EPI-NO for the precious perineum

[jcne]

Has anyone used one? I would just get on with perineum massage but my partner is away for the next 10 weeks and I'm not sure I can reach well enough to do an adequate job. but £90!

or any other advice re tears?

I really think it's a bit like stretch marks and how elastic your skin is will be based on genetics.

There's not much you can really do to prevent tears. (Although they tell people that there is as otherwise people would freak out.)

I used one and I think it really helped. The price was not nice (I was living in Canada at the time and it was VERY costly, over $150). However, it was worth every penny.

Felt a bit weird using it at first, but I am 100% positive it helped with the birth of my son. He had a head in the 100th percentile and was OP (back to back). He was a ventouse delivery (due in part to my extreme exhaustion by that point, but head size definite factor), and although I tore it wasn't severe at all. In fact the consultant made a comment to the fact that he thought it would be worse while he was sewing me up (weird but true).

I recommend getting it!

oh wow, thank you titi. i think we are going to give it a try. a minimal tear would be worth £90!!

My advice is to birth in water if you can

jcne my thoughts exactly! Hope all goes well.

thanks tubby. I'm a bit grimmed out by the idea of a water birth tbh. also makes me feel chilly just thinking about it. i've got some NCT classes and a labour ward tour coming up though so maybe i will change my mind!

Jnce I was grossed out by it too after I read there'd be certain poo with a water birth bug a colleague recommended it and it was great. Couldn't imagine any other way as the water helped so much with the pain and no damage. It's warm like a bath.

Have ordered the epi-no for my luxury vagina 🤓

I'll try to remember to update how I get on ~28th April

I'm dubious about the idea. The only time the perineum is stretched normally is giving birth, as a once-off thing. I would want to see more research about the effects of frequent repeated stretching of the skin over several weeks in advance of the birth.

And OP just to say there is very little one can do to prevent tears if your baby's position etc dictate it. It's not your fault if you do have a perineal injury (often posts like this dictate that you wouldn't tear if you did things right).

I would like to share my experience as I want to help women who want to save their periumium from unnecessary and avoidable damage. I don't know why some women feel so conservative about It, when it comes to childbirth nothing else matters I just want to prevent being ripped or cut down there it doesn't have to be that way. At first I was unsure whether it would work also the price put me off but there was really nothing else more logical than this or better gusrantee. Using epino is all about self control (I read a lot about it and watched 2 videos) so I gave it a shot.

I had the natural birth I wanted with no pain relief (just gas and air at the very end) no tears no episiotomy and no instrumental birth equipments required. I went to the bathroom 2 hours after birth with no problems.

I gave birth to my baby girl on Valentine's day 14th Feb 2017. Her HC 35cm (diameter about 12cm). I started using epino on 14th Jan very carefully so as not to tear myself. Sometimes I skipped days. There were some days with no improvement but I kept it up religiously. I only got up to 9.5cm and couldn't get pass it. My water broke on 13 Feb at 3am. 24 hours later I was only 2cm dilated so I had syntosinon (they call it augmentation or hormone drip) started at 6am 14th Feb. Alicia came out at 12:14. When she crowned my midwife actually held her head back in for probably 2 more contractions and told me try not to push which I think also helped my periumium time to stretch. Then she let her hand go and told me to really push and then she came out. The midwife examined me right after my placenta came out and gave all clear. She said I would have teared if it wasn't for the epino. So I'm very happy with it and will use it again for my second end of next year I am also sharing my measurements template.

Many ask if the vagina will be permanently stretched. The answer is no. That's the question that people ask and doubt and hence they don't want to try. The common misconception is, it doesn't stretch the vagina as it is stretchy already because it's made of muscles. The epino tool stretches the "perinium" - the skin between the vagina and the anus.

Oh and the stretched periumium does go back to being tighter than before

I used one for DS2. TBH, I've no idea if the fact that I only grazed was down to the Epi No, the water birth or just DS2's positioning. My midwife thought the Epi-No played a part, but there's no way to be sure, of course.

What I did find useful was that it kind of prepared me for the stretching sensation. DS2 was a VBAC and I was extremely nervous about what the end of labour would feel like. Obviously there was a fair bit else going on (like pushing!) but I did find using it in the last few weeks of pregnancy reassuring. And it's been a useful pelvic floor toner post birth.

In summary, no guarantees but if you can afford it, there may be some benefits for you.

I have heard from a midwife that tearing is partly down to luck and partly down to how you and your midwife handle the pushing part of labour. It's really important to listen and follow exactly what your midwife tells you - they tell you to stop pushing at times right towards the end, and although it's really hard, if you can listen and not push fully as the baby is crowning it slows that part of labour and means you're less likely to tear as the perineum has time to stretch. You midwife will
direct you, and you may find you can't listen, but maybe just knowing this will help you prepare in advance to really focus on what they're saying and try your best. Good luck!

OP here, a few name changes later

i had a 12 hour labour, no drugs and a whopping great episiotomy in the end. so mixed success. however! i sooooo hated the sensation of the epi-no i actually only used it once maybe next time? i have recovered from my epi just fine, i kind of like the scar too. tbh a cut was the least of my worries by that point and quite literally "the baby made it all worth while"

congratulations jenny and well done!

Thank you Anchor9! I also hated the sensation of the epino especially when it's so inflated and pushing it out. It felt like strong period pain and I'm very surprised after birth that it was actually a very similar (at least a fraction of the) sensation right before Alicia crowned! I think the fear of going into labour is not knowing how it will feel, or how to take it when the baby descends and crowns so epino really prepared me for that and I'm just glad it worked out for me.

DrG13 yes I also agree that it's part luck and part how good your midwife is at handling your birth especially during crowning. After all there is no guarantee if the baby will poop inside, in distress heart rate drops, or hand next to head or face down instead of the head etc etc.. so I guess I was very lucky non of that happened and just all down to my epino practice

I used one. Baulked a bit at the price until my husband told me to have a word with myself - he was pretty clear that if it was any part of HIS anatomy he would spend far in excess of that!

Anyway i ended up having a forceps delivery for other reasons, but no tearing beyond the neat episiotomy they did and no prolapses or anything thanks to rock solid pelvic floor so... could have been MUCH worse. Maybe a great obstetrician. Maybe the epi-no helped. Worth the £90 for the chance it was the latter!