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?

@Girlinglasses

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!

I had the same bleeding you mentioned the first time I used it. It would stop immediately but was alarming. 24/25 cm is great progress! This is my second pregnancy using it, and I haven’t bled this time. I think the trick is to push yourself, but not too hard. It should feel very uncomfortable, but not painful (@Poppyismyfavourite).

This time I am taking a day or two off between sessions and I find I’m making really good progress, maybe because there is some sort of tissue memory from last time, but haven’t bled like last time. My guess is that the rest gives the tissue time to heal any micro tears but the elasticity gains remain.
My routine goes like this: I mark the number of pumps I got to last session, say 30, then do say 25-28 to “warm up”. I go really slowly, pumping up maybe 10-15 times at first, allowing it to settle, then adding fewer and fewer pumps. I partially expel it and get used to the stretch gradually before fully expelling it. Then I expel it one to four more times until I am happy with the progress. Sometimes I have plateaued for a couple days (less so this pregnancy) but then have suddenly gained a whole centimetre the next time.
I found this video really helpful. It’s for the EPI-no but the same info applies.
I’m really counting on this to keep me from tearing badly because with Covid fathers aren’t allowed in the post natal ward. I want to have a straightforward VBAC and go. Last time I had my husband with me overnight and I have NO idea how I would have managed if he hadn’t been there. There’s only one midwife to 8 mothers and I needed his help because My mobility was so limited from the caesarean. Fingers crossed!

@Lauracrazygirl @JCbtn thank you so much that is really useful! I don't know why it had never occurred to me to "warm up" gradually! (I blame baby brain 🙄) I might take a day off and then go again, trying out what you have said! @JCbtn I agree, I want to do anything to help with a straightforward birth because of Covid - it's my first baby though so we'll see!

I will come back with updates in a week or two for anyone else who comes across this thread in the future, because I have found it really useful!

Good luck everyone x

Hi ladies,

I’ve just started practising with it also (I’m 33.5 weeks - naughty I know but I want to feel prepared).

I’m really struggling to get the hang of it. I’ve expelled it twice now and it was so sore! Really stingy! But I now know I did it too fast.

What I really really can’t figure out is the breathing which is frustrating me so much. I tried again tonight and had to deflate it because it hurt on the way out.

My first question, is it really true that the balloon (baby!) should descend on the INHALE?! I always assumed it would be the exhale? So this is really throwing me off.

Secondly, no matter what breathing I do: in out, slow, deep, fast, heavy, panting, pushing etc - nothing seems to move!

Has anyone else had this?

So my biggest question is how the hell do you (in detail) do the breathing? Because I do not feel prepped for the breathing side of birth yet. It has helped in getting a sense of what the pressure and sting of crowning will feel like though. I do it in a squat position on the floor.

My aim over the next few weeks will be to get up to 30cm if I can to feel prepared for crowning, but I really want to figure out the breathing because I find I just get panicky and start breathing really fast and heavy in and out to get any sort of movement - which leaves me lightheaded and exhausted very quickly! I also don’t know how to slow down the expulsion 😬

Help!!!

Hi @GriShe! Welcome to the glorious journey that is inflating a balloon in your vagina 😂

I found the breathing really tricky at the start too, but it has definitely gotten better. The idea is that you fully relax all of your pelvic floor muscles when you inhale- it seems counter intuitive but if you think about it, when you fully inhale, your diaphragm moves down to suck air into your lungs, so it's actually quite hard to pull your pelvic floor muscles up while your diaphragm is moving down if that makes sense? For me, there is some mild pushing involved rather than "just" breathing, but the more I practised the more I got to being able to sort of breath down rather than actively push. I also take a breath (in and out) between each "bearing down" inhalation if I find myself hyperventilating!

The other thing that I realised was I was definitely letting it come out too quickly and was getting some bleeding. Especially when you inflate it a bit bigger, you have to actually hold it in quite firmly with your hand towards the end as it's coming out and only let it out really gradually - try to avoid any element of letting it "pop" out at the end.

I only do it every other day now, and work up each time from smaller to bigger, usually maybe expelling it about 5-6 times in total eventually getting to my max which at the moment is 27cm!

You have started early so don't be afraid to stick with the same size a few days in a row until you are properly used to it. I tried to push myself too fast I think, and it gave me a lot of anxiety, but after following the advice on here I got it back under control and feel way more confident now!

