Please note: This is for the Birth Tub rental service (formerly Puget Sound Water Birth) connected to Seattle Midwives.
First things first: I am usually very understanding and give folks lots of room for error. We're all human, after all. That said, my experience with Puget Sound Water Birth was not great. My contract was as follows: $300 for setup, fill, cleanup and removal of a birthing tub for my home birth.
I went into labor early am Thanksgiving and called Tiffany to warn her it might be the day. When we texted a few hours later, she hinted at not wanting to come out because of the holiday. Luckily for her, my labor went another 24 hours before we needed the tub. When we texted the next night for the tub, she texted what seemed to be several reasons not to come (kids, drive, tub full time)... so if I'd rather a refund, she'd do that. My midwife had to step in to get t, since I was (duh) in active labor with double peaking contractions.
Upon arrival, Tiffany did a great job setting up quickly and quietly, allowing me to continue labeling without being disturbed. But...
After she left, she sent a very long text with instructions on how to empty the tub (which was supposed to be part of what I paid for her to do). I ended up in the hospital due to complications, and during that, I also had to manage Tiffany picking up the tub. Saturday, I sent clear messages that someone would be at our house so she could remove it but when I didn't confirm a second time (bc still in labor on Saturday!), she didn't show and my roommate sat waiting for hours. She finally came Sunday, bc I was able to confirm bc I had finally given birth.
Very long story short (yup, it could be longer), I had to manage the service WAY more than appropriate, it added stress to my already difficult labor, and I would not recommend Puget Sound Water Birth to anyone unless the service is greatly improved. read more