• There is evidence that immersion in warm water can lower blood pressure during labour. It is much easier to maintain active birthing positions in the gravity reduced environment of the pool.
• Water supports the mother during labour reducing the pressure during labour.
• Women have used water as a form of pain relief for hundreds of years.
• Warm water on the lower back (which is the area of the spinal chord that receives the nerves from the lower abdominal region) can reduce labour pain.
• Water can be used alongside many other forms of pain relief.

As long as you need/want to be, it sometimes happens that water slows things down to a point where the midwife suggests that you get out and walk about for a bit. How long you can stay in the pool if things have slowed down will depend on

• The experience and open-mindedness of your midwife.
• How able you are to challenge her request to leave the pool if you don't want to. (Your birth partner and birth plan can help you here)

There are occasions when the midwife might require you to leave the pool for good reasons.

• An abnormal foetal heart beat
• Meconium
• Abnormal maternal observation such as high temp, pulse or BP
• Agreement on the need for an internal examination
• Midwife's intuition

The role of the midwife is to assess that labour is progressing normally, and if deviating from normal to take appropriate steps. How she assesses, and what the appropriate steps are will to a degree depend on her knowledge, experience and intuition. Therefore it is fine for you to ask for her rationale in asking you to do something you might not want to do, and to expect a reasonably detailed explanation. However, you may not be able to take in all the information, and your partner (and/or doula) can help here. When all is said and done, the midwife is legally responsible for the safe delivery of baby and mother, and if she has real concerns for you then it is advisable to accept her recommendation.

When labour is "established". This is about 4-5cms dilated, or when contractions are about 2 minutes long, regular, and about 5 mins apart. Use this "tool" when you find that other techniques like massage, TENS, dancing, no longer help, when you begin to think; "now I really need something". Often, getting into the pool at this point gives a wonderful whooshing release of tension. This relaxes the muscles, eases fear and anxiety, floods the body with endorphins and quite often moves you along the road of labour quite a way.

You can get in and out as often as you need to.

A baby born without distress into water will not receive the stimulus to breathe.

Breathing may be stimulated by

• A drop in temperature lower than 37.degrees
• Having received some distress during delivery
• Excessive handling while still underwater

The baby is still connected to the umbilical cord and receiving an oxygenated blood supply via the placenta. In water, the cord remains soft and continues to pulse after the baby is delivered, so he/she does not need to breathe until after the cord is cut.

Some midwives may prefer you to leave the pool for the third stage because it is very hard to assess blood loss in the water. You should discuss this with your midwife either before or during the early stages of labour. The advantage of leaving the pool to deliver the placenta outside it is that the water may still be reasonably clean, and you may be able to hop back in it for a quick wash while everything is being tidied up.

The Midwife's Code of Practice states that midwives should operate within the sphere of their expertise. Some might interpret this to use as a get-out clause if they have not been trained in the use of water. However, the Royal College of Midwives clearly says that it is also the duty of the midwives to gain knowledge in this area in order to offer it as part of normal practice.

• Make sure that the Community Midwives office knows that you are intending to use water and to request that an adequately knowledgeable midwife attend you.
• Give an unfamiliar midwife a chance to extend her sphere of knowledge by accepting that she has limitations, but negotiating to go beyond them together.

It is absolutely fine to have the water at any temperature comfortable to you using the pool before labour for relaxation. However, it is very important that the labouring mother does not become overheated as this may be a factor which can cause distress to the baby.

The recommended range is between 35-37.0 degrees C during the first stage of labour and 37.0-37.5 in the second stage. If a baby is delivered in water it must not be cooler than the average body temperature. However, remember that it is nigh on impossible to get readings accurate to half a degree in a constantly moving body of water.

Use of other forms of pain relief such as massage, acupressure, homoeopathy, aromatherapy to mention but a few, along with loving and encouraging words from birth partner or midwife, breathing, visualisation and maybe gas and air will all help you in your "tool kit of pain relief options" which may include many of the above and others that are unique to you.

There are no side effects connected to the use of water as pain relief so it does not preclude any other form of analgesia that may be appropriate at a later time. Using water as pain relief can help you get further down the road of labour without closing doors on other options.

We suggest that you put the pool where you feel safest and most comfortable. The pool comes in sections and can be carried and assembled almost anywhere. A flat floor is preferable, and Midwives like to have access to at least two thirds of the pool.

First and second floors are fine if you are happy about the weight load; full weight is approx 650kg. If you are living in a conventionally built house, that has been well maintained and is not more than 150 years old, then problems with floor loading stress are likely to be minimal. If you do have concerns, then I would suggest that you seek further advice from a qualified structural surveyor.

Each pool comes with two hoses that are each about 15 feet long. If you think that may not be sufficient please get in touch.

Two types of tap connector come with the pool, they are Hozelock Universal (designed to fit mixer taps) and the Original funnel shaped, with jubilee clip to connect to single taps with smaller spouts.

You may have special taps which will not fit to the connectors, in this case, you may need to think of other taps in the house that could be used, or investigate other systems of connecting hoses to them.

Yes, it is very easy to assemble. The pool is made up of 8 wooden panels which bolt together to form an octagon shaped pool. The pool incorporates a permanent liner, which is supplemented with a disposable liner which is solely for your use. Telephone support is provided if required.

It takes approx 30 minutes to assemble, and filling depends on water pressure, the pool is usually ready in about an hour.

A combi boiler system will provide a continuous supply of heated water, and this is ideal for filling the pool. If using a tank fed hot water system, then consideration should be given to the size of the tank and the time taken for the boiler to provide further tanks of hot water.

In addition to the pool, hoses and tap connectors are included.

You might also consider a plastic sheet to protect the floor from drips. A small mirror may be used to confirm arrival of the baby's head! You might also like essential oils (check that the use of these products is OK in pregnancy), candle light and relaxing music. Please remember that any electrical item must be placed well way from the pool, and not to touch switches with wet hands.

A pump is provided to empty the pool quickly and efficiently using the hoses.

The window of two weeks before and two weeks after the due date means that most babies will come during that time. However, sometimes they do come early. For a baby that is very premature it is not advisable to have a home birth or to use the pool. In this instance the Conditions of Hire state that if a pool is cancelled with less than 2 weeks notice from the beginning of the Hire Period, we reserve the right to charge the full fee, as we are a small company, flexibility is possible; if there is any chance of getting the pool to you before baby comes, then we will look into it.

Again, everything possible will be done to ensure that you keep the pool for as long as you need it. Extensions to hire are available at a rate of £65 per week. However, there is no guarantee that an extension will always be available.