High Praise for the Birth Pool in a Box from a Guest Blogger

I had known since the day I found out I was pregnant that I wanted to give birth in water. My aunt had done it twice and said it was an amazing experience and said that if she were to have another baby, the birth pool in a box was the way to go.

I was 13 days overdue with my daughter and found out I was in labor when I was at the hospital having an ultrasound done. I was dilated to 6cms and my contractions were 3.5 minutes apart. By the time I got home from the hospital (5 minutes from my house) I was almost 7.5 cm dilated. We hadn't set up the pool yet, or even looked at it, so I was panicked that we wouldn't get it ready in time! However, within 15 minutes, my husband had everything set up and the birth pool was being filled. (The only problem we ran into was running out of hot water!)

The pool design is great. It fit perfectly into our medium sized bedroom and we still had enough room to walk around. I was in the pool with my husband; my mother, my mother in law, and the 2 midwives were in the bedroom as well and we all had lots of room to move around the bedroom.

The birth pool was very comfortable. It fit myself and my husband easily and I had lots of room to change positions. I ended up giving birth while in the sitting position, with my feet and legs being supported by my husband while he sat on the step in the pool.

We were in the water for about 20 minutes after my daughter was born, and the water stayed nice and warm, which was a concern of mine. I was worried the water would cool quickly, but I was pleasantly surprised that it stayed so warm for that long. In total I was in the birth pool for about 4 hours. (My labor was 5 hours long but I spent the first hour out of the pool.)

Overall the experience with the birth pool in a box was excellent. It was very easy to set up and take down; no mess and no fuss.

It's a must-have on my list for my next baby!

Confession time...

I have an obsession. It may even be bordering on an addiction. No, I’m not talking about cloth diapers, although I am obsessed with those. Nor am I referring to my french fry addiction (I visit our local chip wagon far too often). This time I’m talking about Ju-Ju-Be (and I don’t mean the little candies). I’m referring to the beautifully made, amazingly functional, outstandingly gorgeous diaper bags and accessories made by Ju-Ju-Be. If you haven’t seen any of these bags or, (GASP), even heard of them, let me take you down the rabbit hole.

I blindly got sucked into the Ju-Ju-Be vortex when my hubby bought me a Ju-Ju-Be bag and wallet for Mother’s Day. Neither of us had any idea about the Pandora’s box that had been opened. I quickly fell in love with the superior craftsmanship and organization that is common to all Ju-Ju-Be products. The attention to detail didn’t hurt either. I’m not really a glitzy, “bling” sort of girl, but there’s something charming and appealing about the little Rhine stones embedded in every zipper pull.

What finally pushed me beyond the point of no return, however, was the discovery of The Pink Room, an online forum where Ju-Ju-Be fanatics (or Pink Ladies, as we are affectionately called) unite and enable each others' bag obsessions. Among the many sub forums there are sections for interests such as cloth diapering and baby-wearing, a “family matters” forum where Pink Ladies ask for advice and offer support, and perhaps the favourite forum of most Pink Ladies, the Ju-Ju-Be bag-swap. Here you can find all things Ju-Ju-Be offered for sale or trade (FSOT) as well as specific items Pink Ladies are in search of (ISO).

It was on the FSOT forum that I found my next Ju-Ju-Be addition and added a whole new dimension to my growing obsession. Pink Ladies buy, sell and trade their bags like kids trading cards or marbles on the school yard. Granted the “merchandise” is a little more valuable and shipping costs have to be factored in, but the delight over trading and acquiring new Ju-Ju-Be’s is as pure and all encompassing as that of a child finding a rare marble to complete her collection.

Just so you don’t think I’m completely off my rocker I would like to say that although to the uninitiated my Ju-Ju-Be obsession my seem extreme, I am just a “Pinkadette” or “Pink newbie” compared to the more experienced, long-term Pink Ladies. Some of the more senior obsessed have complete collections of a certain print. They diligently and patiently search for every item ever made in that print. Others have 3 or more of the exact same bag in the exact same print because they want to have a back up in case something happens to one of their bags. My collection and obsession pales in comparison to this level of dedication.

I won’t overwhelm you with the plethora of bags and accessories available, nor will I try to describe the dozens of beautiful prints they come in. I merely want to give you a glimpse of the wonderful world of Ju-Ju-Be. After all, I would hardly be able to call myself a true Pink Lady if I didn’t at least try to spread the Ju-Ju-Be love.

Stay tuned for my review of Ju-Ju-Be’s newest and best selling diaper bag, the BFF. I promise not to be biased…

Jenny