39 Weeks – Setting Up an Aquaborn Birth Pool

get the deluxe kit!

Buy the Aquaborn Birth Pool

I am so grateful that for this upcoming birth I have an Aquaborn birth pool and the accompanying deluxe kit from Waterbirth Solutions. I am on a few pregnancy forums and have seen women struggle with piecing together their birth pool from Amazon, Lowes, boating stores, etc.

It’s Worth It

I get that they’re trying to save money, but honestly, I don’t think the time spent is worth it! Not to mention the fact that their piecemeal might not even work for them when the time comes!

Test Run

At 38 weeks my husband, three year old, and I decided to set up our birth pool to familiarize ourselves with the process so that when the birth comes nobody has to learn how to set up a birth pool, it can just be done quickly. I highly recommend setting up the Aquaborn birth pool BEFORE birth to familiarize yourself with the process, but also to air out the pool and get rid of that fresh plastic-y smell. Also, that dang air pump is SO LOUD. Anything you can do to shorten the duration of an air pump during labor will be kind to a laboring mama. Boy, I’m glad we did a test run!

Birth Pool Instructions

Waterbirth Solutions birth pools come with a CD-ROM of instructions on how to set up the birth pool bought, and also tips and tricks to make it a more successful venture. I felt like we had a birth pool expert in our living room while we were figuring things out. Tips like – to avoid popping the pool, don’t overfill the pool with air because when you fill it with water the pool will become even more firm than when you blew it up… or, once you fill the pool with water the ground will feel very hard so adding a blanket under the pool will give you more cushion. Genius!

Deluxe Kit

We decided to get the deluxe kit to avoid the trips to Lowes or Amazon.com to find the pieces we still needed. I am glad we did because you can tell someone did their research when deciding what would be best for a birth pool. Here’s what’s in the deluxe kit.

• Faucet Adapter –  Um, yes, you need to get water IN the pool in order to use it. An adapter is critical!
• Electric Air Pump – Thank goodness for this! Birth pool goes up in a matter of minutes.
• Floating Thermometer – Definitely necessary. At my last birth I had to get out of the water because it was too hot! This time, I’ll know for sure.
• Non-toxic, Lead free hose – 25′ – Many garden hoses contain lead and other toxic chemicals! Who knew.
• Long-Handled Debris Net – Use this extra-long handled net for keeping the pool free of debris. This is also very handy for clean-up. Good times.
• Electric Drain Pump – Ever wonder how to empty a used birth pool?
• Disposable Hand-held Mirror – This is just a handy thing to have in life, really.
• One Pair Shoulder Length Gloves – I doubt these will get used. I could be wrong!

Birth Pool Review

Here’s what I thought about the birth pool AFTER my daughter was born!

All the goodies.

Trying out the “debris net”

Plugged our ears… the air pump was LOUD!

Ta da! We put the pool on an upside down tablecloth.