My last piece of advice is fine the right position- I start on my side which was awful, then went to a squat which I thought was much better until I realised that was making me expel it too fast and eventually realised that kneeling down and leaning forward but upright with my elbows propped on the edge of the bath gave me the most control.

Good luck and let us know how you get on!!

Thank you so much @Lauracrazygirl! That is really really helpful. I will persevere and you are right, the position is important! My side was horrible and painful as well.

Also I'm glad I'm not the only one that struggled with the breathing and you're so right about slowing it down and just trying to build confidence first and try to relax.

Thank you!!

Xxx

hi ladies, trying to start using Aniball today but have some issues in inserting the baloon onto the connecting adapter. The opening of the baloon seems to be to tight. Did anyone experience it? Thank you!

It is really tight! I had to get my DP to do it in the end haha.

I guess they just don't want it popping off when the balloon is inside you.

It is really tight. I remember being upset and mumbling about design flaws after I sterilised it and was trying to get it on. But somehow I managed it without bending any fingernails back. And yes, as @Nowisthemonthofmaying said, it’s got to be tight to inflate safely!

Hi @GriShe, I agree with @Girlinglasses, don’t worry about it too much.
In the end, it’s not a baby - it’s a balloon meant to stretch your perineum. I put any “rules” about breathing out of my mind and just worked on gradually inflating the balloon and slowly releasing it, using my hand to block it from being expelled too fast. I naturally found that breathing deeply helped, but you may find a different breath pattern works for you. If you want to, you can work on adding a breathing technique once you’ve got the swing of it.
I’m up to 30 cm now. I told myself I’d push higher, but it isn’t that fun, is it? I’m 36+5 so I’ve got time.

Hi @JCntn, oh thank you, this is really helpful to get another opinion on it.

Yes you're right, it's still practice even if I feel like I haven't mastered it! I just was wondering whether it worried me more than gave me reassurance!

Wow 30cm is very good, even doing it really slowly at 22cm had me panicking and reaching for the deflate valve....wondering how on earth I was actually going to do it for real in labour.

But, I have a few weeks to keep trying to "stretch" and every cm is a step in the right direction.

Xxx

So I had my baby. It was a surreal experience. I went from 2cm (being told it would be hours before active labour and I should go home) to baby in my arms in an hour. Very glad I didn’t leave the hospital. The pushing part was just over ten minutes, there wasn’t time for an epidural or any pain relief.

And no tearing! I only had a mild graze. The midwives were amazed because she was born so quickly, less than five pushes and she was out. And then I delivered the placenta three minutes later.

Worth adding that I used nipple stimulation to induce labour for 1.5 weeks before the birth, and ate dates before the birth as well. Both those are associated with shorter second and third stages I think.

Maybe I would have not torn anyway, though most women do their first vaginal birth, but I think the Aniball made a big difference. I got to 31 cm in the end.

I feel really good - it’s now the third day and I am not sore anymore. I also got to go home five hours after the birth, which is what I wanted in the age of Covid.

@JCbtn wow congratulations what a great birth story!! I have also had my baby, a couple of weeks ago. Unfortunately we never got to pushing as I stopped dilating at 7cm and ended up with a C Section but I do feel like my pelvic floor muscles benefitted from using the aniball and I definitely felt more confident going into the labour! I still think it was worth using anyway :)

@Girlinglasses congratulations to you! Stalling out at 7cm sounds frustrating (and painful!) but I hope your recovery goes smoothly. I agree, even after my c section last time I feel like it was still worth it.
My birth was great but also a bit hectic - I nearly gave birth in the hallway and barely made it to the labour ward before her head was out! But still, I feel really lucky and am feeling so well at this point, four days later, that I would definitely recommend using either the Aniball or the EPI-no. I am hoping that I have the discipline to use it as a pelvic floor trainer now!

The is such a useful thread to follow!
I've used mine twice now and both times got to 18cm. Im 35 weeks so going to try a few more times at that before ramping up I think. The idea of 30 cm is a bit terrifying right now!

Don’t worry, women have been pushing babies out of their vaginas since time began without the benefit of this device. Look up perineal massage which IS evidence based and widely recommended. You don’t need anything expensive - just your fingers and some ordinary vegetable oil. If you can’t reach then sex is also good perineal massage, or gentle use of a clean well lubricated vibrator.
Don’t overthink it. You can’t really train your vagina for this - it WILL expand around a baby in a way that you will never emulate with this device, you will be awash with hormones and lubrication because your body is designed that way. Relax and enjoy the rest of your pregnancy!

