This "Birthing Pool" is completely sterile is it how is that achieved?
Women in a labour ward giving birth are not, in general, sick.
AFAIAA their visitors are in the same state of health as the visitors likely to visit one at home.
22 years ago when our daughter was born they were discharged 10 hours after birth.
2 weeks ago my niece gave birth and 6 hours later they brought the baby home through London on the bus.
Are you asking or telling or both ?
Anyhow, the extreme aged or infirm, those who's immune system is compromised by sickness or treatment they are receiving.
40% of people have it on their skin. Less than 1/2% are true carriers.
and theatres and shopping centres and on buses and trains and ... ...
No, but it should be free of the sort of pathogens that matter. To that end it will typically have a liner which is thrown away after use. And the water coming in should be safe if it derived from chlorinated cold mains and properly stored and heated DHW (not guaranteed, of course, but mammals have been giving birth with a sustainable success rate in far-from-sterile conditions for a few million years now).
Maybe she doesn't want a 'technical' delivery. I wouldn't want a pool birth but having experienced home and hospital births I was very upset when my last child had to be born in hospital, according to the consultant obstetrician.
Why?
Because the Leeds policy was that all births after the fourth were at risk.
In neighbouring Dewsbury, where they just happened to have more beds, it was all births after the fifth. This was forty years ago, by the way.
When No 1 daughter was pregnant (22 tears ago) she had to fight - with my formidable support, to have a home birth. The midwife was very opposed, talking about risk. After she'd attended that birth and daughter was having a second the same midwife was very supportive of attending home births.
Things have changed. No 2 daughter was definitely at risk, at 42 with a history of miscarriage, but she had a home (pool) birth.
It doesn't relieve pain, apparently, but gives you something to think about.
Hah. I remember once one of those dreadful syrupy Mother and Baby programs on the telly once..after te usual parade of 'gosh it hurt, but when my baby was delivered i felt....' the last interviewee, who looked frankly stunning, articulate and intelligent..said 'well it was basically like having a bloody great rather painful constipated shit'.. 'and how did you feel when BaBy was put into your arms?' 'extremely relieved, but conscious of the fact I had just taken on a 21 year job with no possibility of resignation'
Well I am quite glad my daughter was born in hospital, she had the cord wrapped around her neck. I was a bit disappointed by the fact I had to do the diagnosis from the traces and get the consultant rather than the highly trained midwife.
Its just as well some of us actually look into the mechanics of these things even though we shouldn't need to know.
Put the pool straddling either side of the load bearing wall - remember that the pool will hold around 100+ gallons of water (using the figures you supplied) so if the floor is weyroc, it will need some protection (such as a plastic sheet) under the pool (advisable anyway).
If you are concerned about the weight, try using a couple of sheets of 3/4" or 1" plywood on the floor under the pool just to spread the load over the wall and floor joists - and if you are really paranoid, stick a few adjustable Acrow props between the ground and first floor ceiling (not really necessary in my opinion and a bit OTT) with some scaffold boards under and on top of the acrows).
But in reality - the thing probably is no heavier than a water bed and there shouldn't be any problems.
Whilst there should be no problem, you do this *at**your**own**risk* - (yes I'm covering my bum [rare for me] in this litigious age) :-)
BTW, I won't pass comment on home births, but if you are considering this - well done for kicking against the establishment - and may the birth be an easy one!
Absolutely! Our first child was born in hospital, the second at home, the second was a much, much better experience for mother, child, husband (me) and everyone else.
Well although I have occasioonally felt mildly like having a teenager, I have kept quite. Rather than a natural mild yearning for offspring, it would doubtless be interpreted as a tendency towards paedophilia.
I thought it was almost a truism that it was only the "once the agony has gone you really do forget it" phenomenon that accounted for families of more than one child!
(I am the OP, I posted using wrong account before)
lol! Yes, all you uk-diy-ers ought to be well into home births!
Thanks for the (relevant) responses, I'm reassured, I'll put the pool over the load-bearing wall as it's a reasonable place to put it anyway.
Regarding home birth.. I can't let some of the comments go un- answered! Homebirth is as safe as hospital birth for normal low-risk births based on the statistics, this is with trasfers to hospital taken into account. Obviously hospital is needed in some situations but these things rarely happen suddenly without warning. This is my fourth baby but first home birth. First three very straight-forward but hospital was just a really unpleasant experience for me, I really want the full attention of a midwife and to be in my own relaxing surroundings. The only differences for me will be...
a) I'll have the full attention of a midwife throughout b) I'll be able to use the pool for relaxation and pain relief (have used before but not allowed last time due to hospital staff issues - def. does give pain relief, at least it did to me) c) I won't have to travel in the middle of labour and then possibly wait around and argue to be allowed into the delivery suite. d) I'll be able to move around and not forced to lie on a bed being monitored e) I'll avoid not-needed interventions (experienced twice) f) It'll be a great experience as opposed to a mildly traumatic one.
If you want to know more, this site expains it much better than I ever could:
formatting link
had three children, I've heard lots of women's experiences of birth and I've rarely (actually maybe even never, I can't think of one) heard a positive account of a **normal** hospital birth and have never heard a negative account of a home birth, even the two that resulted in transfer to hospital. Obviously the hospital stuff is crucial when things go wrong and we're lucky to have all that too - wouldn't want to be without it.
Cost benefit should be considered here: Its probably a lot cheaper to have a home birth with a good midwife, and the percentage that do go wrong and do require an ambulance are probably insufficient to offset the lower cost.
I think its more the NHS being sensitive to litigation if the birth goes wrong, and mother or baby dies, and they COULD have been saved if they had been in a hospital etc..
I WISH all this nanny state legislation could be an OPTION and not de jure though.
I would `LOVE to walk into a shop and have stuff with red lables on reading 'this product has not been produced according to EU directive blah blah blah, in fact we shot it on Sunday and butchered it 5 days ago and its been hanging in the cool room since then. It does however have flavour to die for, and if it happens to have the wrong bacteria in it, and you fail to cook it properly, that mifht be the case. Eat at your own risk and pleasure'.
What about you then Dave - a die hard smoker? There are more deaths/problems from lung cancer caused by smoking than home births - so that make you a "potencial (sic) burden" not only to ambulance service, but also to the various departments of the local hospital for many years!
What about you and that filthy smoking habit you have getting the attention that you crave of the NHS? - Not to mention your kids passive smoking as well!
But surely the lady is saving the NHS some cash?
A bit like you and the not so subliminal span in this group for the Medway Handyman "look how good *I* am, after all I'm "recommended" by trading standards" - now whose a "boring" *and* arrogant b****rd?
Lets see what extra time and expense you are going to cause in the future with that smoking habit of yours.
No Dave, you are the one that wants to "grow up" - the lady is doing what she wants to do, and is taking the time to do it properly - even though she is unlikely to brag here that she is the best thing since sliced bread or recommeneded by trading standards!
Tanner-'op - who is rooting for the gal to have here wish, and bring forth a brand new, healthy bouncer.
HomeOwnersHub website is not affiliated with any of the manufacturers or service providers discussed here.
All logos and trade names are the property of their respective owners.