Water Birth Solutions Aquaborn Birth Pool Review

I wanted to have a waterbirth for my son's birth, but I guess it wasn't in the cards. THIS time around, I was determined to make it happen.

Where to Buy

To find a birth pool I googled Barbara Harper, the waterbirth genius of the planet and author of Gentle Birth Choices (which was my gateway drug to natural childbirth). I figured if anybody knew where to find a birth pool, Barbara would. Barbara didn't let me down and led me to Waterbirth Solutions, which is where I got my birth pool.

I decided to get the Aquaborn Eco Birth Pool which came with a lid, liner and the deluxe kit. I highly recommend getting the deluxe kit... you won't be sorry you got it. Actually, I'm not sure what people are thinking when they DON'T get the deluxe kit.

Buy the Deluxe Kit

Anyways, this deluxe kit contains a faucet adapter (you NEED this in order to hook up a hose to your sink), electric air pump (so you don't hyperventilate), floating thermometer (too hot of water is bad for mama and baby), non-toxic lead free hose - 25' (let's not welcome our babies into leaded water, shall we?), long-handled debris net (this was a source of giggles at my birth), electric drain pump (you NEED this to get the water out of the pool), disposable hand-held mirror (if you want to go there), and one pair shoulder length gloves (for the cautious midwife).

Do a Trial Run

My birth pool arrived when I was 36 weeks along and I was very anxious to set it up. At 37 weeks my husband and I set up the pool. You can read about that here.

For the next 2.5 weeks I managed to keep our three year old out of the pool 😉 and a day before my due date my baby girl was born.

Thoughts About the Aquaborn

Post birth, here are my thoughts about birth pools and Waterbirth Solutions.

• Waterbirth Solutions has excellent customer service. They really care about birth, and meeting the needs of mamas and babies.
• Spend the money on a birth pool and don't just get a kiddy pool.
• The Aquaborn pool was really big and deep. I could have easily fit another person in that pool with me.
• The Aquaborn pool was really sturdy. I never felt like I had to be gentle with the pool. There are handles in the perfect spot just for mom to pull on.
• You're going to need a lot of towels. That is, if you get in and out of the tub as much as I did.
• A stool to help mama get in and out will be necessary... especially after the birth. I am 5' 8" and long legged, so I didn't have a problem while I was in labor but if you're having problems moving around or are shorter you'll need a stool for the whole experience.
• You'll likely have to reheat the water in the pool at some point. My birth helpers took water out via buckets (or something like that... I wasn't paying attention) and we filled it back up with the hose. No big deal.

I Loved It!

Overall, I am extremely happy with my birth, birth pool and how things played out. I planned ahead with the birth pool - had everything I needed ahead of time, set it up WAY before the birth, and even had a trial run before I went into labor.

The quality of the birth pool  was fantastic - you could tell that the pool was made for laboring mamas in mind. Heck, there are even pockets on the outside of the pool to hold stuff like a drink or equipment.

Prior to the birth someone from Waterbirth Solutions contacted me because they thought that I was having a problem (I wasn't). They have been really sweet and very helpful while I have been working with them, and if I ever have anybody ask me about birth pools in the future I know where to refer them.

I haven't received all my photos from my lovely birth photographer yet, but here are a few just to tease you. Thank you Christy Baldwin!