Bucket heater trial run

Last night I tried out my 1000 Watt bucket heater in a 5-gallon pail to see how well it worked as a supplemental water heater. It's advertised to heat 1 gallon of 60-degree water to 130 degrees in 10 minutes. The bucket heater has an automatic shut-off if it's accidentally taken out of the water while still plugged in. It will also cycle on and off once the water level drops below 5 1/2." But if immersed in a full bucket of water, it will eventually bring the water to boiling.
I filled the bucket to within 3" of the top with cold tap water, plugged the heater in, and set a timer. Here's the breakdown for heating a full 5-gallon pail:

• At 10 minutes, the water was lukewarm
• At 20 minutes, the water was hot and steaming--hotter than I would like for a bath, but not painful. I could keep my hand in it comfortably.
• At 30 minutes, the water was so hot that I could only dip my finger in for a second. At this point I unplugged the heater, although it will bring the water to boiling if you leave it in long enough.

The verdict? I don't think I will need to use it, since it takes my 30-gallon water tank just under an hour to reheat. However, it would be a convenient alternative to boiling pots of water on the stove. You can fill the bucket (with the pool's hose) & heat the water right next to the pool. All you need is an electrical outlet.

I don't know if 5-gallon plastic buckets release chemicals when they're filled with hot water. Would a PETE (food-safe) bucket be safer than a regular one you can get at a home improvement store? I don't know, but it certainly wouldn't hurt to use one. You can ask for used frosting buckets at the cake decorating departments in grocery stores. Chinese restaurants often have 5-gallon food-safe pails, originally filled with soy sauce or vegetable oil.

It would be interesting to heat identical volumes of water on a stovetop and in a bucket heater and compare which is faster. If someone ever does that experiment, please let me know!

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La Bassine trial run

I did a test run of my La Bassine birth pool on Monday. It took 90 minutes to fill start to finish; most of that time was waiting for my 30-gallon gas water tank to reheat. Here's the breakdown on filling time:

• 20 minutes for the first fill until the water turns cool
• 50 minutes for the water heater to reheat
• 20 minutes for the second fill

Filling it twice brought the water exactly to the "recommended level" mark on the pool, which I found to be a bit too shallow. The water was definitely too hot after the second fill, so it would have been easy to top-up with cool water without causing the overall temperature to fall too low. In fact, I didn't actually get in the pool for another two hours.

I kept a piece of plastic over the top to retain the heat during and after filling. When I came back later to actually get in, the water was still a bit on the hot side. Five hours after my test swim (and almost 7 hours after I had filled it), the pool still felt at least body temperature, if not warmer. Keeping a cover on the pool when it is not in use really helps maintain the water temperature.

Zari gives her stamp of approval.
She was not happy when we had to get out.

I don't think I will need to use a bucket heater to maintain the water temperature, since the pool retains its heat so well. By time the water cools off, I will have a fresh tank of hot water ready. However, I will still test the bucket heater soon, just in case.

The pool floor was really cushy and comfortable to kneel and sit on. It is also plenty deep, especially if you fill a few inches higher than the marked line. I would prefer the pool to be longer and narrower, though; I'd like to be able to fully stretch out and float without having to bend my hips or knees. Unless you're in a really large pool, such as the bigger Birth Pool in a Box, you're not going to find this long of a birth pool. I guess I was spoiled with the extra-long jacuzzi tub that I had in my last house!

Emptying the pool took 20 minutes. I was very pleased with the pond/fountain pump that I bought recently; it was silent and quite efficient, with a maximum flow rating of 400 gallons/hour. There were just a few cups of water left in the bottom of the pool that the pump couldn't remove; I mopped it up with two bath towels.

Here are a few pictures of my birth room. It's the only room on the upper floor of our house and has a small bathroom attached (full bath with shower, sink, and toilet).

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Belly shot: 34 weeks pregnant

34.4 weeks from LMP. I changed shirts in part because I wanted to compare this with pictures from my last pregnancy.
For kicks, here's a picture of me at 35 weeks from LMP with Zari (33 weeks gestation):
Yeah, quite the difference--and I still weigh less this time around! Blame it on my (lack of) transverse abdominals, eh?

I started cleaning out our upstairs room, where I plan on having the baby. It's a large bedroom with a small full bath attached. It's really quiet up there and feels totally separate from the rest of the house, almost like I'm up in a nest or a treehouse, so I think it will be perfect for getting away from everyone & everything else during labor. I blew up my La Bassine birth pool and cleaned it out. I'm going to give it a trial run soon. My pond/fountain pump just arrived, which will make emptying the pool a breeze. Pictures coming soon once the room is organized.

We did a fun project yesterday: making a sandbox. I scavenged the 4x4s from a nearby abandoned lot where a house had been torn down a few months ago. The play sand (250 lbs) and screws cost $18 total. I still need to make a cover to keep the neighborhood cats out. Zari was thrilled.

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Heating a birth pool

A common question among women planning to use a birth pool in labor is how to heat enough water to fill the pool reasonably quickly, and then maintain the water temperature once the pool is full. Most of us here in North America have 30-50 gallon tank water heaters, rather than the tankless gas heaters that much of Europe uses, so we run out of hot water before the pool is full. This is especially challenging if you're using an inflatable pool, rather than one that comes with a built-in heater.

Rather than boiling pots of water on the stove and then hauling them to the birth pool, I have come up with another solution that is portable, fast, and relatively inexpensive. You will need a 5-gallon bucket (plastic or metal), an electric outlet (preferably close to your birth pool), and a bucket heater (the kind used to heat water for livestock tanks). You can find these at a vet/livestock supply store.


These heaters are quick and powerful; they will bring the water to a boil if left in the bucket long enough. This definitely beats boiling water on the stove in relatively small pots and then hauling it to the birth room. Instead, you just put your bucket & bucket heater right near the birth pool, plug it in, and you're good to go!

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Alternative to La Bassine

I've heard good things about the La Bassine waterbirth pool, but the price tag can be prohibitive for women on a strict budget. I found a similar inflatable pool for about half the price, the Sevylor Electra Round.

Similarities: Both have upright I-beams and an inflatable floor.
Differences. The Sevyor holds 72 gallons, La Bassine 100 gallons. The Sevyor is round, rather than slightly oval, and doesn't have handles inside.

This might be a good alternative for people wanting something a bit more sturdy than your standard fishy pool. Sometimes the horizontal rings give way under pressure, creating a lovely flood in the living room. Not fun.

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A different approach to pain relief

Britain's National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence has just recommended that "all expectant mothers should be offered a water birth for the safest form of pain relief." Birthing pools are the most effective non-pharmacological form of pain relief and second-most effective overall. NICE has published clinical guidelines on intrapartum care. You can also read a summary of its findings here.

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