Considerations For New Build Hospitals With Hydrotherapy Labor or Birthing Pools

11 Aug 2019

A labor and birth pool is an excellent addition to the L&D (labor and delivery) room for new build hospitals. Hydrotherapy is growing in popularity as an option for labour pain relief, so having a pool gives hospitals a competitive edge, appealing to women looking for safety, comfort and choice when deciding where to give birth. However, there are a number of factors to consider when planning the installation of a hospital birth pool. It’s vital that the pool is positioned safely and in a way that ensures maximum comfort and accessibility for the mother, midwife and other healthcare professionals.

Type of pool Here at Edel Immersys, we supply both permanent and portable hospital birthing pools. The advantage of a portable pool is that hospitals can experiment with offering labour hydrotherapy and waterbirth without making any additional infrastructure investment. So for new build hospitals, in particular, starting out with a ‘Birth Pool in a Box’ in an existing facility can be a good way of gathering data on how popular the pool is likely to be, before deciding whether to invest in permanent pools.

Portable or Permanent pools can weigh as much as 1,430lbs (649kg) Our market- leading FP3 Labor & Birth Pool is made from two acrylic sheets, each reinforced with glass fibre and held together by an adhesive filler, giving exceptional strength to take the weight of the water. The hospital building, therefore, needs to be structurally strong enough to take the weight of a filled pool, plus the mother and the other people who will be present at the birth. You’ll also need to think about what will be located directly under the L&D room. For example, if the pool will be positioned on the ground floor over the basement, you will need to assess risks for any equipment in the basement and take prevention measures.

Water supply We recommend that the hospital’s hot and cold water pressure and supply pipe diameter are capable of filling the pool with water at 100 degrees Fahrenheit (38 Celsius) in 20 minutes, through a mixer valve. We always recommend 3⁄4” supply pipes. You’ll also need to make allowance for a waste pipe with a trap in the floor, either in a sub-floor or a gulley in a concrete floor.

Space and accessibility The pool should be placed so that it’s easy for the mother to get in and out, and for healthcare professionals to access the pool in case any assistance is required. You should, therefore, allow at least two to three feet of space around the pool on at least two (preferably three) of its sides.

About Edel Immersys

Edel Immersys have been supplying high- quality labor and birth pools since 2003. We are a leading supplier to the National Health Service in the UK and are experiencing rapid growth in Europe and the US. Founded by a birth educator, our business is built on the principle that women should have access to safe, available choices for labour pain relief – choices that they increasingly demand. That’s why we’ve worked closely with healthcare professionals to design a range of birthing pools that offer the highest levels of quality, durability and safety.

You can find out more about Edel Immersys, our products and our approach at Edel Immersys. Or, connect with us on LinkedIn and start a conversation.