The Active Birth Pool is the original ergonomically designed water birth pool — a pioneering design first introduced in 1995 that helped redefine how water birth pools should support both mothers and midwives.
More than thirty years later, the principles behind the Active Birth Pool remain as relevant as ever.
Its generous proportions, organic form and wide supportive rim established many of the ergonomic features that have become hallmarks of Active Birth Pools today.
The design went on to receive recognition at the Building Better Healthcare Awards, whose judges praised the Active Birth Pool for its combination of intelligent design, superior materials and state-of-the-art manufacturing.
The Active Birth Pool is not simply part of the history of water birth pool design – it is the pool that helped shape it.
Designed for physiological labours and active births
The Active Birth Pool is a purpose-designed water birth pool shaped around the way women move in labour and the way midwives need to work.
The pool gives mothers the space, depth and support they need to move instinctively, change position and find the postures that feel most comfortable and effective during labour.
The organic internal shape supports upright, kneeling, seated, forward-leaning and resting positions without forcing the mother into one fixed posture.
The result is a calmer, more intuitive birth environment where the mother can use the water, the rim, the seats and the support surfaces naturally.
The Extra-Wide Bullnose Rim
Unique to Active Birth Pools, the extra-wide, wrap-around bullnose rim is one of the most recognisable and purposeful features of our water birth pools.
Rather than functioning simply as the upper edge of the pool, the rim has been designed as a continuous ergonomic support and transfer surface.
Its generous width, softly rounded profile and carefully considered proportions give mothers a comfortable place to hold, lean, brace and rest throughout labour.
From almost anywhere within the pool, the mother can reach the rim and use it to support natural movement and position changes.
She can lean forwards with her arms and shoulders resting on the broad surface, grip the rim during a contraction, turn from one position to another, rise from kneeling, lower herself into the water or prepare to leave the pool with greater confidence.
Support that surrounds the mother
Because the bullnose rim extends around the pool, support is not restricted to one designated area.
The mother can move freely and select the position that feels most comfortable without losing access to a broad, supportive surface.
Whether she is sitting, kneeling, turning, leaning forwards or rising, the rim remains within easy reach.
This continuous support helps preserve the freedom of movement that is central to labouring in water.
A practical working surface for midwives
The extra-wide bullnose rim also has considerable ergonomic value for midwives and birth partners.
Generous open space beneath the projecting rim allows a midwife to sit close to the mother with her legs comfortably positioned beneath the pool edge.
Her arms can rest naturally on the broad rim while she communicates with, observes and supports the mother.
It enables the midwife to remain physically close without having to lean repeatedly over a narrow rim and vertical pool wall.
The rim effectively becomes a comfortable working surface: wide enough to support the forearms, rounded enough to avoid pressure points and positioned to facilitate close, calm communication.
Designed to assist entry and exit
The bullnose rim also acts as a practical transfer point when the mother enters or leaves the pool.
Used with the Active Birth Pools Single Step Unit, it supports a simple and controlled movement sequence:
Step onto the unit. Sit on the wide rim. Swivel towards the water. Lower gently into the pool. For exit, the movement is reversed:
This method avoids requiring the mother to climb over a high pool wall or balance on a large multi-step platform in a wet clinical environment.
The broad rim gives both the mother and attending midwife a stable area around which the movement can be organised, helping to reduce awkward lifting, excessive reaching and avoidable manual-handling strain.
Mid-Level Labour Support Seat
The seat is tilted slightly forward to encourage upright postures and help the pelvis remain open during labour.
It gives the mother somewhere to rest between contractions while continuing to benefit from immersion.
A deep groove through the centre of the seat allows the sacrum to move more freely and helps avoid pressure against the birth canal.
The seat can be used in several ways. The mother may sit upright, turn towards it for support, lean forward over the rim or use it as a resting place while welcoming her baby.
This carefully considered shape distinguishes the Labour Support Seat from a conventional bath seat.
It has been designed around the physical needs of labour and birth rather than simply providing somewhere to sit.
Rim Level Safety Seat
The Safety Seat is a distinctive feature of the Active Birth Pool.
