BirthPools

HIRE COST: A £50 deposit is required with the booking form. A refund is issued when the equipment has been returned and checked. Your pool is only booked when we have received cleared funds. You can pay by cheque, payable to Eau Baby! or if you would like to pay by debit/credit card or via Bank Transfer, please contact us.

The cost of the hire is £195, which includes your personal disposable liner. The balance of £195 is due fourteen days before the hire commencement. If it is less than fourteen days before the pool is needed, payment of £195 + £50 deposit = £245 is required.

HIRE PERIOD: The hire period is five weeks (usually three weeks before and two weeks after your due date). If you have additional requirements, please ask. For further information see FAQ's

COLLECTION OR DELIVERY: The equipment fits into any family car, and can be collected from us free of charge, with the additional bonus of having a full demonstration, and the chance to ask any last minute questions.

It may be possible for us to deliver the pool personally. Please contact us for further details and costs.

A courier service can also be used, please contact us for further details and costs.

REFUNDS: The deposit is non refundable in the event of cancellation. It reserves the pool for you, which means we cannot hire the pool out to anyone else.

Refund of rental cost will not be issued for circumstances beyond our control, i.e. complications of pregnancy, birth went too quickly, midwife or doctor advised against use of pool.

There will be no reduction of rental cost if the pool is used and sent back within a short amount of time.

If the disposable pool liner is not used, and returned to us still sealed, we will send a refund cheque for £25.

RESPONSIBILITIES: Eau Baby! cannot be held responsible for complications, both maternal and infant, including mortality, morbidity, or injury or physical property damage in connection with the use of said Birth Pool Kit before, during and/or after labour and birth. You must notify us immediately of any potential problems.

You are responsible for replacement costs for any part or equipment, which is directly damaged by misuse or negligent handling whilst in your possession.

If for any reason, part of the Birth Pool Kit is not working properly, it will be replaced ASAP at no extra charge. Therefore, we recommend that you inspect the contents of the Birth Pool Kit upon receipt. A trial run is recommended before the actual use.

TO BOOK A POOL: Please contact us, including you name, address, email address, and due date.

A water birth pool can help to make your labour shorter, easier and more comfortable.

It increases your sense of privacy and helps to make your baby's entry to the world gentle and free from trauma.

During your labour relaxing in a deep pool of warm water can be a wonderful aid. It's worth hiring a pool for this reason alone.

Using a birth pool can help you to effectively manage pain in labour and considerably reduce your need for medical pain relief. Authoritative trials have shown that fewer epidurals are needed when women use a water birth pool.

You’re supported by the buoyancy of the water. You can relax easily and more deeply. This helps you to cope with contractions and rest more comfortably in between them. By saving energy you're less likely to become tired or exhausted.

It's easier for you to use upright or squatting positions in

water than it is on land. You can move freely from one

position to another as you explore what works best for you.

You’re likely to have an increased feeling of privacy and

security in the pool.

If you enter the pool at the right time (5-6cm's dilation) you can expect a short term boost in the secretion of the hormone oxytocin. This will stimulate strong contractions.

The 'oxytocin wave’ when you enter the pool in strong labour lasts for approximately two hours. You are likely to dilate rapidly during this time.

There is no doubt that water can sometimes offer a safe alternative to the use of technology.

A water pool can be the factor which helps you to overcome your inhibitions and prevents the need for intervention. However, sometimes water is insufficient and other help may be needed.

Water introduces a powerful new dimension and additional medium to help you experience your labour and birth fully.

It encourages deep relaxation and the meditative and emotional aspects of giving birth are enhanced.

However, it is your desire and ability to accept reality and to flow with whatever happens during your labour that is crucial.

After your birth, as you learn to love and cherish the blessing of your new baby, you will then be able to look back at what happened with feelings of acceptance and gratitude, whatever occurs on the day.

My waters broke at 5 a.m which dispelled any doubt that I was in labour. I'd woken twice the previous night with Braxton Hicks wondering if this was it. Now it definitely was. Contractions were about 5 minutes apart, so we thought things might progress very quickly. The midwife explained later that when the waters break they cause a surge of oxytocin to be released, which increases the contractions.

We started to fill the birth pool and phoned the out of hours response team. The receptionist seemed awfully excited when we said we were booked for a home birth. She told us a midwife would call us back shortly, which she did, to tell us she was on her way. There seemed a lot to do - pool to be filled, crumpets to be eaten, raspberry leaf tea to drink, making phone calls and toast, interspersed with contractions.

Elaine, our midwife, arrived at 6.30am, in the fog at minus 3 degrees. She'd had to scrape ice off her car. At this point I could still chat through my contractions, which were about every 5 minutes, but not particularly strong or regular. I'd refused an internal examination initially, but as we wanted to go for a walk in the park, I agreed so the midwife could tell how well I was progressing. It was 7.30 am and I was 2cm dilated and fully effaced. Elaine said this was really good, and she could feel the head in a good position too. She offered to release some more amniotic fluid to help the contractions which I agreed to.

By 8.00am the contractions were getting stronger. I started rocking through them and concentrating on my breathing. But this made me feel like I was going to pass out after each contraction. So, I tried the TENS machine, and I don't know if it helped, but it did give me something to focus on as each contraction came. As my birth seemed to be picking up rather quickly, the midwife ordered the Entonox and Oxygen from the hospital, which arrived by taxi soon after. By now, I was pretty focused inwardly, and wasn't really aware of what was happening outside of my body. I was vaguely aware that things were being done elsewhere in the room, but didn't feel part of any of it.

By 9.30 am I was "4cm dilated and doing well", so the midwife advised I could get into the pool whenever I wanted to. By now the contractions seemed very close together and very strong. I was on all fours leaning onto a beanbag to get through each one. It felt like I was falling asleep in between them.

I got into the Birth Pool just after 10 am, and suddenly felt much more relaxed and in control. I didn't feel like sleeping at the end of each contraction; I felt like I could cope with each one much better.

Jean, the second midwife, suggested I try the Entonox, which I did when the next contraction came. When it was over I sunk down with my chin on the side of the pool, smiling. Jonnie asked "Are you smiling because of the gas and air, or because that contraction's over?" "She's on the merry-go-round." answered Jean, as I hung over the side of the bath clinging to the Entonox with one hand, Jonnie's hand with the other, smiling! After that I didn't move from the side of the Pool much. Between contractions, I squatted or knelt, always close enough to grab the Entonox and Jonnie's hand as soon as a contraction started.

At about 11 am I felt like I was getting close. Suddenly I shook my head. I felt panicky and really couldn't envisage how the baby was going to come out. After drinking 2 glasses of water with Bach's Flower Rescue Remedy, I felt that I was coping better again.

At 11.30am I knew I was getting close - I could feel the baby's head starting to press down, and could feel it with my fingers. The midwife's didn't believe I was that close, as I was coping so well, and they had predicted a 4pm birth, so they were very surprised when they examined me at 11.45 and they could see the head. I could feel the change in contractions from pushing down to pushing out, and the strange mixture of them during transition. Jonnie was keeping me focused on breathing, (not pushing). "Breathe the baby out" as we had been taught at Active Birth classes.

As the head was crowning I felt the force of the water was holding the baby in, and knew I had to move forwards or backwards to get the baby out. The midwives asked if I wanted me or them to bring the baby to the surface. I said I did, although it was really hard to make any kind of decision or to communicate at this point.

So, I dropped to all fours and felt him starting to come out, but then I realised that he'd be born behind me so I quickly flipped over onto my back, which was fairly easy as the water took most of my weight.

Felix Oscar Xavier Daly was born 7lb 15 oz at 11.57 am on 1st February 2001 into the birth pool, to the sound of Orbital in the dim light of fairy lights with heavy curtains blocking out the daylight. I brought him to the surface and he started breathing almost immediately, and gave a few little cries. I held him close.

We spent about 10 minutes in the Pool, holding him to my breast, and letting the water gently wash over over his head and body, gently massaging him and welcoming him to the world.

Wednesday 8th June 2005

At last!!! Started having mild contractions about 3am. Finally woke Si up at about 6.15am to put the TENS machine on for me. Deb, the midwife, came round at about 8.30. Contractions were about 6 - 8 minutes apart and she confirmed I was 2cm dilated. What a relief!!

