The New Active
Birth Pool 's form is based on organic shapes. This makes the pool more
approachable psychologically and helps the mother to be more relaxed in
the hospital environment.
The mother has freedom of
movement. She is supported in the positions natural to labour and
birth.
She can float freely, uses the
curves to relax in, the grab rails to assist squatting, and the seat for
resting and welcoming the baby.
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.
We carefully looked at the dynamics at play and realised that a major part of the problem was the distance
between the midwife and the mother. The pool itself was the main obstacle.
To solve this problem
we designed the New Active Birth and Deluxe Water Birth Pools without a
surround.
The free standing - open design
allows the midwife to work closely - with her legs under the rim. Reports from midwives using the pools has been highly favourable.
A key issue
for midwives revolves around what happens if a women is incapacitated
and needs to be removed from the pool.
There are 2 critical
issues:
1) The safety of the women
2) Manual handling practicalities and regulations.
First, Women using
the pools should be carefully screened for contra-indications.
If she is not having a normal
- physiological labour - she shouldn’t be in the pool. Careful monitoring
will virtually eliminate the possibility of a woman collapsing in the
pool,
What if she does?
Second, She will need to be
safely lifted out of the pool and placed on a trolley. Manual handling
regulations forbid midwives from lifting heavy loads.
Here's how we solved
the problem...
In this situation time is of
the essence. The pool cannot be emptied instantly. A hoist cannot be moved
into position, lowered and utilised within the required time.
The answer -- is
a raised seat at water level. I call this the safety seat.
The women can be raised
up gently through the water - along the sloping sidewall onto the seat.
The buoyancy of the water supports the women -- lightening the load.
Once on the seat she is safe.
She can be manoeuvred onto a trolley and cared for.
The seat is ideal
for internal examinations and monitoring. Midwives can easily attend the
labouring woman without her having to leave the pool.
It’s also
been used as a birth seat.
Most women are
able to enter and leave the pool by sitting on the rim and swivelling
their legs over into the water. Others simply step over the rim and into
the pool.
The New Active
Birth Pool is fabricated from a high impact weatherable ABS plastic. After
thoroughly researching all the materials available we chose this one rather
than GRP fibreglass because it’s harder surface is less brittle.
It’s more resistant to
bacteria and not affected by the repeated use of sterilising agents. The
material has a lightly textured, slip resistant internal finish and a
smooth, clean external finish. The pool is mounted on a steel frame with
adjustable feet and anchor points.
The pool is 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 the pool as well as making it easier to clean and maintain.
As the panels will
be factory fitted installation will be easier and less costly. The pool
needs no building in. It will need to be secured to the floor. There are
anchor points on the steel frame for bolting the pool to the floor.
The New Active
Birth Pool is fitted with a 2" low profile drain to empty the pool quickly and lower the overall
height. |
