How do I prepare the birth pool for a home water birth?

Portable birthing pools can be hired for home water births, in which case your partner needs to be very willing and actively involved with the responsibilities of assembling, filling, re-filling, emptying, drying and disassembling.

It is ideal to maintain a 21–22°C air temperature in the room; the pool-water temperature needs to be maintained at 35–37°C (specific to the labouring woman’s desires); and the water depth needs to sufficiently cover her lower torso while kneeling, to allow heat to expire through her supported upper torso as she leans on the edge of the bath. A ‘practice run’ of filling and emptying the pool before birth is recommended.