Do Home Birth Tubs Leak?

Deciding to rent a home birth tub means your upcoming labor and delivery will be much more comfortable than it would have been. But it also invites some questions. One of those is, do home birth tubs ever leak?

Birth tubs aren’t something you see every day, so most people aren’t very familiar with them and don’t know what to expect.

But you certainly wouldn’t want them to leak. That would be disastrous.

The Damage a Birth Tub Leak Would Cause

If a birth tub did leak, it could cause significant damage to your home, depending on the nature of the leak.

If it was a slow leak, you could manage it to keep the flow contained. But if the leak was sudden and involved large amounts of water, it could damage your floors, walls, furniture, electronics, or whatever else happens to be nearby in the room where you’re giving birth. And there is a lot of water in a birth tub.

But beyond all that – dealing with a birth tub leak while undergoing labor and delivery is really not something you’d like to deal with.

So, what’s the risk of a leak?

3 Options for Water Births at Home

There are three primary ways to do a water birth at home if you choose to go that route. And once you’re immersed in the water, you’ll be glad you did, because resting in the warm water during labor is way, way, way more comfortable than not being in water. There’s no comparison.

But how does each method hold up with all that water? Here are the three options:

Heated Birth Tubs

These are the best kind of birth tub to rent, and one reason is because they will not leak. Royal Birth Tubs only offers heated tubs.

These are constructed with a hardened circular wall that unravels when you set it up. That hardened wall gets covered with a very thick rubber covering, and an additional plastic liner goes over that. These tubs will not leak. The rubber covering is very thick, and the walls are sturdy and firm. They cannot topple over when you climb in the tub.

Built-in Regular BathTubs

These will obviously not leak either, though it’s likely you’ll spill water all over the floor because you’ll have to get in and out of the tub several times during your labor.

And, built-in bathtubs are not birth tubs. They are not meant for sitting in for hours and hours during labor and delivery. You will not be comfortable if you try to give birth in your home’s normal bath tub.

Though the sizes of bathtubs vary, there’s typically little room to move or spread out. You can’t submerge. You can’t flip over and remain underwater and comfortable. You can’t sway. It just isn’t built for this purpose.

Inflatable Birth Tubs

Inflatable tubs are like the Acme brand in those old Bugs Bunny cartoons. Cheap and dangerous. And that’s not a joke. Not only can these tubs leak, but simply climbing in them risks spilling water over the side if you fill it too full or lose your balance when climbing in.

But yes, inflatable birth tubs can leak, and we have firsthand experience with this.

Not long ago, we had a potential customer who received a free inflatable tub, so they decided to use that instead of pay for one.

But then, the night of their delivery, after labor began, they frantically called us at 11pm because their tub was leaking.  Fortunately, we had an unrented tub with us, so we were able to quickly meet with them and get them a tub. They were able to set it up and fill it with water before she gave birth, and the story had a happy ending.

So, if you want to save money and use an inflatable tub, you can take that risk.

But bear in mind that these tubs, like anything inflatable, can leak, and after many repeated uses, they eventually will. Plus, inflatable tubs cannot be heated, and having consistently warm water that you never have to change out and refill (like you do in a birth center) is a luxurious way to go through labor and delivery in a home birth.

See How Well a Birthing Woman Fits in Each Type of Tub

Watch this video to see us demonstrate how well you’ll fit in three different types of tubs.

Have More Questions about Home Birth Tubs?

See our page of frequently asked questions, and learn more about renting and using a heated birth tub in your upcoming home birth.