When it comes to choosing a water birth pool there are many important factors that need to be considered.
But, above all is the comfort and well-being of midwives.
Though factors such as health & safety, long-term value, cost, sustainability, hygiene and over-all performance are important midwives well-being is paramount.
Because midwives work with the pools daily, on an ongoing basis their safety, comfort and ability to fulfil their role is ultimately the deciding factor.
Active Birth Pools are designed with midwives comfort and safety firmly in mind.
The basis for our unique approach stems from ground-breaking work we did in 1995 with health service ergonomist Sue Hignet published in the Chartered Institute of Ergonomics & Human Factors.
This led to significant improvements to the design of our water birth pools that made them safer, more comfortable and easier-to-use.
The key innovation that led to a paradigm shift in midwives comfort was to develop a design with a concave (rather than a vertical surround) to allow midwives to sit with their legs under the rim, as if they were sitting at a desk.
In fact, our pools are roughly the same height as a desk and as you can see from the photo below the seating dynamic is very similar to a desks.
As seen in these photos a good quality, adjustable saddle stool on wheels is important as they provide dynamic support to midwives as they move around the pool.
To achieve this we designed our pools with extra-wide rims (up to 25cm) which have a number of important benefits:
- Midwives can lean on the rim with their forearms resting comfortably
- Mothers can get in and out of the pool safely without climbing up steps
- Emergency evacuations can be facilitated easily with or without a portable hoist
- Mothers can use the rim to relax or for support in upright positions
- Hand grips can be set into the rim rather than being surface mounted
“I wanted to take a moment to express my admiration for the brilliant design of your water birth pool. I truly admire how your design considers both midwife and mother-friendly features, making it unique and practical.” Parisa Hadavi Bavili – Midwife, Anatomist, and Innovator in Healthcare
In this photo you see how comfortable and well supported the midwife is, and how this enables her to be fully present to safely fulfil the obligations of her job.
She is sitting naturally, grounded in comfort with her legs tucked well under the pool and her arms resting gently on the extra-wide rim.
Note: the rim is not obstructed with taps or fittings enabling midwives to move easily around the pool.
By comparison:
Looking at the majority of other water birth pools on the market you see a very different picture.
The solid, vertical surround of the pool forms an obstacle between mother and midwife making it impossible for midwives to sit in comfort and actually puts them at risk.
In addition, the narrow rim is not comfortable for leaning on as pressure is concentrated in a small area of the forearm.
Midwives have to splay their feet and legs apart and bend forward to get close to the mother.
Not only is this very uncomfortable but, the strain can lead to back ache, tension in the neck and shoulders and time off work.
As a result the ability of midwives to do their jobs is compromised, results and job satisfaction are diminished.
“The best pools for the Birth Olympics hands down!
They’re comfortable, provide stability, are simple to clean and
midwife friendly. Just a dream all the way around.”
Alicia Witt ArizonaMidwife.com
Improving Birthing Pool Design: Case Study 18 – Chartered Institute of Ergonomics & Human Factors
If you’re looking for a water birth pool we’re uniquely qualified to be of service
