Waterbirth
Preparing for Waterbirth - at home
If you are birthing at Frisco Birth Center, you have the option of birthing in one of our deep birth tubs. If you are planning a home birth, you will need to determine if your bath tub is suitable for birth. This article explains
how to know if your bath tub at home will work for birth
what to know about the inflatable birth pool option
Will my home bathtub work for water birth?
Most bath tubs that you would find in a modern “master suite” will work fine for birth. The tub just needs to be deep enough to cover the laboring woman’s abdomen if she’s sitting, or cover her hips if she’s on hands and knees. We just have to make sure that the baby can emerge into the water fully submerged. If any part of the baby’s head comes above the water at any time, the birth must happen out of the water.
What if my tub has jets?
We recommend using a bathtub liner if your bath is jetted. Bacteria can easily grow in the jets. It is very difficult to get the jets clean enough before birth that your baby can safely be born in the tub.
My tub is big enough. What else do I need know?
Please make sure your tub is very clean before the birth. We recommend scrubbing it with a good detergent then rinsing it well.
You will also need to make sure you have enough hot water to fill the tub and maintain the temperature at 100 degrees. For that reason, we usually suggest that you don’t take long showers or use hot water for laundry in early labor.
What if my bathtub isn’t ideal?
We sell a 3-tier, single-use, inflatable pool from “Passages Pools”. They are $100. You can Zelle me at 469-643-9433. We can loan you an air pump if you don’t have one (a mattress pump for camping is perfect). We also have a sump pump to empty the tub after the birth.
The remainder of this article explains what you need to know about using an inflatable tub for your home birth. Please read below to learn about
supplies you need to purchase
hoses and adapters
important safety notes
SUPPLIES TO PURCHASE / HAVE ON HAND (GET THEM ASAP)
Drinking water hose & brass fitting: Clean / new * unused *drinking hose. Look for one that says “RV hose” or “drinking water”. These hoses do not have extra chemicals in their inner lining. Please make sure your hose is long enough to extend from the water source to the birth tub with enough extra length that it doesn’t have to be hand held while filling. We can use either this hose or a garden hose to empty the water after the birth..
Water source: Most people attach the hose to the shower because the shower head can often be removed fairly easy and most hoses fit well on them. If your shower head doesn’t come off, you can use the spigot behind your washing machine.
Make sure the hose fits on the threaded pipe you are using to fill your tub. If the hose doesn’t fit correctly, you can purchase brass adapters at a hardware store.
The hose needs to be long enough to reach from the shower to fill it, and to a toilet to empty it.
Mattress Pump / electric air pump: if you don’t have an electric air pump, we may have one we can loan you.
Towels: Please plan to have extra bath towels. You will want dry towels to dry off with, especially if you get in and out of the tub a few times to change positions or use the toilet. We will also want a few towels to cover the floor so you don’t track water around the pool. We suggest 6-8 full size towels for Mom.
We also like to have 4 hand towels we can cover the baby with if you stay in the water after the birth while we wait for the placenta.
Tarp or cover for your floor. Put this under the pool to keep your floors dry
SETTING UP YOUR TUB
Unpack the pool so you can figure out how to position it in your birth space. It may have a strong scent – it may need to air out. You may want to inflate it and put it in the garage to air out. This will also help us make sure it can hold air. If your pool doesn’t stay inflated overnight, please let us know so we can bring a replacement.
Please keep the inflatable birth pool clean – no kids, no water, no pets in the pool.
In labor, it will need to be placed in a location where we can easily move around at least 2/3 the perimeter, we can get past it to the bathroom, and it’s not far from a bed.
Please inflate the pool so it is very firm. We need to make sure it won’t list under the weight of the water.
Before your due date, turn your water heater up high so we have very hot water.
IN LABOR: In early labor
On the day of labor, please reserve all the hot water to fill the tub (unless you have a tankless heater).
o Inflate the pool so it is very firm to the touch.
If you are wrapping it in string lights, please make sure the cord is taped down so it’s not a tripping hazzard
AFTER THE BIRTH
We will bring a sump pump to empty the pool. But we need your hose.
Once it is empty, we will dry out the tub with bath towels and wipe it down with disinfectant wipes.
Let it dry fully before packing it up and putting it away. (Some people store it in a Rubbermaid box with their summer water toys.
