Birthing Balls..... Questions!

[JARM]

Hi all!

I want to get a birthing ball, so I can stay at home as long as possible.

Is it best to go for an expensive one (seen them in the region of £30) or are the £4.99 from Argos ok?

Guess I just want to know whether its worth splashing the cash on a "birthing ball" or going for a bog standard "gym ball"

Any advice gratefully recieved!!

I got a Tesco Value gym ball.
Did the trick for me

Probably everyone will have their own opinion, though

i have the Argos one and is fine, im 38 weeks and plannig a home birth so will et you know how it holds up on "the Day"

I used an Argos one for about 12 hours solid in my first labour and it was still going strong at the end. I don't think the "birthing balls" are different in anything other than price!

I had a cheap one too and it was fine. I have seen some people warn against the cheap ones as if they get punctured they deflate with a pop as opposed to a slow leak, which you might not want if you were sitting on top of it at the time! But how likely is it in reality to be punctured? One tip - get a nice big sarong or scarf and knot it around the ball, like a cover. Makes it much nicer to lean on especially if you are resting your face on it (all fours type position) as bare skin on vinyl can be a bit sweaty and unpleasant!

4.99 one (65cm) is fine unless you are more than 5'8", when it's worth getting a 75cm one.

thanks all. cheapy one it is then!

Im only 5'1 so think it will be ok!

I got a 75cm one from Avon JARM and I think it was £8.

Blew it up the other night.
Havent had a chance to use though thanks to the kids

I'm going to rob my younger sister gym ball that she uses for Karate, told her the other day that I wanted to use it for the birth and she looked horrified!! hehe

birthing balls are often bigger than exercise balls - these are the recommended sizes (found this http://www.tens.co.uk/acatalog/TeNS_UK_Birth_Balls.html here) - FROM £12.95 for a decent one

If your height is up to 155cms (5' 2") we recommend a 55cm ball. Between 155 and 170 cms (5' 2" - 5' 8") you should use a 65cm ball and if you are taller than 170 cms the 75 cm ball is the most appropriate.

otherwise they are very similar