Are you considering home birth with a birthing tub?

Then you may have wondered if your floor can handle the weight of a full birthing tub. Fortunately, the vast majority of floors are designed to handle much greater loads than you might think. Here is a simple guide to how to distribute the weight, what floors can typically support, and how to ensure a safe and stable birthing experience in your own home.

How much does a full feeding trough weigh?
A typical inflatable birthing tub is filled to a water depth of approximately 45 cm. Together with the birthing tub, it weighs approximately 450–700 kg, depending on the size of the tub and the amount of water.
It may seem like a lot, but it actually corresponds to something your floor already handles without any problems:

Example: 5-7 people at the dining table

• 5–7 adults each approx. 85 kg (425–595 kg)
• 5–7 dining chairs, each about 7–10 kg (35–70 kg)
• A sturdy dining table weighing approximately 40–50 kg

Total weight: approximately 500–715 kg

This means that the weight of a full feeding trough with one person in it corresponds to the weight of 5–7 adult people with chairs and table combined.
If your floor can handle a cozy dinner or 5-7 grown-ups on a sofa, it can also safely handle a feeding trough.

The weight is distributed differently
When people sit on chairs, the floor is loaded at small points (chair legs), which results in higher loads per square meter. A feeding trough, on the other hand, sits flat on the floor and distributes the weight evenly over a larger area – typically 1.5–2 m².
This means that the food bowl puts less strain on the floor per square meter than a group of people around a table or sofa does.

Floor structures and load-bearing capacity
A typical residential floor is usually designed to withstand a load of around 250–500 kg per m², depending on the floor construction and the age of the building.

• New buildings:
  Here, floors are often built to modern standards and can typically support 400–500 kg per m² or more. This means that the floor can easily handle the weight of a feeding trough, which distributes its weight over approximately 1.5–2 m².
• Older buildings:
  Floor construction in older homes and apartments can vary greatly, but many can still handle 250–350 kg per m². Although this is lower than in new construction, it is usually still strong enough to support a feeding trough, especially if you place the trough over beams or other solid areas. A feeding trough distributes the weight evenly over a large area, unlike, for example, chair or sofa legs, which load small points. This means that even in older construction, the weight will often be more gentle than you might think.
  TIP:
  Place the tub over load-bearing walls or floor joists. Avoid the middle of large, old living rooms with wobbly floorboards. Consult a professional if in doubt. Fill the tub gradually and check the floor: If the floor remains stable, you can safely fill the tub completely. Consider la bassine standard and not la bassine maxi or Enblidstart Pro, which are larger tubs.

Safe and proven - thousands do it every year
Home births with a birthing tub are nothing new - they happen every year to thousands of families, both in houses and apartments, and without any problems with the floor. As long as you follow the simple recommendations and choose a suitable place in the home, you can safely prepare for a safe and relaxed water birth at home.