Anybody used the Aniball?

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Has anybody used the Aniball or Epi-no to prepare there vagina for birth? I am naturally quite tight so panicking slightly that being extra tight will just add more pain to the labour! Would you recommend using one? What are your experiences?

Sounds like a scam! Labour stretches the vagina. No need to spend money on gadgets.

I haven't, but am doing perineal massage as per NHS guidance. Have you looked into that?

Haven't used one but am considering getting one later on in my pregnancy (only in very early stages). I have read a lot of reviews over the past couple of days and it seems to at least help first timers know which muscles should be used to push correctly so gives some ppl more confidence if nothing else...

Looking forward to seeing if anyone on here has used them recently 😊

I've used one a while ago, was the best decision I made. First exercise was weird (didn't hurt or anything, just little bit weird), then it went smooth. I don't even think the stretching part is that important, but learning how to control your muscles and breathing is totally worth it.

The labour was mega smooth, I was familiar with the feeling and I was able to "breathe" my darling out in 10-15 minutes. I'm not sure how much of it was because of placebo but honestly I don't even care - I felt really confident and the whole thing was over real quick.

Also, it was recommended to me by my hypno teacher and midwife, so not sure about scams. I subsequently recommended it to two of my friends and both of them had a great experience using it (one had no tears at all, the other one had small bruises which is OK considering she gave birth to a baby Hulk on steroids).

I have just bought it and tried to use it first time today... (but I have been doing perineal massage few times per week for last two weeks) struggled a bit to insert it one puffed inflated as per instruction, but managed in the end... Then practiced some breathing exercises as per Aniball booklet and have managed to add 3-4 more puffs up to 5 again as per instructions... I really did struggle with controlling the balloon with my breathing though! And then I managed to expel it but I have pushed a little bit with my muscles too and it really quite hurt for a minute after... I was so worried I have made some damage but it seem to be ok now... KatieDeeeeee it’s really encouraging that your experience of birth was so good, do you have any special tips on how did you manage to expel the Aniball without the pain while practicing? I did hypnobirthing course too so tried to use the downwards breathing but didn’t work amazing so added some push and that expelled it too quick I suppose... I don’t know if I can do it with only breathing :( Also what size of the Aniball in the end did you manage to achieve? And how often did you do the exercises? Maybe I was just a bit impatient and I need to be trying to breathe it out for much longer than few minutes? Any advice and some more info would be highly appreciated!! :)

I'm watching this thread as I am currently pregnant with my second baby. I bought an Aniball for my first pregnancy and used it a couple of times before going unexpectedly into labour at 37 weeks exactly, and had to have a csection as he was breech.

I'm not due till September but I'll be using it again from 36 weeks, but would love to hear how you get on @Bea12345 and hear if it made any difference!

All the best with your pregnancy 🤰🏼

Thanks @Disco91 It’s a shame @KatieDeeeeee haven’t seen my message and replied but that might be because I haven’t @ her ;) Anyway I have used Aniball twice more since first time and managed to increase already to 24cm (the first time when it really hurt I went up to 20.4! As I measured it after I wrote that post so really quite big for the first time that’s why it hurt I think when expelling it too fast!) I am listening to the relaxing hypnobirthing tracks now before I do it and then go really really slowly with down breathing in and out and a tiny bit of pushing maybe with my pelvic muscles.. while holding the balloon firmly so it doesn’t slip out too quickly, it hurts much less when i push it out although still a bit uncomfortable but nothing like the first time! So going slow is the key I think! It’s a shame is so hard to find many honest reviews and opinions as well as advice online. Hope that my experience will help someone else :)

Hello everyone! I bought the Aniball recently after being impressed by reviews and not being able to reach properly to do perineal massage. I started last week (37 wks). I really struggled to get it in but did it deflated and then pumped it up 5 times in total as recommended. That was all fine but when I came to expel it, it was soo painful, I had to deflate it immediately!! Since then, I’ve had another 2 goes and I can only expel it at 16cm which is pretty much what it is without being pumped any more! I feel like buying this has had the opposite effect on my confidence and I’m now terrified of my baby crowning. I’m going to try and use it everyday now to see if that helps but I find it such a pain and effort to get in that I only do the exercises twice. Does it get better? Help!! And anyone who has given birth since-please update me. Did it help? Was the sensation of expelling the balloon, kinda similar to baby coming out? Thanks :-)

@Bea12345

Hello, I'm currently using an Aniball so I thought I would share my experience.

