Mamas, I need your help. I don't post here often but I have come to count on Amity mama for information, support and just to be among "others like me". I have a great group of friends IRL too but sometimes you need more opinions, ya know?

Any waterbirthers, doulas, midwives, past, present or future -please answer these questions if you can take a minute.

A bit of background: Feel free to skip, as I can be long-winded. I am trying to put myself through graduate school. My goal is to obtain a Masters (possibly a PhD too, but let's take it one step at a time :)) in Health and Wellness with a focus on Breastfeeding and Human Lactation from Union Institute and University. I already have a business - 9 Months & Beyond, LLC. I am involved in the local birth community. I don't have the time or desire to teach my Happiest Baby class right now, I can't do doula work or rent pumps now either. My business partner wants out - she has too much going on and is business with her dh making plenty. She rents birth tubs, Aquadoula. I haven't had anything to do with the tubs. I can take over her two and possibly buy one more from my midwife who doesn't want to fool with replacing the liner. I wouldn't have much start up cost.

Questions:
1. What is most important to you in renting a tub?
Cost? Type of tub? Getting it locally? A referal from your midwife? Generous policy on when to return? Ease of set-up? size?

2. Are you and others you know now going for the kiddie pools due to cost? What about concerns about keeping the tub warm? Having to refill? Pool getting punctured? Not being big enough?

3.If price is a big issue: most Aquadoula tubs rent for $250 plus shipping. Is that too much? What would make the difference? Free shipping? Extras added in? Covering shipping one way?

4. Any other ideas for me?

Thanks,
Micky
feel free to emal me privately if you rather micky@core29.com

Mamamickey both of my babies were homebirths and with both I used a pool.
With my first (DS. now nearly 3) I had a rented birthpool (the kind with a pipe frame and a liner) but I didn't really use it. The pool was set up but I just couldnt get comfy in it. The edges felt hard and the sides were to floppy to brace myself on.
With DD's birth I tried a pool again but this time I bought a blow up pool from a chainstore and used that. It cost about the same as renting a pool ($50) but it was awesome. The pool was quite deep and had very thick sides - sort of shaped like a crown bottlecap. I could sit or lean on the sides or sit in the water and brace against the side. Most of my labouring was in the pool leaning against the side and with DH opposite to brace against.
I cannot recommend this pool enough. The midwife was very impressed with it. The only drawback was having to blow it up and store it before the birth. Sadly DS punctured it while having a paddle some time later (yup we kept it to use as a paddling pool) but we will be buying another for our next birth. PM me if you need more info.

I, too, used a wading pool. It was about 2.5 feet tall, with an inflatable bottom and sides. We bought it new for around $40, kept it in its box til it was time to set it up and inflated it with an air compressor.
Didnt have the money to rent a birthing tub, nor do I even know of any place close to me that rents them!

Having a padded bottom pool was really a great relief of pressure on my tailbone. If you are going to base your decison on the amount of replies here, maybe you could buy the pools wholesale and sell them? I would prefer that over a rented birthing tub, due to the whole germ factor....


Hope that helps!

I agree with the wholesale idea.

There's no way I could afford $250 to rent a birth tub. I am planning on finding a cheap one somehow.

I gave birth at home, and I also used a wading pool. I left it uninflated until I needed it, and used an air compressor when it was time. We ran warm water from the sink into it through a new water hose. A wading pool is large enough to retain heat for quite some time, especially if your home is a reasonably warm temperature. If heat retention is still a worry, you can fill it with water slightly warmer than will be needed and cover it with a cheap shower curtain. I can't imagine spending even $100 on a birthing pool.

I used an Aquadoula w/ my youngest's birth. Our midwife actually rents her own, she has 2, for $150. She lent us hers for free (she gave us a bunch of discounts b/c dh is a grad student and we're poor. She called it the "student discount." lol)

If she hadn't had them available, I probably would have gone w/out a pool. I was counting on his being a super fast L&D like my older 2, but he actually ended up being my longest labor, at 8 hours, and I was very thankful I had the pool.

If it had been over $150, we wouldn't even have considered it. I think $250 is ridiculous, personally. Sorry. I mean, you can buy an Aquadoula for $1000. The rental rate seems a bit high to me. Now, if you were renting them locally and the $250 included help w/ initial set-up and filling and directions on how to empty and refill, then I think $250 would be reasonable. I guess my dh had no problems w/ it, but it seemed daunting to me.

If I ever have another baby (not likely!) I will definitely get another Aquadoula again. I don't like the idea of a regular pool b/c the water would get cold, and I can't stand being in cold water. And I will probably pay the $250 if that's all I can find. But I wouldn't be happy about it. ;)

I rented an Aquadoula for my last two births. It was totally worth it. I loved it! I wanted to make sure I had temp control and it was really roomy. I can't remember exactly what we paid to rent but we did rent the first one from the company and paid the higher price, like $250 or so. It was very easy though...they just delivered it to your house via UPS and then you pack it up and call UPS to pick it up when you are done. The second time, a local childbirth educator I knew had one that she rented out. Again, I can't remember exactly what the price was, but I think it was around $150.