Comfortable Upright Birth Stool

How does the hire work.

When you hire a CUB, at checkout you will tell us your babies due date. You will receive the CUB around your 37 weeks gestation. Your hire is for 6 weeks. If you require your CUB hire before 37 weeks, after you have booked online, please email us at hello@birthmother.com.au notifying us on when you need it by. If you are past your 37 weeks, we will post the CUB to you ASAP, however this will be sent via regular post. If you wish to receive your CUB hire ASAP, please choose Express Post at checkout. 

How do i return the CUB to Birthmother? 

Your CUB hire will come to you with a prepaid satchel. All you need to do is place the the CUB and its contents neatly in the box, and then in the pre paid satchel, and visit your nearest Australia Post Office to return it.

What if i lost my prepaid satchel?

Unfortunately if you lose your prepaid satchel, you will have to  buy another, and return the CUB back to us. Don’t forget to include your details on the return satchel so we know who has returned it back to us. Please send return to:

Birthmother

Parcel Locker 10225 66867 
366 Goodwood Road
CUMBERLAND PARK SA 5041

What if I don’t use my CUB hire, can I ask for a refund?

Unfortunaltely not. Whether you use the CUB or not, we see it as, you have hired it, and that is our service to you.

Can I change my mind?

Yes of course, if we have not posted your hire out to you yet, you can cancel and we will refund you the the full amount less a $10 admin fee.

What does your hire come with?

The CUB hire comes with the CUB, a small hand pump, drawstring bag and instructions-all in a box. 

Why support the use of the Comfortable Upright Birth (CUB) support?

While it is true that many mothers need nothing more than their own inner resources to give birth, others also want or need additional external factors to facilitate safe natural birth and improve their experience of  childbirth. In many countries antenatal classes, hypno-birthing courses, yoga groups, doulas and aqua-natal classes are popular with women who are actively engaged in maximising their chance of a natural birth. They are in effect investing in their birth by being well prepared and in control; and attending or using one of these is often recommended as part of preparing for childbirth.

The CUB is another tool that mothers can invest in which can promote personal responsibility by putting the mother at the centre of her choices. It is designed around the principle of supporting physiological, natural birth and as a tool that may prevent complications due to the common use of the supine, hospital bed, space restricting maternal positions that are so common.
All mothers should have access to skilled, compassionate and supportive care as well as easy access to emergency facilities or specialists if required. However adding to the resources that can increase comfort, confidence and opportunity for less emergency intervention during childbirth can only be immensely beneficial for mothers, their babies and families.

When should the CUB not be used?

Women who have serious medical complications affecting their labour and birth including (but not exclusively) the following:

HELLP, Pre-eclampsia, Heavy PV bleeding, Placenta Previa, previous surgery to or 3rd/ 4th degree trauma to the perineum or women having pre-term labour. It is for individual mothers and their care providers to decide if the use of the CUB is appropriate or safe for their unique circumstances. The CUB should not be used in a birth pool.

When can the CUB be used?
The Cub can be used by any woman who is planning a natural birth and who has decided that the CUB is something she would like try. There are of course some situations that would impact on the risks and safety of the mother and baby that need to be considered and we have mentioned some of them in the next question (see below). However it is important to remember that what comfort measure or aid a woman chooses to bring with her or use during labour is her choice as long as it poses no obvious risks to others. The CUB can be used at home births, birth center or maternity unit births much the same as a other birth or exercise balls.

What are the benefits of using the CUB?
The CUB has many positive physical as well as psychological benefits. It supports the natural physiology of childbirth while decreasing the risks of many common complications that arise from sub optimal maternal position during birth. The CUB has a wide, flat stable base that provides comfort and stability for the woman while maintaining optimal positions for natural birth.
The CUB also allows the mother to remain relaxed and comfortable while in an optimal position for birth allowing her natural coping mechanisms, endorphins and flow of oxytocin to work. You can find links to research on upright birth positions  HERE

Is the CUB safe to use?
The CUB user weight maximum is 120kgs and it is made of bio-compatible PVC which can outperform many other materials in flexibility, strength, tear resistance and abrasion resistance. The CUB has a two separate inflation chamber safety system: so even if one chamber deflates the other will continue to safely support the woman.
​It complies with BS/EN14960 which is the required standard for the manufacture and testing of inflatables and is a class 1 CE mark registered medical device.

Is the CUB difficult to use?
The CUB is very user friendly and requires no additional specialist knowledge or training-it is simply inflated and used by the mother to either sit on or lean over. The CUB is lightweight, portable and can be easily cleaned with any household spray cleaner or hospital approved surface cleaner, it does not need to be sterilised. The perineum and any PV loss can be easily visualised if necessary.

How do we clean the CUB Support when using it in the hospital?
The CUB has been cleaned with a disinfectant, before it has been sent off to you however we ask that after you finish using it, clean it and wipe it down with the antibacterial solution provided to you in your hire. Please watch THE CUB guides on Caring and Cleaning for your CUB HERE

Can the CUB support be used more than once?
Yes the CUB can be used more than once, however as an inflatable consumer product it is not designed for high levels of use over extended periods of time. The CUB is a CE marked, Class 1 medical device registered with the MHRA in the UK. It conforms to European regulations on 1) Mechanical and physical properties 2) Flammability 3) Specification for migration of certain chemical elements. The Maximum user weight is 120kgs. 

What do we do if the CUB support will not inflate of stay inflated when we first receive it?
 The CUB is manufactured from PVC and as such is prone to stretching and can be affected by the ambient environmental temperature. This is why your CUB may need topped up with air regularly. This is not a manufacturing fault and should be expected. Keeping your CUB topped up with air ensures that it will provide the maximum amount of comfort and support required.