I am due on the 28th of April 2020 so I'm 37 weeks (today actually) and I been using the Aniball for a week now.

So as of now, I can comfortably push out the aniball when its inflated about 12 pumps which is roughly a 23cm circumference. (With lots of lube! Lube is your friend!)

On day one, I just inflated the ball by 1 pump for insertion with lots of lube. Once it was settled I gave it another 4 pumps making 5 altogether (roughly 15cm circumference)
I breathed in and felt it move in a little naturally and breathed out and felt it go out naturally. So I started to use my internal muscles to push out a bit more and back in, all in time which my breathing.
So I kept doing this for about 15 minutes until I felt ready (no pain) to push out. I did and it felt a bit stretchy but I wouldn't say painful exactly. It's a really weird feeling to push something that big out of you.

So over the last week, I've just been gradually increasing the number of pumps and I feel alot calmer about giving birth. Especially given that COVID 19 resulted in all my prenatal classes being cancelled.

If I can push out the aniball at a 30cm circumference in the coming weeks I will be very happy with that. Given that the average circumference of a newborn's head is 35 - 38.

I would recommend aniball to any expected mum.
My advice would be;

• Use lots of lube!
• Take your time, it's not a race
• Exercise for as long as you want before pushing it out. The book say 15 mins but I do it for 25 mins. *Put on some relaxing music when using it
• Dont use earlier that the 36 weeks - I tried to use it at 34 weeks (I know I shouldn't have ) and my body wasn't ready.

I'll come back to this thread after I've had my baby and give my thoughts on how the aniball really helped my labour.👍

Following!!

It was highly highly recommended by my pregnancy personal trainer (pre lockdown) who is a pelvic floor specialist as well!!

She recommended the Elvie one was well

x

Hello, Ive bought my Aniball and I am 36 weeks now, so I am going to try it today. I would like to know how did it go in the end for @Lauracrazygirl and I will also update on my experience in the later weeks. 😊

Just approaching 31 weeks and something I've thought about but too early for me.
So following this to see what others experiences are for actual birth.

Hi again everyone,

So I'm still pregnant, so today I was able to pass 28cm which was a challenge. I had been stuck on 25cm for a couple of days so I just wanted to add a few more tips.

• dont hold your breath when trying to push out aniball - this was a big mistake on my part and I'm sure this is why I was struggling.
• WARNING GROSS - if while using aniball you suddenly have an urge to poo, then stop your exercise and go to the loo. Trust me!

Update!

I've finally had my baby! he was 10 days over due and he's perfect!

I've found a few minutes to come back and finish my review/experience with how the aniball helped me.
In short, I absolutely believe it made a huge difference to my birth experience.

Firstly some vital details.

• I started using aniball every day from my 37th week of pregnancy and last used it 4 days before my labour.
• On my last day of using Aniball I was able to push out a circumference of 33-34cm pretty easily.
• My Son's head circumference turned out to be 38cms 😲 he was also a big baby 8 pounds 13 ounces
• my labour was medically induced using a pressary.
• my labour/childbirth was quick, contractions started at 1am I was 3cm diluted at 7am Waters broke at 7.20am baby was born at 8.30am
• I had only two very mild skin tears (one at the top and bottom of my vagina) each requiring just one dissolving stitch simply to ensure that they would stop bleeding.
• the doctor and midwife kept saying how lucky I was, that on my first labour and with such a big baby I did not to require a episiotomy. In fact there was even some debate as too whether I would need stitches for the two small tears I had.
• I was also able to use the toilet without it being painful. Which really helped my recovery.

Don't get me wrong, the Aniball isn't some magic bullet, labour was still painful and my private parts were naturally sore afterwards.

But after having some time to reflect on the aniball and my labour. I actually dread to think what would have happen if I hadn't used the aniball leading up to my labour. Especially given how large my boy ended up being.

So in short, I highly recommend the aniball, use it as often as you want but in my opinion an hour a day of exercise a day is the most beneficial.👍

Huge congratulations @Lauracrazygirl!!!!!!
Glad to hear about your lovely baby boy, and also about your intact vagina 😂😂😂 I suppose really it's not the most expensive thing in the world and worth a go!! Thanks for letting us know and congratulations again ❤️

I ended up buying one last week in preparation to start at 36 weeks.
Will see how it goes! First baby also.