It provides an additional support platform close to the top of the pool and gives the maternity team practical options for monitoring and emergency evacuations.
The mother may use the seat when changing position, receiving care or preparing to leave the pool.
Its position also allows midwives monitor without requiring the mother to leave the water unnecessarily.
The Active Birth Pool is compatible with portable hoisting equipment, subject to the maternity unit’s own equipment, procedures, risk assessment and room planning.
The combination of the Safety Seat, open internal space and pool profile supports appropriate emergency-evacuation planning
Recessed Handgrips
The Active Birth Pool features stainless-steel handgrips set into moulded recesses and bonded directly into the Ficore® pool shell.
Their natural positioning provides firm support for upright, kneeling and forward-leaning positions, helping the mother to brace, turn and change position with greater control and confidence.
Because the grips sit within the rim rather than projecting above it, the broad upper surface remains clear for resting the arms and upper body.
This helps reduce the risk of the mother bumping or injuring herself against raised handgrips, brackets or surface-mounted fittings.
It also minimises snag points and obstructions that could impede access or require awkward reaching by midwives.
The bonded design eliminates exposed brackets, narrow gaps and unnecessary junctions where moisture, residue and microorganisms could remain, creating a smooth, accessible surface that is easier to clean, disinfect and inspect.
Ficore® composite construction
Active Birth Pools are hand-built to order in England from Ficore®, a solid composite material selected for the demanding requirements of hospital water birth.
Ficore® is exceptionally strong, rigid and durable, providing the structural stability needed for repeated use in busy maternity environments.
Its smooth, warm-to-the-touch surface is comfortable against the body, while its thermal properties help the pool water retain warmth during labour.
Ficore® is resistant to the cleaning and disinfection processes used in maternity settings and, unlike many conventional pool materials, can be professionally repaired and refinished if damaged.
This extends the practical life of the pool, reduces the need for premature replacement and contributes to better lifetime value for hospitals.
Importantly, Ficore® has a greater adhesive factor and is less slippery, or more slip resistant, than fibreglass or acrylic.
Because Ficore® can be moulded into smooth, seamless, one-piece forms, the Active II incorporates fewer joints, crevices and dirt traps than pools assembled from multiple components.
This makes the pool easier to clean, disinfect and inspect, supporting effective infection control practice throughout its working life.
Multi-colour LED lighting and Bluetooth® sound
The Active Birth Pool can be supplied with integrated multi-colour Chromotherapy LED lighting and a Bluetooth® sound system, helping to create a calmer and more personalised environment for labour and birth.
The lighting can be adjusted to soften the clinical appearance of the room and create an atmosphere that feels more private, reassuring and conducive to relaxation, while still allowing the wider birth-room lighting to be used whenever required.
Bluetooth® connectivity enables women to play music, relaxation tracks, hypnobirthing recordings, guided breathing exercises or other familiar audio from a compatible device.
Together, the lighting and sound options allow the birth-room environment to be adapted to the mother’s individual preferences.
They complement the comfort and freedom of movement provided by the pool, helping create a space in which she can feel more settled, focused and in control throughout labour.
Active Birth Pool
- Dimensions: 1840 x 1650 x 770mm
- Material: Ficore® composite resin
- Lifespan: 25 years +
- Guarantee: Lifetime
- Lead Time: 4 – 6 weeks + shipping
- Availability: Worldwide direct and through selected agents
Hospital-grade sanitary ware for maternity environments
Active Birth Pools are hospital-grade sanitary ware products designed specifically for maternity environments.
They are manufactured under documented quality-control procedures and designed with reference to applicable sanitary-ware and healthcare-estates guidance, including BS EN 14516 / EN 14516 for cleanability and durability, CEN/TR 17221 for sanitary-appliance Declaration of Performance guidance, and HBN 00-10 Part C for sanitary assemblies in healthcare facilities.
CE documentation and Declarations of Performance are available where applicable. Plumbing and electrical components should always be specified and installed in accordance with local regulatory requirements and the hospital’s estates, infection-prevention and water-safety procedures.