I’m 5 days into using mine now- just got to 23cm tonight. I’m trying not to worry about getting to 30cm- I’m using it more to give me some confidence over using my muscles correctly down there and showing me that I can actually push out something large! However far I get, it’s all helping with confidence- and I’m finding it’s making perineal massage much less painful too- so hopefully it’s all working together! I figure every little helps- it doesn’t appear to be harmful in any way as long as we’re sensible and don’t go too far/fast!

Hi everyone,

Just started using my aniball today at 36+6. Got it to 17cm but really struggled to insert it. I like that it's getting me used to the sensations of having something that large in my vagina and how to relax and contract my pelvic floor muscles. I definitely pushed it out too quick though - need to hold onto it to help do that more slowly to feel the stretch a bit more on my perineum. I can't reach to do perineal massage very easily so I'm hoping this will help instead. Anyone else at the beginning of using their aniball?

@SunSparkle I'm 34 weeks tomorrow and planning to start in the next week or so! No help to you sorry but please keep us updated!

@SunSparkle how are you getting on?

Hi @JustAnotherUserinParadise. I've used it about 5 times now and got it to about 19.5cm. They say that the goal is to get up to 25cm if possible, but not if it's too painful. I'm more focusing on trying not to over inflate but have more control over the muscles to make sure that I don't push too quick. I'm finding that rather than feeling a stretch in my perineum area, the stingiest part (TMI) is at the top of my vagina. I've had a little pink discharge afterwards - not sure if that's from disturbing the cervix or stretching the skin. It doesn't last long. I also looked up the Epi-no and realised the devices work in different ways. The Epi-no seems to just focus on stretching the perineum, and less on being 'birthed' and the Aniball doesn't really work just to stretch the outside because of how it's shaped.

I am finding it quite stingy - I know that's good because it shows that I'm making some progress etc but it's hard to make myself want to do the exercises. I think it is definitely true that you feel different in labour due to the oxytocin and adrenalin and relaxin making everything more stretchy so trying not to be discouraged by not getting it up to 25cm straight away.

Have you started using yours? I still can't insert it without folding it! Everything feels so swollen down there.

That sounds like good progress!

I haven't started yet - it says to start from 36 weeks and I'll be 35 weeks tomorrow, so was thinking to start then (I've read a few reviews where the baby comes slightly early and so the aniball wasn't much help).
I tried perineal massage but I didn't really feel like I was doing anything...

What are you using as lube? I tried coconut oil for the perineal massage but I don't like the smell so was thinking of switching to bio-oil.

I cannot get on with perineal massage! Can't reach properly, wrong angle, don't know why but it's just not working for me.

I use Liquid Silk lube for the aniball which is good. Careful of Bio Oil as a) it's fragranced and b) contains retinol which could be very very stingy on vaginal tissue as it's to help the skin regenerate. I'd definitely buy some lube like you would for a sex toy for the aniball, and stick to any natural oil for the perineal massage (vegetable, almond, olive oil). You can buy perineal oil products but I think it's just an excuse for £££.

@SunSparkle came back to update!

Used it for the first time yesterday (at 36 weeks). Initially struggled a bit to get it in, but got the hang eventually. Inflated it a couple of pumps and tried the in-out breathing exercise, (not 100% sure I'm doing that right) then the expelling breathing (that was ok - did the hypnobirthing "down" breathing). Did end up having to pull it out a little bit, but it came out. Was quite sore coming out, but helpful I think because it was then much more clear to me which part needed to be stretched (what I thought I was doing with my perineal massage was nowhere near lol).
Did the in-out exercise and expelling 3 times, measured it afterwards at 16, 16 and 17 cm, so fairly pleased with that! No bleeding or anything, although I'm a tiny bit sore today.

Sounds stupid but I was surprised how "rubbery" the balloon bit was - I think I should have used more lube the first time - it was better the second/third go. I used "sylk" lube.

I used the aniball and I have to say - how painful I found it actually had a poor effect on my confidence leading up to the birth. If you are deciding on using one, start earlier so you can slowly increase the size instead of feeling pressured to get to 30+ centrementres in only a few weeks. I started around week 33 and still felt rushed. In the end I got to 27cm but it was agony! Honestly, it didn’t prepare me for the birth at all. It’s like practising on a bike in order to drive a car...maybe helpful mentally but ultimately the real thing is nothing like the practice. If you find it good for your confidence, then great. If not, don’t bother.