some waterbirth Q's

hi ladies

I did a quick search but couldnt find what I was looking for so hoping you girls could help.

Ive been thinking about a waterbirth but am still not sure. I dont know why, it just feels a bit alien to me. but at the same time, i love water and i know i will love it in labour...so maybe i just dont have all the right info yet.

one of my questions about waterbirth that I was wondering about was, how do you empty the pool afterwards? Im also scared of getting the floor/carpet wet, just wondering if anyone has experience with this or not? how 'dirty' does the water get during/after the birth?

probably silly questions but I just want to clear any doubts out of my mind so I can consider a waterbirth. :)

TIA

ummAadam

Hey there!

I had my DD in the bath at the birth centre, so I don't know about getting the carpet wet lol, but the water does get pretty murky/bloody. Not hideously so, but you wouldn't want to drop your keys in there lol.

At the BC they just pulled the plug & bye bye water, although at home I think you'd be right to tip it on the garden if you wanted to.

Hope this is some sort of help... although reading back... maybe not so much... ;)

I can't help much either, as DD was born in the bath at the hospital, but yeah, the water was pretty dark by the time they pulled the plug, but I hardly noticed it! Clear until she was actually birthed though....

If you can get your hands on The Waterbirth Book by Janet Balaskas it might answer lots of your questions, I found it a great read :)

As sson as I hopped in the water I knew I'd made the right decision to try a waterbirth - the relief the warm water gave me was amazing.

As others have said the water can get a bit yucky. There are 2 main ways to empty the water out if there is not a plug. The easiest is to siphon, and let the water run onto your plants. The other way is to scoop it out. Again you can put the water onto your plants or down the toilet if you prefer.
To protect your floor a couple of shower curtains from the cheap shop works well. Put the shower curtains on the floor, pool on top of the curtains and a few old towels on top of the shower curtains around the outside of the pool.

My waterbirth was at a birth centre and looking at the photos the spa water wasn't very dirty at all. I didn't tear though so I imagine if I had have then the water would have not been clear...

Thanks for posting this thread ummAadam, I am also wanting a water birth (but at a private hospital) and I'e also wondered about eh water getting dirty.

Alan does it really only get dirty right near the end like human bean said? Do you think not tearing like chocolatecatty mentioned could make a big difference?

In regards to how dirty the water gets. I only had a 1 degree tear and it wasn't dirty at all. My waters also broke in there. However afterwards the placenta fell out pretty much straight away and well yep it got very yuck then..

Also keep in mind, when pushing, sometimes you can have bowel movements and that'll make the water yuck too obviously.

Tearing usually will not have much of an effect on the water colour. In most cases when you tear there is not much bleeding. However if when you tear you damage a vein or an artery then there can be quite a bit of blood. How murky the water gets depends upon a few things including if you pee or poo, if your newborn poos, if your waters break when in the pool, how much bleeding you have after your baby is born. I usually carry a small scoop so that if mum does poo I can quickly scoop it up and dispose of it without too much trouble, and hopefully without mum seeing it. (saves embarrassment)

I have clear pictures of bub making her exit underwater so I know the water was clear then (I didn't poop during labour/birth) but then remember noticing the water pretty murky after DH cut the cord. I didn't tear, but bub had pooped in transit, and I didn't birth the placenta until out of the bath. So I guess it must have been bleeding after the birth like Alan said, that made it murky. Hadn't really thought about that part of it until this thread!

I have always wondered how you would empty the pool at home, if you syphon it out, you have to suck on the hose? lol, sorry but that just doesnt appeal lol

You do not need to suck on the hose:o but you could if you want to.:redface:
Connect the hose to a water tap. Ensure other end of hose is in the pool. Turn on tap. When water is flowing into pool pull hose off tap. The water will start to flow in the reverse direction and empty pool. Another way is to put most of the hose in the pool and ensure that the hose fills with water. Take one end of the hose and while it is still under the water kink it to prevent air entering then take it outside. Lay it on the floor, let it go and the water will flow from the pool.
For the above methods to work the garden needs to be lower than the floor of the pool.

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You do not need to suck on the hose:o but you could if you want to.:redface:
Connect the hose to a water tap. Ensure other end of hose is in the pool. Turn on tap. When water is flowing into pool pull hose off tap. The water will start to flow in the reverse direction and empty pool. Another way is to put most of the hose in the pool and ensure that the hose fills with water. Take one end of the hose and while it is still under the water kink it to prevent air entering then take it outside. Lay it on the floor, let it go and the water will flow from the pool.
For the above methods to work the garden needs to be lower than the floor of the pool.

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lol, thanks for explaining

I delivered in my own bath at home, and the water was pretty much fine, until I delivered the placenta - then it got pretty murky! But since it was just the bath, we pulled the plug, and rinsed it out while I had a shower and DH snuggled with our new little girl. :) (Wow, just writing that makes me look forward to meeting this new little person.....) Then the midwives refilled the tub and I had an herbal bath to help heal the "scrapes" I got (nothing that needed stitching) and nursed DD in there with me. By the way, you are less likely to tear in a water birth.
All the best!

Aah ok, my waters had already broken before I hopped in, and I birthed the placenta afterwards on the bed. No time to pee or poo for me as it all happened in a couple of minutes. Lol, so if you want cleanish water, don't waste any time!

I am going to an information session on Waterbirth on Tuesday 4th May, you may be interested also so that you can get any questions answered and have a chat to some people.

It is run by Midwives naturally in Melbourne, check out their website.

To me, a waterbirth sounds fantastic!

Again this thread has answered some more of my questions too :D I was awake in the middle of the night after dreaming about my waters breaking and not knowing if they had broken in the bath. But I guess that you do know when they break regardless of being in the bath, I'm presuming you will still feel a big gush of water or the bath water will change colour.

We had a large-diameter hose and emptied into the garden - took next to no time with the size hose we had!
We also used drop sheets from the hardware store for underneath the pool, as well as some towels around (that never got wet). I was very still in the water, but DS was getting in and out ;) He didn't even mind the vernix for his last dip!
Waterbirth is far too easy peasy so if you have the inclination, just hire one :)

We live on the top floor of our unit block and the water was pumped out over the balcony, into the down pipe that leads onto the garden :) A proper birth pool will come with the equiptment.

I lost a LOT of blood, but being in "dirty" water didnt really worry me :)

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I am going to an information session on Waterbirth on Tuesday 4th May, you may be interested also so that you can get any questions answered and have a chat to some people.

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ooohhh we might see you there! we were at the last one too. just hoping that we can get someone to watch DD for us while we go...