Epi No

[kerrie]

Hi Girls,

Has anyone out there used the Epi No and what are your thoughts on it????

Kerrie :)

[noniandlilysmum]

Hi Kerrie, can you explain what the EPI NO is? Haana :confused:

[kerrie]

Hi Hanna,
The Epi No is a pelvic floor training device. it has a balloon at one end and a hand held pump at the other. The idea is that you use it daily from 37 weeks onwards to train your pelvic floor/ perinieum. i.e you put the balloon into your vagina and pump it up a little then push it out yourself...increasing the size of the balloon each day untill you can comfortably get to 10cm.
They say that the Epi No is clinically proven to reduce the incidence of perineal tears and decrease the length of second stage. In addition it gets you used to the sensation of stretching/pushing. Aparently it can also be used postnatally to improve your pelvic floor integrity.
It sounds great but I dont know anyone whos used one so was just searching for a bit of anecdotal evidence...
Kerrie :)
PS: Just punch Epi-No into a search energine if you want more details

[tiabella]

Hello and no I have not used one but just remember anyhing can happen its child birth, I was expecting to have my child naturally and was booked in to be induced and was in labour for 12 hours from 6:30 am to 8:00 I had trouble all the way the usual story, and I had to have an emergency c section as I only dilted 4 cm at the most and the cord was wraped around my babies head twice and thats why.
Beides the point my baby is fine and beautiful girl, also I didn't feel any pain I have drugs from the get-go. don't rule out your options.

I hope you have a great child birth and a beautiful baby, I hope you have your child naturally I wish I hd the opp to experience it.

[kerrie]

Hi All,
No responses form anyone on the site who has used the Epi No so I asked a gorgeous midwife friend of mine if shes cared for any women who have.
Interestingly she said that there is a childbirth educator in her geographical region who advocates them and she (my midwife friend) has since cared for aprox 10 first time mums in labour who have used the Epi- No.
When quized on her anecdotal evidence she said "There fabulous"..apparently, in her experience, the first time mums who have used the epi no birth like women having their 2nd or subsequent vaginal birth; Decreased pushing time + no tear's :D
Anyway, thats convincing enough for me, Im getting one!....Kind of makes sence to me too that if I'm preparing my body for labour by doing yoga and cycling then why not prepare my pelvic floor?
Kerrie :)

[staki]

:o Hi
I too have heard good things about the Epi-No, and I am yet to speak to someone who has used one. My ob/gyn recommended it. I was a little sceptical (i think mainly because of the price tag!) but after reading lots of info from the internet, I'm going ahead with the purchase. I'm due 14th April, let me know how you proceed if your due earlier than me!
Good Luck

[mummyb]

no i didnt use epi no ,
because it was to expensive ,(its not like it has more than one use) but friends of mine bought and used them and raved about them .
to be truthfull i think its aload of b.s marketed on womens fear of tearing and the assosicated pain. but thats just me
the women i know who did perinnium massage( including me) didnt seem to miss out on to much. all you need for massage is some oil (almond is great ) and some time to explore your body.you can get a fact sheet from most hospitals .its free and easy .
it can also be a nice thing for your husband to do .
hope wether you buy one or not your labour is quick and asbeautiful as mine .
:)

[kerrie]

Hi All,
for anyone interested there about $180.
I too thought seriously about spending that kind of money but have decided that if I can use it to re-train/improve my pelvic floor integrity postnatally, in addition to preparing it for the birth then, for me, I think the benefits of using it will outweigh the cost.

Mummyb (congrats on your beautiful birth :) I agree there is a lot of marketing based on fear of pain & tearing. Personally I'm not that scared of getting a tear, I know my body has the ability to heal beautifully. Its more the pelvic floor prep and repair that appeals to me......the thought of not tearing is just a bit of icing rather than a deciding factor for my purchase.

