What Type of Pool is Right For you?

Choosing a Birthing Pool: Hiring or Buying
Choosing a Birthing Pool: Things to Consider
Compare birth pool in a box Sizes

At The Good Birth Company, we benefit from first hand experience as most of us have had a water birth. We understand that no one pool reflects everyone's needs but please read on to learn about the different features of the rigid hire pools and the inflatable consumer-owned pools.

Choosing a Birthing Pool: Hiring or Buying?

The choice of whether you hire a birthing pool or buy one of our inflatable birth pool in a box pools depends on a number of factors.

• Our partner Samantha Jayne Birthing Pools for hire has been selected for how easy the birth pools are to set up when labour begins. Both the hexagonal and oval birthing pools can be used prior to labour for relaxation and are usually topped up just like a bath would be. Hiring a pool costs between £165 and £200 for a 4 to 5 week period. Your hired pool comes as standard with a comprehensive water birthing kit.
• Both birth pool in a box Eco Regular and Mini have been designed as a result of a long consultation process with mothers and midwives with experience of water birth. Their patented characteristics make it an ideal portable solution in case you want to have a back-up if you are having your water birth in hospital, or, some say, a less "medical" alternative to the rigid pools for hire.

Choosing a Birthing Pool: Things to Consider

We believe that your choice of pool or service should be based on what feels right for you, not worries about suitability. However, here are some simple guidelines to help you:

• Your height: if you are taller than 5'8" (or 1.72m), we recommend that you choose the Regular rather than the Mini birth pool in a box .
• Space: which pool you choose will depend on how much available space you have. The pool that takes up the least space is the hexagonal birthing pool for hire.
• Weight of the pool: birthing pools for hire are generally heavier when filled with water than inflatable birthing pools (by as much as 320kg when comparing birth pool in a box Mini with the Oval Birthing Pool for hire.
• Involving your Partner: if you would like your partner to be able to enter the pool during labour or after the birth, you might find that the Oval Pool is your best solution, although both the hexagonal and the birth pool in a box Regular do have a limited amount of space to allow for your partner.
• Your Comfort: both the birthing pools for hire and our birth pool in a box are designed to allow you to move as freely as possible during labour. The rigid birthing pools have rims that are thinner allowing you to grab onto them, while birth pool in a box has external handles. Which you choose is a matter of taste.
• Punctures: While birth pool in a box are made of strong 0.38cm thick pvc, if your floor is uneven or can easily chip (wooden floors for example) we recommend that you cover it before using an inflatable pool otherwise you might feel more comfortable with hiring a rigid pool.

Compare birth pool in a box Sizes

The table below summarises the features of birth pool in a box pools side by side. If you are still unsure about which pool is best for you, please do not hesitate to contact us.

Pool Type	Inflatable Pools to Buy
For more information	birth pool in a box
External max dimensions	76 x 65" 193 x 165cm	65 x 57" 165 x 145cm
Internal max dimensions	56 x 45" 142 x 114cm	45 x 37" 114 x 94cm
Internal depth	26" (66cm)	26" (66cm)
Rim width	10" (25cm)	10" (25cm)
Built-in seat	Yes On Eco models	No
Disposable liner	One included Additional ones £25	One included Additional ones £25
Water birth Kit	Optional	Optional
Water emptying pump	Optional	Optional
Max height of mother	6'0" (182cm)	5'8" (172cm)
Room for partner	Yes	No
Weight when filled	650kg plus mother	480kg plus mother
Cancellation policy	Conditional 100% Refund Policy less £5 restocking fee	Conditional 100% Refund Policy less £5 restocking fee
Price	£89.95	£84.95
Shipping Cost	Shipping from £9.95
	Buy	Buy