Thanks so much for the review @Lauracrazygirl , so pleased it worked well for you, I'll be giving it a go for when my baby is due in September (I'm attempting a VBAC). Congratulations also on the arrival of your healthy baby boy ☺️

I don't know if anyone is still following this thread. I know I have found it incredibly hard to find good info on experiences of using aniball online
I started mine a few days ago. I am 36+5 now.
So back story I'm Autistic so quite anxious, first baby 9 years ago I was left alone to birth, panicked and pushed him forcibly out in one go super fast.... 3rd degree tear. Second baby bullied into a c section I didn't need because of tear. This time it's my last baby and am aiming for a vbac
Well the first day didn't go too well. Spent so long getting it in I was quite sore. Puffed it total 5 pumps and got half way through expelling when it stung so bad I deflated it.
2nd day I used extra lube ( big difference) folded it slightly then added half a puff each time I got more in so by the time it was fully in I had added 2 puffs but doing it in stages helped and adding little bugs of air helped it go in and stay.
This time I breathed it out extremely slowly and measured 19cm. It stung a little but first day and after a min I couldn't feel anything. I didn't do any of the exercises as I was a bit panicky and just wanted to give it a short go today.
What I have read is some people not understanding how this could help stop tearing what I can say for me personally is I think getting use to the sensation and practicing expelling slowly if nothing else will make me feel calmer at birth and also slower births are meant to mean less tears. It's certainly making me feel a tiny bit more confident about birthing as I've never done this sort of prep with my first 2.
Thank you to the other ladies for sharing their experiences

@2011runo thanks for your experience, I'd be interested to hear from more people too. I'm only 6 weeks atm but terrified of tearing.

I’m case anyone is following this - I used it for my first birth and am now 33 weeks pregnant with my second baby.
First time I got to 29 cm, but only because I went to 42 weeks, otherwise I would not have gotten that far. I ended up having an emergency c section because my uterus got hyper stimulated during induction and baby’s heart rate dropped. So can’t comment based on that experience, other than the fact it made me feel prepared instead just scared, so it was worth it.
This time I started at 31 weeks. I’m using it every other day, and that’s better for me. I think it gives the tissue time to recover. I’m now 33 weeks and have made it to 27 cm. I’m hoping to get over 30 cm (closer to 35, the better) by birth. I will try to report back afterwards!

thanks @JCbtn I'm still following! Do you find it hurts when practising?

Thank you so much everybody for commenting your experiences- it seems like it's really hard to find actual people's stories about this online so this thread is really useful!

I am currently 37+2 and started using the aniball about a week ago. It was fine at the start but I'm struggling a bit yesterday and today- I have reached about 10 pumps and managed to breath it out (it was about 24-25cm circumference when I measure it) but it is definitely not what I would call comfortable and I don't think I'll be adding any more air just yet The last couple of times that I've used it I've bled- not internally, but from what seems to be a small external graze from the final push. It stops bleeding more or less immediately so clearly isn't anything major, but does feel slightly raw. Is this normal? Did anyone else experience this?

Also, for those who have used it successfully and gotten to 29/30cm+, how often did you use it for and for how long? And did you practise expelling it more than once each time? Any info/advice much appreciated Thank you!

Also, for those who have used it successfully and gotten to 29/30cm+, how often did you use it for and for how long? And did you practise expelling it more than once each time? Any info/advice much appreciated smile Thank you!

Hello,
In answer to your first question, I used it everyday for 1-hour. I know the booklet suggests just 25 minutes but I often found that if I took my time breathing and expelling the ball out, that insured that I wouldn't bleed or feel any pain.

Also as I said in one of my previous comments don't be shy with the lubricant use lots of it and if you are in pain then just unscrew the air duct and push the deflated aniball out. There's no point pushing yourself too hard you can always try again later on.

And yes I did expel it more than 1 time for each one hour exercise session. I just found that a bit more productive than just doing it once.
I treated the aniball like any other exercise that I would do in the gym. Every time I used it, I would warm up first by just doing 5 pumps then expel, then insert again and do 7 pumps, then expel then do 10 etc.

I hope that is helpful to you, I personally can't recommend the Aniball enough.👍
Let us know how you got on.

Great to hear people's stories - I've just bought one of these, bit nervous about trying it out but hopefully it'll help!