True Blue: Our Birthing Pools

Our mission is to empower families to practice the ancient art of pregnancy, the art of birthing and parenting, to create resources rooted in natural therapies and traditions such as massages, herbs, preconception health practices, homebirths, water births practices and midwifery care.

Our work at True Blue Natural Family Resources is guided by and in service to the foundational principles that allow us to reside with one another respectfully and joyfully.

We find common ground that unites us in these principles:

• We value the diversity each individual brings to world.
• We respect one another, nature and the environment, and the traditions that ground our programs.
• We believe in our client's natural body wisdom that also provides the guidance for us as therapists.
• We strive to have each individual client function as an entrepreneurial spark of light having creativity and a commitment to realize her or his full potential.

   

• The rental period is for four (4) weeks.
  
• We deliver and set up tubs in your home two weeks prior to your due date.
  
• You keep the tub for two weeks after your due date or as long as you need it with no additional charge. One additional week is usually sufficient.
• The cost of supply, delivery, set up and pick up in City of Toronto is 300.00, 345.00 outside.
  
• You are not expected to purchase any of the parts such as hoses, adapters, pumps, or disposable liners. Our kits contain them all. 
  
• By visiting your home we ensure that your dwelling and its water supply will meet the demands of the installation while also giving the opportunity for us to walk you through the process first hand. We have first hand experience since our daughter is a water birth baby too. 
  
• The unfilled pool weighs 47 pounds, and when it is filled to the maximum capacity (18 inches high or 197 gallons of water) it weighs of about 1623 pounds.
  
• However, it is an evenly distributed weight, safe to be placed on any floor even in a very old house.
  
• The pool is 60 inches in diameter (24 inches high).
  
• It takes an experienced person about 15-20 minutes to install.
  
• It takes about 55 minutes to fill the pool, depending on your water pressure and supply of hot water. If the supply is not sufficient, start with hot water first, add cold water while the hot water is warming up, and then change again to the hot.
  
• Women and birth attendants can get into the tub before it is completely filled, and let the warm water pour on them.
  
• The pool comes with one or two (depending on the type) a three- prong plug (grounded) waterbed- type heater, and it has its own thermostat that switches on and off when needed. You should feel comfortable, but not too warm.
  
• During the labour, the water is usually around 37-38 degrees Celsius. Constant monitoring of the temperature is very important.
  
• Your midwife will let you know the appropriate time is to get into the tub (ideally you should be at least 5cm dilated). If you are dilated less than five centimeters you may relax too much too soon, and unnecessarily prolong the labour.
  
• As always, your inner feelings, your instincts and your midwife's experience will be your best guides.
  
• But more than anything else, let your body speak for you. There is no right or wrong --it is only a magnificent process, a transition and a trust that the process has its own logic.
  
• More about waterbirth itself here .

1. Call (416-878-5392) or email for availability of the pool for your due date (we have a limited number of pools available)
2. Complete the Birth Pool Rental Agreement Form and send it in with your deposit
3. Either obtain a clean, lead-free hose for filling and draining your Birth Pool or, if you wish, we can provide one for you (if you agree in writing to use our equipment). There is no extra charge for using our hoses, pumps or adapters !
4. Your can expect your birth pool arriving no later than the beginning of your 38th week of pregnancy.
5. We will set up the Pool at your house but we also do recommend to give it a “trial run” and bond further with your birthing space and birthing equipment.
6. Have a beautiful birth experience.
7. Ask a friend or partner to give us a call within five days of the baby’s birth, and make sure that the pool is ready to be collected. We’ll come to your home to pick it up while you are enjoying your baby!

WHY OUR POOLS PROVIDE A FRIENDLIER SOLUTION?
 
