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The Optimal Water Birth Pool
Specifications Length2265 Width 1210 Depth 62.5 Height 72.5 Capacity approx. 450 litres Safety Seat Midwives often ask us what they should do if a woman is incapacitated while using a pool and needs to be removed from the water. Women using water birth pools should be carefully screened for contraindications. If they are not having a normal physiological labour, they should not use a birth pool. Careful monitoring will virtually eliminate the possibility of a woman collapsing in the pool. In the unlikely event that a woman is incapacitated while in the pool, there are two key issues: 1) The safety of the woman 2) Manual handling practicalities and regulations. The woman will need to be safely lifted out of the pool and moved to a trolley. However, manual handling regulations prohibit midwives from lifting heavy loads. In this situation time is of the essence. The pool cannot be emptied instantly, and a hoist cannot be moved into position, lowered and utilised within the required time. The answer is a raised seat at water level, which we call the safety seat. Women can be raised up gently through the water, along the sloping side wall, onto the seat. The buoyancy of the water supports them, lightening the load for attendants. Once a woman is on the seat she is safe. She can be transferred onto a trolley and cared for. The seat is also ideal for internal examinations and monitoring. Midwives can easily attend to labouring women without them leaving the pool. Wide Rim Many women find that leaning forward is one of the most natural, comfortable and effective positions during labour. The wide, flat surface around the edge of our pool allows them to do so in comfort, unlike the typical rolled narrow style rims of most baths. The leading rim of the pool is extra wide (10 cm +) to provide support for both labouring women and their attendants. The wide rim provides secure stable support for women as they enters and exit the pool. Women can sit on the rim for assistance while moving their legs over into or out of the water. The extra wide rim also enables us to set handrails into the profile of the pool. Hand Rails Handrails allow women to hold on for support in a wide variety of upright positions, and assist exit from the pool. The handrails are set into the profile of the rim, avoiding the possibility of labouring women being injured by bumping into them. Internal Step The internal moulded step assists exit and entry to the pool and provides support. It can also be used as as stool for the mother to sit or squat on if she needs to be closer to the surface. If the mother has her baby in the pool the seat is the ideal place to welcome the newborn. The Optimal and Versatile Pools have a special ergonomic seat designed to promote a natural physiological labour. The seat is slightly tilted forward to help open the birth canal, and the wide channel at the back of the seat allows the coccyx to move freely. Skirting Panel One of the primary problems midwives experience when attending a water birth is lower back pain. This is caused from leaning over the pool or sitting by the pool with legs apart. A major part of the problem is the distance between the midwife and the mother. The pool itself was the main obstacle. To solve this problem we have designed our pool with skirting panels that slope inwards closely following the shape of the shell. The free standing open design allows the midwife to work closely with her legs under the rim. Reports from midwives using the pools have been highly favourable. Non Slip Surface Gently textured surface provides secure stable footing Technology Active Birth Pools are manufactured to order by hand in a workshop devoted to producing the highest quality medical grade equipment. Our designs and manufacturing processes have evolved over the past 22 years with the help of infection control experts, midwives, engineers, plumbers, architects and professional consultants. The weight and thickness of our pools attests to the high specification of our craftsmanship. Our pools are extremely strong , with solid with shells up to 13 mm thick (as compared to 4 mm for normal baths) and an overall weight in excess of 100 kilograms. We are so confident in the build quality of our water birth pools that we back them with a 100% Lifetime Guarantee. Materials: Our water birth pools are made out of Glass Reinforced Polyester (GRP). GRP is a composite of polyester resin and fibrous glass. The resulting material is a light, durable and astonishingly tough construction material. We make our pools using a single surface mould impregnated with layers of glass mat and liquid resin until the required thickness has been built up. The laminate is then extracted from the mould, and coated with a hardened gel, which increases its extreme durability. When we design our pools, we are always keen to see how our products hold up in practical environments. We have conducted many tests in order to predict the likely performance of our products in most applications. As part of this process, we have added special resins to our gel coat to:
Active Birth Pools are supplied fitted with a full length skirting panel. This wrap around panel closely follows the shape and contours of the pool and does not sacrifice the ergonomic design in any way. The panel greatly improves the appearance of our pools, and makes them easier to clean and maintain. Our pools are equipped with a bespoke fast flow drainage system. This allows us to offer the pool at a lower overall height, making it easier for mothers to enter and exit the pool, and for midwives to attend the mother. |
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active birth
pools ltd |
