Water Birth Pools and the Use of Water for Labour and Birth

10 Articles to Read Before Choosing a Water Birth Pool for Your Maternity Unit or Birth Centre

Whether you are planning a new maternity unit, refurbishing a birth centre or upgrading water birth facilities in a labour ward, these articles will help you understand what...

Buyers Guide to Water Birth Pools for Midwives, Hospitals, Maternity Units and Birth Centres

How to Choose a Hospital Water Birth Pool: Safety, Ergonomics, Hygiene and Long-Term Value Choosing a water birth pool is not simply a question of size or price....

Water Birth Pool Safety Risks: What Hospitals Should Avoid Before Buying

Purchasing a water birth pool is a significant responsibility. The decision should never be based on appearance, price or catalogue features alone. In a maternity unit, a birth...

Why Performance Matters More than Price When Choosing Water Birth Pools for Hospitals

When planning a new maternity unit or upgrading an existing birthing room, budget is always part of the conversation. Every hospital needs to make responsible purchasing decisions, justify...

Designed to Optimise Safety, Reduce Risk and Support Safer Birthing Environments

Safety begins with design When hospitals create or refurbish water birth facilities, safety must be designed in from the outset. A birth pool is not simply a vessel...

Internal Design Features That Make Active Birth Pools Safer, More Supportive and Easier to Use

Why the inside of a birth pool matters A water birth pool is not simply a container for warm water. In a maternity setting, it becomes part of...

Superior Material Results in Superior Safety, Value and Performance

Why Ficore® Composite Is the Better Material for Hospital Water Birth Pools A water birth pool is not simply a large bath. In a maternity unit it becomes...

Creating Better Water Birth Pools Through Ergonomic Design

A water birth pool is not simply a vessel for warm water. In a maternity unit it becomes part of the care environment, part of the mother’s support...

The Rim That Changes Everything

Why Active Birth Pools Support Mothers Like No Other Water Birth Pool In labour, support matters. A mother needs freedom to move, but she also needs something dependable...

Designing for Real Access: Why Wall-Mounted Birth Pools Outperform Freestanding Models

Why practical clinical access, room efficiency and unobstructed working space matter more than the appearance of 360-degree access. A freestanding pool does not automatically provide better access. Water...

Must See Video: Freedom of Movement in a Water Birth Pool

This short video shows how an Active Birth Pool gives mothers the space and freedom to move naturally throughout labour and birth. Warm water allows mothers to explore...

Sustainability and Life Cycle Value

Sustainability starts with choosing the right product When hospitals assess the sustainability of a water birth pool, the discussion should not begin and end with the purchase price....

Water Safety and Legionella Control for Hospital Birth Pools

A practical guide for maternity teams, estates departments, infection-prevention specialists, Water Safety Groups, designers and contractors Core message: A birth pool should be treated as part of the...

Why Midwife Comfort and Safety Starts with Better Birth Pool Design

A birth pool is a workplace A water birth pool is not simply a vessel for warm water. In a maternity unit it becomes part of the midwife's...

How Water Birth Pools Help Mothers Have a Better Experience of Labour and Birth

A comprehensive, evidence-based introduction for parents, midwives and maternity teams Updated June 2026 For many people, the idea of labouring or giving birth in water still feels unfamiliar....

Data Sheets, Plans and 3D Models

CAD plans are available upon request  Wall Mounted Active II Water Birth Pool Data Sheet [marmoset id="http://activebirthpools.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/Active-II-Water-Birth-Pool-opt-1.mview" autoStart="1" nui="1" ] Use your cursor to move the model around...

Active Birth Pools help mothers adopt upright postures to have a better experience of labour and birth

One of the clearest lessons from active birth is that labour works best when the mother is able to respond to her body. Movement, upright posture, rest, support...

Why Active Birth Pools Are Especially Beneficial for Larger and Plus-Size Women

There is a subject that maternity planning does not always address openly or often enough. Many women enter labour carrying more body weight, living with restricted mobility, experiencing...

The Economic Impact of Water Birth Pools in Hospitals

Why water birth pools are a practical investment in safer, more efficient maternity care Maternity services are under pressure to provide safer, more personalised care while making the...

Manual Handling Risks in Water Birth Pools: Why Design Matters

A birth pool is part of the working environment Manual handling risk in water birth pools should never be treated as an afterthought. In a maternity unit, a...

Sit and Swivel – the Safe Way to Enter a Water Birth Pool

All women no matter what their shape or size will find it exceptionally easy to get into our water birth pools. Mothers don't even think about it -...

References and Testimonials

Award-Winning Water Birth Pools for Hospitals

  Active Birth Pools designs and manufactures award-winning water birth pools for hospitals, birth centres and maternity units. Our pools have been recognised by the Building Better Healthcare...

Active 360 Water Birth Pool with Water Column

The Active 360 Water Birth Pool is the freestanding version of our iconic, award-winning Active II, created for hospitals, birth centres and maternity units that want a generous,...

Venus 360 Water Birth Pool with Water Column

The sleek Water Column transforms the Venus II into the free-standing Venus 360, a stunning mid-size water birth pool thats incredibly versatile, safe and easy to use. Mothers...

Venus II Water Birth Pool

The Venus II was designed to give mothers the space to move instinctively and gain full benefit from immersion in water and midwives a purpose designed pool that's...

Single Step Unit

A sturdy, compact single step designed to enable safer sit-and-swivel entry into the pool. The Active Birth Pools Single Step Unit was developed to solve a practical problem...

Chromotherapy Multi-Colour LED Lighting and Integrated Bluetooth® Sound

Integrated lighting and sound for calmer, more personalised water birth rooms Active Birth Pools can be supplied with integrated chromotherapy multi-colour LED lighting and Bluetooth® sound to help...

Princess II Water Birth Pool

The Princess II Water Birth Pool is a compact, user-friendly water birth pool for rooms where space is limited but performance, comfort and clinical usability still matter. This...

Princess 360 Water Birth Pool with Water Column

A compact freestanding water birth pool with 360° access for smaller maternity rooms The Princess 360 Water Birth Pool with Water Column is the freestanding version of the...

Active II Water Birth Pool

The Active II Water Birth Pool is a premium, award-winning water birth pool for hospitals, birth centres and maternity units that want a safe, comfortable and highly supportive...

What Every Hospital Should Know Before Buying a Water Birth Pool

Price matters  - but safety, hygiene, durability and whole-life value matter more. Choosing a water birth pool is a long-term decision. Before comparing prices, hospitals and birth centres...

Emergency Evacuation from a Water Birth Pool: A Practical Guide for Midwives

The evacuation a collapsed woman is potentially hazardous and poses risk of injury to mother and midwife. If the need for an emergency evacuation arises the midwife should:...

The Keyword that Defines our Approach to Design is ‘Active’.

The keyword that defines our approach to design is 'Active'. If we look up the definition of 'Active Birth' we get, "Childbirth during which the mother is encouraged...

Baths Are Simple Things. So Are Water Birth Pools. What Matters Most Is the Material They Are Made From

Why choice of material determines safety, usability, hygiene and over-all whole-life value A bath is a simple object. It holds water. It needs to be comfortable, durable and easy...

“Why Privacy, Warmth and Low Light Matter in the Birth Room”

Why the Room Mothers Give Birth in Should Be Like the Room They Made Love in I first heard this idea from Michel Odent at the Active Birth...