Perineal massage does have big benefits, as you point out; its free and is a great way of getting in touch with your body and, in particular, the sensation of perineal stretching, it just doesnt do anything for your pelvic floor. I know Pelvic floor exercises are free too, but Im yet to meet a woman whos diligent at doing these postnatally..... Apparently the Epi No has some type of monitor on it that indicates that your squeezing/doing your pelvic floor exercises correctly.
My Ma Pee's each time she coughs, laughs and sneezes :o so if I can do anything that might prevent this later in life then I'm up for it...plus I kind of know that (embarrased to admit this) if I spend $180 on a device then I'll use it.

Your due before me Staki (I'm due Julyish)....so I'll look forward to reading your birth story before I post mine :)
Kerrie

[Baby Girl]

Until reading this post I had never heard of the Epi-No. After having a look on the net, I probably wouldn't use one.

I had a very long labour but had no tearing and gave birth to my daughter naturally.

I found that the best thing I could do pre and post natal was to have sex. Before birth we would make a date to do my perenial stretching exercises and as clinical as it sounds it can actually be quite fun!! After birth the best thing I did for my pelvic floor muscles was have sex and plenty of it (no complaints from my partner). Just remember contraception or you'll end up with 2 instead of 1!!

That might be a bit to the point but hey its what got us all here in the first place!! ;)

[wattle]

Hi. I used the epi no in the last two months of my pregnancy. It helped me to feel confident that I was training the right muscles and to get used to pushing. I was scared of tearing, and felt that I'd be fine as I could get to 8cm with no trouble. I had difficulty getting further than 8cm though.

Then came labour... I was induced and despite all the hard work, I ended up having an episiotomy (much to my disappointment). However, I avoided having forceps or suction which was a relief and this may have been due to the epi no. Anyone's guess. Just goes to show that anything can happen, and it's pretty hard to tell whether things would have been any different if I hadn't used it at all.

I thought of using it postnatally, but am not too keen. I think I'll just stick to the pelvic floor exercises.

I'd say that if you feel that it's the right thing to do, then do it. Otherwise don't. I reckon I'll use it again for the next one though.

[Lizzy_80]

:thumbsup:
Hey,, I gave birth to my son 19mths ago and like you guys saw the Epi-no advertised and couldn't justify the price in it.. But alas giving birth I encountered 3rd degree tears and this was very painful. As one of you suggested my husband and I have quite an active sex life before and after. Though this did not seem to help. I did have 2 severe chest infections with coughing CONSTANTLY for up to a month both times so maybe that played a part.

Anyway now I am 27wks pregnant with my little girl. I have decided to get an epi-no. And this pregnancy I am just now getting over a 3rd chest infection. Even though I find the Epi-no still too high priced I think that it is worth it if I can avoid 6wks of limping around because of third degree tears..

[vcourtenay]

I have just bought the epi-no in preparation for the birth of my third child. The first was a cesarean (breech) and the second was 9pound 3 and I ended up with 2nd degree tearing AND a minor prolapse. I have been DILIGENT with my pelvic floor excercises this time around because I wouldn't wish a prolapse on my worst enemy.

My question with the epi-no is once you "stretch" the perineal area does it then stay stretched? I know pelvic floor muscles can be toned because I went through physio to tone mine back up, but can anyone who's used the epi-no let me know about the perineal area?

[happytobehere]

just wanting to revive this thread and obtain any info from women for or against who have used the epi-no..

[Miss_Vicki]

i was thinking about gettin it this time ,but i dont know ;) love to hear more to !! last time i read this i was preg with my last ;)

[missie_mack]

I used it with my first and will probably get another with my second (a VBAC). I seen the gradual improvement that is enough to make me go back and try it again

[jaq]

I used the Epi-No with my first pregnancy and think its fabulous. Not for the main reasons most people give (not tearing etc) but for the simple fact it removes a lot of the fear factor that many women feel going into labour for the first time.

(I am sure there are many strong, unafraid women out there who relish the thought of childbirth, but I wasn't one of them.)

By feeling I could do something to help my body cope, I felt more in control of the process. Also - and this is important! - the balloon replicates the feel of the baby's head bearing down, and when it happens, its not such a shock. By using the Epi-No, you learn to RELAX through that feeling, and that helps you control the pain (or eliminate it?) quite a lot.

Does it stop you tearing? Who knows. I had a 3.89kg baby and a fast (3hr) labour; came out of it with a first degree tear. Maybe it would have been worse if I hadn't used the Epi-No, maybe not.

It is a big cost outlay, but for me was money well spent. An investment in peace of mind if you will.

(The reason I didn't use it for my second is that you are supposed to start at 37 weeks, and Sofia showed up at 36 weeks! I had planned to ....)

By the way, another thread similar to this has popped up on the Hub quite recently - the original poster was singlepregnantchick.

Good luck whatever you decide!

[MamaSage]

A woman on another fourm used it and posted a really comprehensive report on what she found. If you are interested pm me and I'll link you.

[Anna989]

I bought the epi-no (http://www.chemistaustralia.com.au/products/epi-no-delphine-plus-birth-and-postnatal-trainer-device.html) and had my baby and had no tears - took only 1 hr compared to my first labour which took me 12hrs!!! I think the epi no (http://www.chemistaustralia.com.au/products/epi-no-delphine-plus-birth-and-postnatal-trainer-device.html)worked great!

:yelclap:

[sassandspice]

Hi,

I'm bumping up this thread to see if anyone else has any positive or negative stories about the epi-no?

I'm terrified of tearing during labour but I'm also scared of inserting something like this during my pregnancy...is it safe?

[sassandspice]

I've found some other past threads about the epi-no:

http://www.tas.bubhub.com.au/community/forums/showthread.php?t=83482

http://www.nt.bubhub.com.au/community/forums/showthread.php?t=164016

http://www.bubhub.com.au/community/forums/showthread.php?t=128038

The epi-no website is: http://www.epi-no.com.au/

Anyone have any recent advice/feedback about this device?

[Richgirl]

Dear People,

A long read - but hopefullt worth it.

Im 35weeks pregnant ......have been using EPI NO to stretch my perineum vagina area to avoid the tear or worse episiotomy.....have you been watching birthing videos?? notice they all have one thing in common pain associated with crowning, thats when the baby's head is heading out the exit, ouch, ouch, ouch and thats when you hear the woman scream and thats were you see her tear or worse an interferance such as an episiotomy or forceps.

My experience:

First few times i used the EPI NO, i used it to practice my pelvic floor muscles.......but i noticed that i had reached 8-10 on the guage wich meant i was super strong, and well above their maxium "progress table", in other words I have excellent mucsles - now ofcourse there is always room for improvement however i guess im lazy and now im nearing labour so i have started to use it for its other purpose 'stretching the perinium' in addition the simulation also allows you to experience the sensation ahead of time. So hopefully no post truamatic stress and plenty of confidence during second stage labour.

Stretching my perinium:

I have learnt that I am super small compared to whats required e.g baby's head. The average circumfrance of a newborns head = 35-37cm which means 11cm in diameter (round), try drawing a circle like this so you can get an idea of how big your vagina must stretch to.

yep see wow hah.

The first time i got the Epi No baloon up to 5cm diameter and my vagina slowly pushed it out without my assistance, when there is so much pressure against your vaginal walls, the walls push (((kinda like your ********)) a mind of its own...however it hurts, i let out a yelp ...i was in alot of pain and what followed was a ring of fire and that was only 5cm.

Since then I have progressed to 9cm dimeter........over night though your vagina shrinks somewhat so it takes a few goes to get it up to 9cm each morning. By pumping it up and then very slowly letting it out halfway so that it reaches that perinial area just towards the end of your vaginal canal ((thats were it hursts)) and then poof it pushes itself out, so you got to kinda hold it with your hand just there for a bit to prevent it from slipping out or pushing out coz thats were it needs to stretch.

