More and more pregnant women are asking about the option of a water birth. As a midwife, doula, birth coach or maternity care organisation, you can respond to this growing interest as long as you organise it well in practice.
Are you planning to offer a birth pool in your practice? Use this clear checklist to set up a well-structured approach to childbirth in water and support safe, confident water births.
Step 1: Create a clear plan for your practice
Before purchasing a birthing pool, it’s important to align internally on how you want to work.
Do you provide the birth pool for home birth to the client in advance?
For example, around 36–37 weeks of pregnancy.
Advantages:
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The client can do a trial setup.
Setting up the pool can start without waiting for you to arrive with the pool.
Consideration:
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The birth pool will be temporarily unavailable for other clients, so you may need more than one to meet demand.
Or do you bring the birth pool yourself?
You might store the birthing pool in your car or at the practice and bring it when labour begins.
Advantages:
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The pool remains centrally available.
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Less chance that a pool sits unused at a client’s home for a few weeks.
Considerations:
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You need to retrieve the pool promptly after use.
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If the pool has been stored in a cold car or storage during winter, it should ideally reach room temperature for 72 hours before inflation. Inflating a cold birth pool may shorten its lifespan.
In a birthing centre or hospital, the pool can be left inflated and ready for use, so there is no need to give it to the client to take home.
Define responsibilities clearly
Agree on practical matters such as:
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Who checks the pool after use?
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Who cleans and dries it?
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Where is it stored?
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Do you charge for the service, or include it in your service as a professional?
If part of the responsibility lies with the client, communicate this clearly via written instructions or email. Clear agreements prevent misunderstandings.
Work with example protocols
Within your team, it’s helpful to agree on:
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How you guide birth in water during different stages of labour
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How you assess blood loss
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Safe entry and exit from the pool
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Hygiene and cleaning procedures
You can use example protocols and adapt them to your own practice. This ensures consistency when supporting water childbirth.
Step 2: Decide how many birth pools you need
Consider the size of your practice, the average number of births per month, the percentage of clients choosing water birth. You can start with one birthing pool and expand later. Ordering additional pools is always possible.
Step 3: Purchase a professional Starter Kit
To offer water births safely and professionally, you need a reliable foundation.
The Birthpools Starter Kit includes reusable items:
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A Birth Pool in a Box Pro (including repair kit)
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Electric air pump
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Tap connectors
These items are reusable and can either be given to the client in late pregnancy or brought by you when labour begins. The birth pool and connectors can be cleaned with a standard household cleaner and additionally disinfected with 70% alcohol.
Each time you want to add another birth pool to your practice, you purchase an additional Starter Kit. After creating a professional account with Birthpools, you gain access to these products. Without an account, only consumer pools are visible in the webshop.
The Starter Kit is available in three colours and two sizes of birth pools.
Step 4: Disposable water birth packages
In addition to the pool itself, every water birth requires a disposable kit.
You can choose between two options:
Standard Kit
Includes essential items:
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Disposable liner
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Water hose
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Water pump
Premium Kit
Next to the essential items, it includes additional accessories for comfort and ease:
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Floor cover
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Gynaecological gloves
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Thermometer
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Strainer
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Anti-slip mat
You have two options:
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Your practice purchases and manages the kits stock.
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The client orders the kit directly via your personalised discount code.
Would you like to explore different ways of offering a birth pool in your practice? We offer four structured models to support you. Do you work in a hospital or maternity centre? Then you can view the options here.
Step 5: Consider additional accessories
Besides the basic package, you may want to add:
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Birth mirror
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Waterproof Birth Pool Flashlight
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Heat cover
You can also order certain items in bulk, such as gynecological gloves, so you always have stock in your clinic or birth bag.
Step 6: Inform your clients proactively
Offering a birthing pool starts with good education.
Think about:
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Clear information on your website (possibly with a request form)
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Social media posts about water birth
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Informational leaflets for use during consultations or in your waiting room
By discussing giving birth in the water early in pregnancy, clients have time to reflect on their preferences for birth in water.
Step 7: Ensure training and familiarity
It’s reassuring if your team:
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Has set up the pool at least once
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Knows how to fill and empty it
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Feels confident supporting different positions during water birth labour
A short internal practice session builds confidence and helps extend the lifespan of your Birth Pool in a Box. Would you like practical tips from us? Feel free to contact our team.
Finally: start structured, grow at your own pace
Offering water birth does not need to be complicated, as long as you approach it step by step.
With a clear plan, reliable materials and transparent communication, you can support safe and comfortable childbirth in water for your clients, in a way that works for both your practice and the families you support.
Curious which Starter Kits and packages best fit your practice? Create a professional account with Birthpools and gain access to our full range of professional birth pool products and pricing (without logging in, only the pools suitable for consumers are available in the shop).
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