Besides the many benefits of water birth, there are also potential downsides. Some disadvantages are:
Please read more on other potential downsides and risks for a water birth here.
If you are considering a water birth, it will require extra preparations. You will have to make sure that you rent or buy your birth pool on time: we recommend before your 34th week of pregnancy. You (or, more likely, your partner) will have to inflate the pool before you go into labour.
We highly recommend that you and your partner read the instruction manual well in advance of your due date. When you go into labour, your partner or someone else will need to prepare and set everything up. If you have maternity care, such as a midwife, they can help you with the setup of the birth pool as well. Please make sure to discuss this with your care team before giving birth.
The instruction manual will provide you with further information on how to clean the birth pool after use. The setup and breakdown of your birth pool are easier than is often assumed. Please see the video below on how it works:
When you rent or buy a birth pool with us, you will receive a clear instruction manual that will guide you through the process step by step.
You wish to have a water birth and have made all the required preparations needed for success. But what if things don’t go as planned or expected? Perhaps because of medical reasons, you are unable to deliver your baby in the birth pool. This could result in disappointment.
If you are only able to birth in the birth pool during the first stage of labour (the time of the onset of true labour until the cervix is completely dilated to 10 cm.), take comfort in the fact that this is the longest part of your labour. During this time, the warm water will relax and help as a pain relief measure. The birth pool will allow you to have mobility and comfort, which will help you during labour. As such, you are still enjoying the benefits of water birth.
If for whatever reason (such as a medical indication), you are not able to use the birth pool at all, you can return the unused bath for partial reimbursement. Read more about our return policy at Renting or Buying a Birth Pool.
When you learn that, before the birth pool arrives, you cannot have a water birth (for whatever reason), we will provide you with a full refund.
Blood loss can develop after birth when the placenta isn’t fully detaching or is taking longer to detach. For this reason, some care providers choose to deliver the placenta outside the birth pool. Discuss this possibility with your midwife or gynaecologist.
If blood loss develops after birthing the placenta and you are still in the birth pool, then the midwife or gynaecologist will preempt this situation and promptly remove you from the birth pool, to measure the amount of blood loss.
Weight the advantages against the disadvantages of water birth, and decide what you feel most comfortable with. Also determine whether renting or buying a birth pool is the best option for you. Would you like to know more about water birth? Please consult the following information:
