Water birth

Hey girls, I have no experience with a water birth. I really wanted to do it with my first baby though. At the same time, I wasn't really brave enough to give birth at home, but our hospital had a bath so it was still an option. When I was in the thick of the contractions, I climbed into the bath at home anyway. I barely got out again so renting the right equipment is really necessary despite the price!

In the end, I didn't find sitting in the bath successful because it didn't feel calming or relaxing at all. That wasn't because of the bath itself, but because I got stuck in a contraction storm I couldn't get out of (and no dilation), so I had to go to the hospital for an epidural.

I'm not telling you this to discourage you, quite the opposite! I mean, do what feels right and comfortable for you. Despite the price... do you really want to use the bath? Then rent the equipment. And in the worst case, you still have to go to the hospital and you've lost the rental money. But what does it matter if your baby is born healthy anyway, right? I think if I had had normal dilation, without that contraction storm, I could have enjoyed the water much more.

I'd start by checking Marktplaats; I believe you can get it much cheaper that way. I quickly looked at the Waterooievaar website, but those prices.....

I found having a bath during labor absolutely terrible. I only had back labor, which I could only manage while standing. So I was in the bath for just 2 minutes and got out immediately. (Standard bathtub)

Personally, I wouldn't take the risk (with such high amounts), especially with a first baby. First labors often end up in the hospital. I'd rather check if hospitals or maternity hotels nearby have birth pools and give birth there. Just in case the labor becomes medical or you want to go to the hospital for pain relief and you already have the rental pool at home. Then you've nicely wasted your money.. Anonymous above is right - as long as your baby comes into the world healthy, that rental fee could be stolen from you.. But still hahaha.

I really wanted to have a bath, but I had to be induced due to pregnancy-induced hypertension. So it wasn't allowed anymore.

I'm also really curious to hear about your experiences.

I bought a regular Birth Pool in a Box from Oerbron. If I don't use the bath for some reason during labor, I can always use it later. With renting, you just lose your money. I'm now 38 weeks pregnant and really curious when our little one will show up. That's when I can share my experience. But I'm already enthusiastic. I set up the bath two weeks ago as a test, and it was so nice. I've had severe pelvic instability for a long time, and it was such a relief to be able to move freely and pain-free in the bath.