Anyway i highly reccomend it and would love to give you a lowdown on my experience regarding birth......i was pleased to read a moment ago that a girl who had given birth without it it took 12hours and tore and then her second birth she used the EPI NO and gave birth in 1hour no tears. WOW.

The strange thing wich has got me dumb founded is the fact that both doctors and mid-wifes know about it and dont bother telling you, yet they tell you can use your hand to stretch the pernium yuck..whatever this is designed to simulate birth I MEAN HELLLLOOOOOO wakey wakey whats wrong with these people.

Dr Wilhelm Horkel is the founder of this product after watching women in africa sticking different sized gourdes into thier vaginas (((eeek))... he took the idea to germany and then designed the EPI NO.... completed many studies wich you can find and read about for yourself. Better still try it.

HAPPY BIRTHING :BFing:

[witherwings]

I am definitely buying the epi-no. I ordered an info pack off the website, and I'm convinced that I will buy it and use it. My DH doesnt want to hear anything about it - he thinks its extremely icky, but I think the idea is fantastic, and just the knowledge that its available for me, really takes a huge weight off my shoulders, because I really have been scared of childbirth for a long time for that reason (tearing).

My question to the PP is: how do you use the epi-no for pevlic floor exercises? In the info pack, it says you should use the balloon from 37 weeks to stretch your perinium, but nothing about how to use it for pelvic floor exercise.

[tadly83]

I discovered the epi-no during my first pregnancy after researching episiotomies. My family have a tendency to have small vaginal openings and tearing during birth. I used the epi-no 5 week before my due date as I believed I would need the extra time to stretch far enough. I measure around the circumference of the balloon as that is how they measure the baby's head after birth. I started at 17 cm around and it was painful. During the following weeks I used the epi-no daily 10 minutes at a time. Twice I felt a little pop as I tore slightly and there was a tiny amount of blood. I managed to get the balloon to 31cm by the birth day. I didn't use it exactly as they instruct, rather I held it at the opening to stretch there instead of all the way inside. My baby's head was 34cm and I still did tear a tiny bit but the final stage of birth was so quick. If I had not stretched prior I would have been in terrible pain and pushing for a very long time and I'm certain I would have needed to be cut. It was a long exercise getting my vagina large enough to pass a baby with the epi-no but WELL worth it for the torture I saved myself. I did not use the epi-no to restore my pelvic muscles though when I started using the epi-no a few weeks ago in preparation for the birth of my 2nd baby next week, I could only get the balloon to 19cm before it felt pinchy. My vagina went back to almost it's original size after using this device. One member had concerns about putting object into the vagina and I'll sya this, if your doctor says sex is safe then using the epi-no is too. Make sure it is clean before insertion and it is no different to a penis. By far they can be rather unhygienic at times too. I definately recommend using the epi-no. This time I have inserted the balloon all the way inside to stretch the whole area. When giving birth to my 1st I realised it is extremely painful as well having the child in the birth canal without having been stretched in preparation. I hope to just pop this baby out and have stretched to 33cm circumference this time so hopefully no more little tears (unless I get a 37cm!) :laughing:

[JuInJune]

Hmm... I hadn't even heard of the epi-no prior to reading about it just now but it sounds interesting.

I would be interested to know if it affects the length of labour (I could end up being up to 3 hours away from my hospital waiting for someone to drive me)

And for anyone that's used it, how has your partner felt about it? I have a feeling my dp would think of it more like a sex toy than a tool to help prepare for childbirth, and therefore make it harder to justify paying 180 bux for. Is there a chance it actually helps your pelvic floor outside pregnancy?

I've been very slack with PFE's so to think there's an object out there that can help would be very interesting.

Is it available in shops? I'm going on 36weeks now, I'd hate to have it show up at my door a week before bubs is due leaving me no time to actually use it.

