Renting vs Buying a Birthpool

Once you’ve decided on a water birth, the next practical question is whether to rent a birthpool or buy one outright. For most families, renting is the better choice — but it’s worth understanding why, so you can make the decision that fits your situation.

What renting looks like

When you rent from Trust Birthpools, the pool arrives several weeks before your due date — cleaned, inspected, and ready. The rental includes everything you need: the pool itself, an electric pump for inflation, a hose with tap adapter for filling, a disposable liner, and a drain pump for emptying afterwards. Higher-tier packages add a thermometer, sieve, floor mat, gloves, warm cover, and support straps.

After the birth, you drain the pool, remove the liner, deflate it, and it gets collected. You don’t need to clean it, store it, or think about it again.

The cost for a complete rental package starts at €180 for the Standard tier.

What buying looks like

Buying makes sense in specific situations: you’re planning multiple water births across several pregnancies, you live somewhere that rental services don’t cover, or you want to own the equipment for other reasons.

The “Personal” version of Birthpool in a Box is designed for individual purchase. You buy the pool and a liner. Everything else — pump, hose, thermometer, accessories — you source separately or add from the manufacturer. For each subsequent birth, you’ll need a new liner.

The upfront cost is higher than a single rental. You’re also responsible for storage between pregnancies, checking the pool’s condition before reuse, and sourcing all the accessories yourself.

Find out about renting a birth pool for your home water birth

The practical comparison

Renting gives you lower upfront cost, everything included in one package, no storage needed, and a pool that’s been professionally maintained and checked between users. You pay once, use it, and return it.

Buying gives you ownership, the ability to reuse across multiple pregnancies, and independence from rental availability. But it costs more upfront, requires storage space, and means you’re responsible for your own setup and maintenance.

For most families, renting wins

If you’re planning a single home water birth — which most families are — renting is simpler, cheaper, and less hassle. You don’t need to become a birthpool expert. You don’t need space in your garage for the next few years. You just need the right equipment to arrive, work, and go away again afterwards.

For midwives attending multiple home births, buying the Professional version makes more sense — it’s built for repeated use and is more economical over time.

If you’re not sure, start with a rental. If you end up wanting another water birth down the line, you can always rent again — or buy then, with the experience of having used one already.