Anyone seen or used EPI-NO Pelvic floor muscle trainer??

Hi ladies,

Just last week I got the exciting news that I'm pregnant with our first baby.

I am seeing Dr Samantha Hargreaves and plan to give birth at FPH.

In the list of documentation Dr Hargreaves sent me was a brochure for the EPI-NO Delphine Plus Childbirth and Pelvic floor muscle trainer.

It is supposed to be used from 3 weeks before labour to reduce the liklihood of perineal damage, tearing or requiring an episiotomy.

It's a silicone balloon looking thing with a hand pump, and the balloon gets inserted into the vagina and inflated to stretch the perineum.

Just wondering if anyone has used this, seen it before or has any comments on whether it works?

Em :p

I've heard of them, but never bought one for myself. They're not too uncommon though, so hopefully someone will come along who's used one! Just didn't want you to feel ignored...:p

Hi Darily,

I've heard of it... from this site actually. A few people have/are using them... search for epi-no (gotta use the '-' otherwise nothing will show up). And if you want to find specific posts about it click "show posts" so you don't have to trawl through all the threads looking for it. :-)

Hi Darily
I am seeing Samantha as well and I got that brochure sent to me. It freaked me out a bit to be honest, but I have my first appt with her next week so I'm going to ask her all about it!!

How exciting, I would love to hear what your feedback is after your first visit, and what I can look forward to!

My first appointment is on 22nd October (I'll be 9wks 1 day). How far along are you?

If you're due in May, you should join our Buddies group so we can compare notes along the way :)

Where do you plan to have bubs?

Em x

I believe there's a similar product on adult product websites which could be cheaper, but whether or not it would do the same job is another thing.

At friend of mine used it with her first baby, she thought it was the best thing on earth! She had no tears and her ob brought other midwives in to take a look at her to show how good the epi no was. After two births and tearing twice I'm wondering if I should look into it too next time I'm pregnant.

Thanks for the feedback Tam78, it sounds like it may be worth the $ after all. You can't really put a price on not tearing I think!

Something to definitely think about.

Hey Darily,
I'm due on April 22 so a month before you!
I'm having the baby at Frances Perry, my husband works at the Royal Childrens so he rates it quite highly. I'll let you know how I go when I see Samantha!
Thanks for alerting me to the Buddies area - I've joined the April babies group.

i know a few ppl who have used the epi-no some liked it and some didnt.. i think it is a way to 'train' your pelvic floor and more importantly your perineum so you build up gradually to the birth itself...
I personally didnt use it - i did perineal massage, used evening prim oil too... and that was enough for me.. i did tear though (it was not as bad as i expected, i didnt even notice at the time) but i am not sure if the epi no would have helped me to be honest.. that is my experience. i have also heard of ppl tearing when using the epi no (v slight)... if it is recommended by your OB i would suggest having a chat to her about it and then do what you are comfortable with - we are all diff and whatever makes you feel most prepared is the best thing for you. in any case you dint need to decide anything about that kind of thing for a while! enjoy your pregnancy, all v exciitng!

i have been using the Epi-No (albeit sporadically!) for the last few weeks to try and stretch my perineum in preparation for the birth. i haven't been using it for pelvic floor exercises - i get bored way too quickly and am too ill-disciplined for that!!

I haven't had my baby yet so am not sure to what extent i'll tear, but i do think that just by using the Epi-No it's given me some idea of the stretching sensation that i'll feel when the baby crowns, which hopefully will help me be more relaxed when it happens for real...

i got up to 9cms one day last week and did tear myself very slightly (just a tiny bit of blood, and didn't feel it), which was a little off-putting and i didn't use it again until today.
the fact that i got up to 9cms without any of the labour hormones flowing through my body, and after only a few minutes of stretching (rather than the more pro-longed stretching it's sure to undergo during labour), does make me feel more confident that i will not rip completely in two (my previous fear!) during the birth.

i would recommend using an Epi-No to build your confidence and ellay fears if you are particularly concerned about tearing (which i previously was).

Victoria used the epi-no during both of her pregnancies.

There was a small Australian research study which indicated that women who used it had a lower incidence of tears.

I think in hindsight, for Victoria, the thing she found most useful was that the epi-no taught her what the feeling of her perineum stretching really felt like, so that when it happened in labour, she wasn't scared by the sensation.

It's rather awkward to use, and I'm not sure if it's testament to Victoria's pelvic floor muscles or not, but we had lots of difficulty getting it to stay in. We never made it to 10 cm with it, because it tended to slip out before we pumped it up that far.

We used the epi-no in conjunction with perineal massage, and Victoria has had a small tear both times.

As you say pregpan, plenty of time to talk to others about it and cjhat with my ob, but I think it sounds like a good investment if it can give me some idea of what sensation to expect - makes the whole experience less daunting when is actually happening!

Just a touch of clueless, would love to keep in touch with you seeing we're seeing the same ob and are booked into the same hospital. Even though we aren't in the same buddy group, feel free to PM me and we can chat that way. Heaps of notes to compare I'm sure!

Hi Darily
I only remembered when I turned up for my first appt at Samanthas offices that she was on holidays! I saw her fill in who was lovely. I was very nervous and when I saw the ultrasound for the first time it was amazing! My husband was hilarious, as the baby was kicking around like at a disco. He kept saying "can't you feel that??" He knew babies moved but had always thought it was like Tai Chi - very slow, so to see these little legs going for it I think he has visions of soccer stardom already. I cried too which kind of shocked me, but I was so happy to have a sign that the baby was alive. I'd like to keep in touch with you too but I can't PM as I don;t have enough posts. let me know how your first appt goes!