1. Customer Service
We have been growing with True Blue Natural Family Resources for past 10 years, and we can say with certainty that we have witnessed an abundant variety of birthing experiences.We always try to visit each family who rents our products and services.
When we come into your house, we can help you by:
          Examining your house and helping to you visualize your birthing place. 
          Solving some of the little problems or answering some of the questions (such as “How the size of my water heater will affect the supply of hot water” or “Should I use my bath tub tap or the sink one?”), that seem to be crucial ones within the context.
         Making you and your partner more comfortable with the idea of birthing in water. We feel it is important for families to get a clear sense that they are not isolated, and there have been others all over the world walking the path.
         Not rushing thorough our visits. We stay as long as you need us, and when we leave all should be a straightforward “plug and play”. If there are any unanswered questions or further concerns, we are always available by either phone or email.

2. Heating Issues
Commercial kiddy pools have no heaters. Without heaters, even in the summer times, water will cool down quickly and further management of warm water needed for labour becomes more difficult. It is dangerous to use a water heater in inflatable pools if the pools are not designed to be filled with warm water on the first place.
Our pools have not only a different type of vinyl (the one that easily endures warm and hot water) and thick sheets of insulation but also an external pocket where the water heater can be placed safely and securely. 

3. Issues of Size and Depth of the Pool
Desirable depth for every birthing pool is at least 24”. Diameter of 60 inches makes pool comfortable enough to hold two people, birthing mother and her partner. Smaller pools and more shallow ones do not serve the purpose. To benefit from the so-called “natural epidurals” warm water provides the body (especially tummy) should be fully emerged. That is not always possible in the inflatable tubs or in a bathtub.

4. Ecologically speaking, we do provide a “greener” solution
The word green sums up ideas about reusing, recycling and otherwise curbing unnecessary consumption. It is something we have been deeply believing in for years and following since the beginning of our enterprise. If you buy a commercial kiddy pool and you do not have disposable liner, most likely you will throw the pool into the garbage right after the birth.
If you rent one of our pools, the only thing that ends up in garbage is your disposable liner.
However, even a disposable liner is sturdy enough to be used as many times as you need it within one rental period (usually 4-5 weeks).

Our green initiatives are:
 
o Reusability of all parts: let us repeat once more, all that we use in TBT kits will be used repeatedly over the time. It refers to heaters (when they stop working we do not throw them away but send them back to manufacturers for repair), sturdy vinyl liners, insulation and sturdy sheets, hoses, adapters and pumps. By renting our products (and services), you leave almost nothing behind, avoid a piling up of objects that will not be used more then once, maybe twice in your lifetime. Our first tub we bought for ourselves in 1999 is still in use and it has provided support for close to 100 mothers and babies since.   

o TBT disposable liners contain no latex and our TBT hoses are lead free.

o Cleaning policies we implement are based on green guidelines provided by both Renée Loux and Labour Environmental Alliance Society of Canada (please make sure you support highly recommended Cancer Smart Guide 3.0 too!)
o Finally, we have a rent three-get one free policy. Yes, you can get a tub for free but there is a work to be done. The truth is we are still waiting on the first family who will benefit from this policy although we do have a few forerunners. Well, you get the picture...

• one permanent liner (heavy duty, latex free vinyl)
• one individual disposable liner (3.5 mm thick)
• an insulation layer (2 sheets of highly resistant foam)
• a dual heater (UL approved) with thermometer that maintains the temperature of the water
• a submersible drain pump
• a floor support (floor padding)
• a fishing net for debris and a floating thermometer
• a universal faucet adapter  (a high quality brass fitting --we install it if needed)
• an antibacterial cleaning liquid
• a heavy- duty tub cover that will keep the temperature of the water stabilized for up to 8 hours.

"Thank you so much for the wonderful service we received with the birthing pool. Having the pool made the birth of my daughter a wonderful experience. Your husband is a wonderful man, and he was so kind and helpful when setting up and picking up the tub. I am sorry for the late note. I am scatterbrain on the best of days. Motherhood has only scattered my brain more. Thank you again for everything." Sincerely-Jennifer, Aaron and Ava

A quick thank you once again for your tub.  Both you and your kind husband were joys to work with.  You will be highly recommended. Love and light...