It is actually easier than you may think to setup an inexpensive waterbirth. You only need a few supplies that all together will cost around $75 (US). You will need the following supplies: Inflatable Pool Two 25 foot long garden hoses Garden hose to sink adapter Pliers Inflatable Pool You will need an outdoor inflatable children's pool. The diameter of the pool should not exceed five or six feet. It is best if the sidewalls are inflatable to provide support and if the bottom is inflatable to provide cushioning. We bought our pool from KBToys in our local mall. However, you will probably be able to find one in K-Mart, Wal-Mart, Toys-R-Us, or any similar type of toy store. It is best that you plan ahead if your birth is going to be during the fall or winter since an outdoor pool may be hard to find. Our pool cost about $35 and a typical pool will cost around $30 to $50 depending on where you buy it. When you inflate the pool, be sure to make it hard enough on the sides that someone can sit on it without it sagging too much. Our pool had three inflatable rings on the edges and we typically filled it with water between the top of the first ring and the middle of the second ring. We also increased the temperature of our water heater to 150 degrees Fahrenheit so that we could get more warm water into the pool before the water ran cold. Be very careful if you decide to increase the water temperature. 150 degrees is enough to burn you and if you have children, you need to be very careful that they don't end up burning themselves during the period of time your water temperature is increased. A higher water temperature is also useful to help you with cleaning the pool since the higher temperature is more harmful to bacteria. The actual water temperature of the pool should be maintained at a close average of 100 degrees Fahrenheit. You do not want to overheat a pregnant woman or the baby while she is in the water. You also need to be careful to not let the water become too cold for the same reasons. Some things to be careful of if you have children or pets. Do not leave water standing in the pool when you are not using it. The water level is high enough for a toddler or small child to drown if they are allowed to play in it unsupervised. If you have pets, you need to be careful that they do not accidently puncture the sides or bottom of the pool with their toenails if they jump on it. It can be very inconvenient to be expecting a waterbirth and find out at the last minute that the pool is punctured possibly making it impossible to fill with water. Two 25 foot long garden hoses You will also need at least two long garden hoses. One hose is for attaching to your sink faucet and the other hose is to use as a siphon for draining the pool. The hose to attach to your sink will be attached using a garden hose adapter described later. Having a second drain hose will allow you to siphon out cold and/or dirty water while simultaneously filling the pool with warm clean water from the faucet. A second hose will also keep you from having to switch one hose back and forth. Each hose will cost approximately $10 (US). Garden hose to sink adapter A hose thread adapter will allow you to easily attach a garden hose to a bathroom or kitchen sink. This will allow you to quickly pump hot or cold water into your pool. We bought our hose thread adapter from Home Depot in the plumbing department although something similar should be available at any regular hardware store. Make sure you plan well in advance when getting this adapter. It might be hard to find and you should get one as soon as possible to make sure that it fits the faucet and hose you are planning to use. If you can't find one, sometimes a waterbed filling kit may also have something similar. You also need to make sure that the one you buy has a rubber washer that fits between the adapter and the sink faucet. The washer will ensure a tight fit and keep water from spraying out around the edges when the water is turned on. If it doesn't come with a washer, you can get one separately in the plumbing department of the store. The adapter will cost approximately $5 (US). The following closeup pictures show the adapter. In the first photo, the big screw threads on the bottom half attach to the garden hose. The top of both photos show the screw threads where the adapter attaches to the sink. Notice that the top in the second photo shows the rubber washer. The adapter also has screw threads inside and outside of the adapter. Some sinks have inside threads for the aerator and some have outside threads. This particular adapter will work on either. Robert Haasch

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