Second hand epi-no

[Littlebobbyparkhurst]

I know some people might be a bit weirded out by this but has anyone ever managed to buy a second hand Epi-No? They are soooo expensive and presumably you can sterilise them so I don't see the harm in getting one second hand! No luck on Ebay. Otherwise what are people doing with them once they've finished with them!?? Also have people found them to be useful/successful? Thanks!

Would you buy a second hand vibrator.....?

If the only ones available were that expensive brand new then I might!

I looked into epi-no but decided not to buy in the end. I have got second hand everything including breast pump, but the epi-no second hand is one step too far for me. They are horribly expensive new so I understand your thinking. I would go for perineal massage instead to be honest. I'm now having a csection so I I'm not speaking from experience,

I'd also be put off buying this second hand, but thinking about it medical equipment eg forceps must be sterilised and re-used, just not sure of materials and how thoroughly you could clean.

I also decided not to buy this and did perineal massage instead. In the end baby was in distress so doc did an episiotomy and ventouse delivery to get him out in 5 mins - I was too out of it to argue / discuss this decision at the time. I try not to stress too much about it - I think a lot depend on luck in the end! Hope you have a good delivery!

ps I still tore badly after perineal massage due to quick delivery / ventouse (when baby's body was delivered).

I got one and was very pleased I did. I found that using it over the 3 weeks before the birth, I could measure the improvement in how stretchy my perineal muscles were getting, and also the sensation of the balloon sliding out helped me to anticipate what the birth would be like (the first time it panicked me at only 4 cm diameter and I couldn't help tensing up and making the pain worse - by the end I was used to the feeling of it at 9cm, and knew how to relax into it and that I could cope with it). That gave me a lot of confidence going in to labour as well, which helped me psychologically. I didn't have any tears or stitching, despite dd having her hand up by her face - the midwives were really surprised. I did dither because of the price but given how things turned out, I'd have paid twice as much. Of course there's also luck involved - for example dd was facing the right way, wasn't in distress, so there was no need for instruments.

I haven't seen them secondhand. The difficulty sterilising would be that you can't separate the balloon from the pump, so you can't boil it or steam it without risking damaging the pump. But it's made of medical rubber that can be easily wiped down, and the balloon surface is smooth and easy to clean. You can wash it thoroughly with soap and water, and use sterilising wipes on it, and it's not as though the vagina is a sterile environment anyway.