Pools in Hospitals and Birthing Units

Are the pool/s in your secondary/tertiary birthing units used well? It always saddens us to hear that fabulous new pools have been installed at great cost but are then not really used because they are too hard, too slippery, too deep, too inaccessible, too hard to clean, not enough of them... and so on. Or equally frustrating is when huge time and money is spent on developing proposals for elaborate facilities.

Some of you are really lucky to have amazing options set up. Sharing this info would be fabulous.

If you would be interested in discussing options of having our pools on hand to be used in your units please let us know. We are happy to help in whatever way we can – with protocol, terms and conditions, down to the physical adaptation of tap fittings, non-slip surfacing, in-service training, etc. We believe this could be a great way forward, relieving many issues such as:

hygiene concerns- eliminating cross-contamination as women would take their pool home with them;
cost of establishing built in pools – our pools can be stored 10 at a time in a cupboard and we can restock as required, also reducing any unnecessary upfront costs;
cost of not having a pool option at all – what then? (goes without saying right!);
comfort – padded floor and sides means supporting women is much easier for all, entry and exit is easier and possible positioning options are greater for women. See through sides also make it great for monitoring any serious blood loss. Due to all the padding, heat retention is amazing also – typically losing 4 degrees over 12 hours;
maintenance – as long as filling and emptying equipment are packed away clean and dry – there is practically no maintenance;
flexibility – if we also arranged to have a compressor available for fast inflation, a decision can be made quickly to use a pool if necessary – taking only 10mins to fully inflate. It is of course also possible to begin filling while inflation is still in progress, as the three air chambers making up the side walls are separate.

We would invite any further communication on regarding this. We would consider providing a complete set up package for your unit if this would help make things , effective, safe and manageable.. This may involve some or all of the following: staff inservice training; assessment of current room set up and ensuring the best product fit is achieved; assisting with writing of terms and conditions and protocol for using water and the pools, specific to your facility ; implementing an audit system; and maintaining ongoing support and contact as required.