Unfortunately, this relief was shortlived as I spent the whole day in what I naively thought was pain (ha ha!!) only to be told when Deb came back at about 3.30pm that nothing had changed and I was still only at 2cm. I felt so dispondent so we did what any normal people would do - went to the pub!! Luckily, it was Si's day off anyway so he'd been busily preparing the house and filling the pool etc., but it now looked as though nothing was going to happen until the next morning. So, we had a walk up to the village, had a white wine and soda in the garden and then came home to try and have a little sleep while Si prepared dinner. He called me down just after 7 - I remember hearing the Emmerdale theme music and thinking "Well, at least Emmerdale and Corrie will take my mind off things".

In the event, I managed 2 mouthfuls of food and then was suddenly hit by a wave of contractions which took my comprehension of pain into a new dimension!! Looking back, a really rather comical scene ensued. I was kneeling on all fours on the kitchen floor, being sick into the washing up bowl and mooing and groaning in a most undignified manner while Si was simultaneously on the phone to the midwife, trying to eat his own dinner, rubbing my back and making sympathetic noises and trying desperately to refill the birthing pool that the midwives had told him to empty an hour earlier when we had all believed nothing would happen until the following day!!! And they say men can't multitask!!!

Karen, the first midwife on call, turned up at about 8.30 and confirmed that I was 4 - 5 cm and could enter the pool as soon as it was full enough. I remember thinking how incredibly stupid and naive I had been to even consider a home waterbirth. I had just had absolutely no idea how much this was going to hurt!!!! I actually believed what my hypnotherapy CD had taught me - that I could simply turn down my "comfort dial" to a more manageable level. Yeah right!! All I wanted was for Karen to confirm that I wasn't coping and pack me off to hospital for a lovely caesarean - that really was all I wanted her to say. Of course, things didn't quite turn out like that and I'm now so glad we'd made the plans we did.

At 8.55pm, the pool was finally ready and I got in - sadly, it didn't offer the instant relief I thought it would but, in hindsight, I think that's because everything was happening so damned fast!!! Jackie and the student midwife, Irene, turned up with the Entenox (gas and air) at about 9.20. I'd previously thought I'd prefer not to use the gas and air as it might affect my clear-headedness - but I wasn't quite so sanctimonious when it was offered to me!!! It really did help but it was only another 10 minutes before I suddenly got a desperate urge to push.

Debbie, our community midwife who has been looking after us antenatally, then turned up. She'd never seen a waterbirth and had very much wanted to be with us for this one, so Karen had called her once it became clear that the birth was imminent and we now had quite a crowd in the dining room!!

I remember listening to Karen and Jackie's instructions and doing everything they said because I figured either the birth or my own death would come quicker that way!!!!

Luckily, it was the former. The one overwhelming memory I have of pushing our baby out was hearing the excitement in Si's voice. I had no idea what was happening or how much of the baby, if any, had emerged, but even though Si was only saying things like "That's it Deb, you're doing really well", I could just tell by the emotion in his voice that he could see something amazing.

And so, finally, at 11.17pm, Karen said those wonderful words "Deb, reach down and lift your baby out of the water". I did so in a daze and brought him onto my chest. We just lay there in the water looking at each other. He was perfect. I had been so worried for so long - I'm sure everybody must be - that there might be something terribly wrong with him, but here was this perfect little baby that Si and I had longed for and he was OK - a bit of a grey-blue colour but OK. We lay there for 5 or 10 minutes, waiting for his cord to stop pulsating, and finally Deb asked whether anybody had seen whether he was a boy or a girl!! It just hadn't seemed important - he was alive and apparently healthy and that had been all I cared about. Deb lifted him up briefly and announced that we had a beautiful baby boy. We had already decided on the names David James and he was born weighing in at a not unmanageable 7lb 9oz.

Simon cut the cord and took him off for a cuddle while we waited for the placenta. We then went and sat down in the lounge and had tea and toast while the midwives filled in their paperwork. It was so wonderful being at home. Jackie and Irene took me off for a bath and hairwash while Karen tidied up and Si looked after DJ. They all finally left at about 1.30am - Irene and Debbie both later told us that they'd been unable to sleep that night as it had all been such a moving experience!!

The best part for me was being in our own bed together - the three of us - with no interference and no-one telling Simon he had to go and leave us. DJ stirred at about 3am and Si just spent the whole night with him in his arms staring at him - it was very surreal but truly wonderful. I will always treasure the memory of that night and be eternally grateful that we had received so much support and fantastic care which had enabled us to be at home where we belonged.