[jessicajane86]

I bought one because i heard amazing things about it, then i opened the box and chickened out, there was no way i could bring myself to... put it anywhere hehe.. so i wasted all that money and its just sitting in the cupboard gathering dust, i hope no one ever pulls it out and asks me what it is eek

[JuInJune]

pmsl...
literally i think.. damn full bladder n all.

[tadly83]

Th epi-no has no effect on reducing the length of labour. The time it takes for your cervix to dilate and efface is separate to the time when the baby comes through the birth canal. As for using the device as a sex toy.... it is a floppy rubber balloon with a cigarette size rod inside to inflate it. I guess it could be used in other ways when slightly inflated but it's nothing like a "toy" and when inflated in the way it is meant it is the most uncomfortable object :) If someone asked what it was, you just say it is to prepare the body for birth. All of the pregnancy emails I have been receiving say to enlist your partners help in massaging the perineum daily. Not only does my partner not want to spend 15 minutes with his thumbs pushing down on my perineum every night, but the epi-no helps to stretch the entire ring and knowing how women can tear up as well as down I say the epi-no is exceptional. When delivering my 1st child the burning sensation was up at my urethra/clitoris and gee is HURT. If I hadn't prepared with the epi-no I think I may not have a clitoris anymore. :laughing: Don't be embarrassed about using an item like this. And check Ebay for ones that people don't want to save a few $. Not all have been used, though if you think about it, when you visit the doctor for check-ups, the implements they use aren't throw away. They have all been inserted into other peoples vaginas many times. With proper sterilisation and care, a used epi-no is not the end of the world.

[sammmm]

Hi,

Just thought I'd share my experience with epi-no delphine plus.
My Ob recommended it for my 1st preg. First time I read about it I thought no way, but curiosity got me.

I started using it for pelvic floor exercises but found that really challenging.
At 34 weeks I started using it for stretches and after 2 to 3 weeks got to the 9.5cm diameter mark (there's a measurement guide included). Using it in a quiet place with no distractions really helps as it really is an intense exercise to keep it at the right place, without it popping out by itself. I was too rigorous with its use at one stage and ended up with a tiny pin point graze and a spot of blood so cut back and trained more slowly.

In the end my first time labour was 15 hours but the pushing was quick and there were no tears. Only a tiny graze. So all my hard work and $180 really did pay back. It's hard work tho, so probably won't use it for #2. I'm thinking everything should be easier for #2 anyways. :rolleyes:

[SomewhereOverTheRainbow]

We've discussed them at work and most of the midwives think they are a bit strange and that it might not be a good thing to stretch up those muscles over and over (which I agree with).
TBH in my student year last year I saw only 1 episiotomy out of about 40 or so vaginal births. It was also the only forceps I've seen. I have yet to actually see a third degree tear and even a second degree I've only seen a handful.
When I gave birth to both my babies (4.5kg and 4.27kg) I didn't use anything like this or even do perineal massage but didn't have any tears (just a small graze each time which is normal). The one important thing I did do was listen to my midwife and not push when baby was restituting, use the panting and slow pushes to give everything time to stretch up.
That is one of the most important things u can do because often when a lot of damage is done it is that the woman has just given a huge push when baby wasn't in a good position or they have pushed baby too quickly etc. the burning pain u feel is your bodies way of telling you to go slow.

And the other thing I would suggest is not to get an epidural if u can avoid it. Too often, epidurals=instrumental delivery which means episi if it's forceps.

[sammmm]

Wow that is a really low rate of epi ... 1 out of 40. I was told about 1 in 5 esp for private hospitals in australia. Found some data at http://www.birth.com.au/Episiotomy-tearing/Episiotomy-tearing-in-Australia and that sounds like what I heard before.

Would love to know the hospitals that have a low rate. My ob also said tearing happened with about half of patients....maybe that is too high...

epi no was a safeguard as all my family members tore badly and I thought there was no harm in using it. i feel ok (normal now) besides from things looking different which i'm guessing all mums think after popping one out :laughing:

never thought about whether it was bad to keep the stretches up...oh well too late now :(