where they used the fishy pool and the sides were just not strong enough to make me comfortable as they seemed to squish down every time someone leaned on them for support.

I would love to have an Aqua Doula, but just can't afford it at this time. Great that some mw's even bring them to the birth!

And I certainly understand the cost factor!

Amys1st

· #9 · Apr 15, 2006

and here I thought it was a pool to bet when the baby came LOL

See less See more

2

doulanichole

Discussion Starter · #10 · Apr 15, 2006

LOL - Amy! I would be happy to have one of those as well. No idea how they work though.

StacyL

· #11 · Apr 15, 2006

http://yourwaterbirth.com/catalog/pr...products_id=28

The Ocean Reef is nearly twice the capacity of the La Bassine (191 gal. vs. 100 gal.) and the sides are definitely sturdy enough to lean on etc., if you have inflated it with an electric air pump. I used the Ocean Reef pool for my last birth. And you can get it at any Toys R Us for 19.99-24.99, which is a lot better than $95 for an inflatable pool. The only downside to these inflatable pools is that if you have a long labor they can cool down. Make sure you have your water heater in your house turned up all the way at least a week before your due date, and don't fill it till you're ready to get in.

doulanichole

Discussion Starter · #12 · Apr 16, 2006

StacyL - perhaps the ones I attended they did not use an electric pump? Although I cannot imagine what they would have used to inflate their pools. I have no idea, but I do know that anytime anyone leaned on the sides (from the outside), they got soaked. My other concern is width....how tall are you? I'm worried about not having any leverage should I want to push while sorta sitting up. Since I am on the shorter side I worry that my legs won't reach far enough across which is why I thought the handles may be helpful. Perhaps I'm just making this far more difficult than it needs to be! With such a short time left, I should work on less stress and hassle, huh?

grace's voice

· #13 · Apr 16, 2006

I used an aquadoula last time and will be using one again this time. http://www.aquadoula.com/
I'm really not a fan of blow ups as I don't want to have to worry about the temperature (aquadoula holds the temp at an even 100 degrees). I also like a good solid side that I know will support all my weight. Mine comes with a foam strip on the side that makes the edge soft to rest your head on and hang on to. I do like the sound of the handles though... when they tried to get me into the half sitting position last time, I kept slipping. Its okay though, I hated that position anyway and used it as an excuse to get out of it and go back to squatting.

Around here most of the Bradley teachers rent out aquadoulas and my midwife has one as well, the rental in fairly inexpensive. My last doula included it in her fee, and this one I get to borrow for free!

See less See more

momsmyjob

· #14 · Apr 16, 2006

I used the Aquarium Birth Pool and it was perfect for me. I'll use it again

See less See more

Satori

· #15 · Apr 16, 2006

Quote:

Originally Posted by grace's voice

Around here most of the Bradley teachers rent out aquadoulas and my midwife has one as well, the rental in fairly inexpensive. My last doula included it in her fee, and this one I get to borrow for free!

$300 is fairly inexpensive? Must be nice to be able to have that POV. I know for me and a lot of other mama's here $50 would push our budgets, no way could we afford aquadoulas

See less See more

coco4cloth

· #16 · Apr 16, 2006

We decided to go with the fishy pool for a couple of reasons. My last labor was only 3 hours, so I would feel like it was a huge waste of money to rent the aqua doula and not even be able to use it. It would cost about 250 here to rent. Plus my kids now have a pool for the summer

See less See more

StacyL

· #17 · Apr 16, 2006

Quote:

Originally Posted by doulanichole
StacyL - perhaps the ones I attended they did not use an electric pump? Although I cannot imagine what they would have used to inflate their pools. I have no idea, but I do know that anytime anyone leaned on the sides (from the outside), they got soaked. My other concern is width....how tall are you? I'm worried about not having any leverage should I want to push while sorta sitting up. Since I am on the shorter side I worry that my legs won't reach far enough across which is why I thought the handles may be helpful. Perhaps I'm just making this far more difficult than it needs to be! With such a short time left, I should work on less stress and hassle, huh?

Yeah, I think the electric air pump is probably what makes it so firm, and I had mine blown up for two weeks before I filled it with water on the day of labor, so the sides were never a problem. However, it is very large inside (the hex shaped Reef one) so I don' think I could brace my legs against the sides and have my back up against another side. I'm just not tall enough (5'5").

I have a MW here who rents an Aquadoula for $200 (which is the cheapest I've ever seen - usually it runs $225-$300). However, the only reason I think renting an Aquadoula would be advantageous is for the temperature regulation. So, if it was someone's first labor, which might go long, it would likely be money well spent. But, if it's your second labor or more and you know you have fast labors, I think it's better to save your money and do the fishy pool, because temp will likely not be an issue.

I still have my hex shaped Reef fishy pool, but I've decided to go with the smaller circular shaped Aquarium fishy pool this time. It's only $20, and I think the slightly smaller size might be a good thing, and since it is only 100 gal capacity, the temp definitely won't be an issue - I have fast labors. I also recommend do a complete "dry run" (wet run? lol) a couple weeks before your due date. Really a valuable thing to do.

See less See more

1 - 17 of 17 Posts

This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.