How to choose a birth pool

Whether you’re wanting to hire or purchase a suitable birth pool for your own upcoming birth or wanting to provide the best possible birth pool options for your birthing clients, there are a lot of considerations when it comes to choosing a birth pool!

Birth pools available in Australia

More and more different brands of birth pools are available these days in Australia – which is both a good and a bad thing. When looking at the different brands on the market, it’s really important to look at how long different models of birth pools have been in use, testimonials from birthing women AND midwives, and evidence on the durability and suitability of birth pools for different settings.

There are some newer models and brands of birth pools available nowadays – they may turn out to be great, but it’s worth being aware that some of the newer options on the market are not as tried and tested as ones that have been around for decades. We recommend browsing the websites of the brands that you’re interested in and making sure to read testimonials from birth women, doulas, and midwives.

The appearance of birth pools

How important are aesthetics to you? Is there more to appearance than aesthetics?

While most birth pools come in different shades of blues, there are other options as well. A lot of colour and aesthetics does come down to personal preference – but there are some worthwhile questions to ask here, too. Do you find certain colours more soothing than others? If photography is a big part of your birth, how does the colour of the birth pool impact the aesthetic you are hoping to have captured?

It’s also important to remember in terms of colour and aesthetics, that after birth the pool will be bloodied (a normal part of birth!) – so if appearance matters hugely, consider what the pool will look like when the pool is red with blood.

Finally, there are also very practical implications when it comes to the colour or a birth pool. Very likely, it will be important for you and/or your birth support team to be able to see what’s going on during labour and birth. This is why, for example, the Birth Pool in a Box pools have a white floor – this was specifically requested by midwives to enhance visibility and hence their ability to support birthing women.

Sizes of birth pools for home, birth centres and hospitals

Birth pools range in their sizes – this includes how much space they take up when stored and setup, as well as how much space they internally have when set up. All birth pool models will have various measurements on their websites.

When figuring out what size birth pool you need, also keep in mind that the birth pool needs to be set up in a space where it’s safely and easily accessible for both the birthing woman and the support team. For instance, a large birth pool in the corner of a room may not be suitable, because it would be difficult for the birth support team to do observe and do what they need to do.

You might also want to consider whether the birth pool is for the birthing woman only, or if you want the option of a partner and/or siblings being in the birth pool, too. And quite obviously yet importantly – bigger pools require more water! If saving water is important for you, you may opt for a smaller birth pool.

Which birth pool features are important?

Some birth pools have built-in or optional add-on features. Most importantly, we recommend looking at features that are aimed at the safety and comfort of the birthing woman.

For example, handles are helpful for safe entry/exit from a birth pool as well as for a birthing woman to grip and hold onto during intense contractions or whilst pushing. Birth pool liners are essential for hired and shared pools for hygiene reasons. And many birthing women appreciate having a built-in seat in a birth pool to facilitate resting more comfortably and getting into different positions for labouring and birthing.

Birth Pool in a Box birth pools in Australia

We primarily stock Birth Pool in a Box birth pools and accessories because our decades of experience renting and selling birth pools makes it clear that these birth pools meet all of these criteria. They come in two sizes, they are tried and tested and loved by birthing women and midwives alike, and they have all the key built-in features.

Our hired Birth Pool in a Box pools come as part of a complete birth pool kit, including all necessary accessories as well as support from us.

You can read more about the specifications and features of our pools in our products section or on the Birth Pool in a Box website.

Check out the features of the Birth Pool In A Box specs here.