Is it worth buying a birth ball?

[macaco]

do they help or is it just something extra? What do I do with it, just sit on it?

its a pile of tosh, i dont know anyone thats given birth sitting on a ball

Buy a cheapy excercise ball from Argos - £5 rather than the extortionate prices for 'real' birth balls and they are exactly the same. I loved mine with dd and have just bought another one. I used it to sit on and put my feet up on when I was pregnant, and laying across it in labour when dd was back to back was just bliss- I had been screaming for an epidural for well over an hour until I got down on all fours with my ball and the relief was instant!

I bought one of those exercise balls from Avon. I think it was £7.

I used it whilst I was pregnant as ds2 was back to back and laying on the wrong side at times.
I also used it the day I had my sweep as MW said I wasnt favourable.

I had him later that day

2nd the cheap option - tesco's sell them aswell for £5!

most days it was the only place i could sit comfortably! never got to use it in labour though.

littlelamb is spot on - get a £5 one and use it for putting your feet up

once the baby has arrived they are fantastic for bouncing them to sleep - better than a glider chair as you can move it from room to room,deflate it to take on holiday etc

I had a cheap one from Argos. I found it really helpful during pregnancy to help woth those varicosities and sat on it all the way through early labour

Last labour there was one in the labour room. I had never tried one before...found it brilliant.
Bounced on it while listening to music for most of my labour.
Then I got tired and lay propped up on the bed sucking gas and air until baby popped out.
Easy peasy lemon squeezy

okay i stand corrected

really worth buying a cheap one.

suew that sounds just like me for my second and third DC, except i clambered up onto the bed to pop them out! I sat on the ball and rocked, with my gas & air and that was it. Would definately recommend it. Didn't have my own, just used the labour ward one.

Loving my ball (£3 on ebay plus £3 postage) as I can no longer sit on the sofa. I am quite tall and the sofa is quite low and at 36 weeks it's a pretty bad combo unless of course I am totally horizontal.
Sitting on your ball is also a great way to get your baby into an optimal position!

They are fab. Well worth the small investment. Brilliant for keeping your back straight and pelvis aligned, so reducing backache and helping the baby get properly engaged in a good position. Sitting on one of these while watching the telly, rather than sunk into the sofa, reduces the chance of having a back-to-back baby.

Very relaxing to bounce/rock on especially in early labour, much more comfortable than sitting on a bed or chair, helps the baby's head come down. Most labour wards should have them. I encourage women to sit on it, then rest their arms/head on the bed and have someone massage their back with lovely aromatherapy oils. Works a treat

Get the one from Argos that is a gym ball for about a fiver. Worked a treat for me.

Get on it when the contraction is hurting and move around in a figure of 8. Helps no end.

another fan here if nothing else helps with lower back pain in later pregnancy as you have no choice but to sit up properly - slouch and you land on your arse!

I found my gym ball (cheapie from TK Max) a great help for using as a footstool and draping myself over to help with the backache. It was most importantly invaluable in kickstarting labour when I was 2 days overdue and impatient!! I sat on it for an hour watching t.v. just swaying around. I got off and less than an hour later I started to get pains, my waters broke and bingo! we were in business

i loved mine! i sat on it from 30 weeks to get ds to turn (and it worked) and then used it again in the early part of labour. it was much more comfortable than any chair or bed. mine was the argos £5 version

Only thing which is comfortable to sit on in late pregnancy - highly recommended

Absolutely worth every penny. Lovely to sit on when you have an enormous bump, and I am convinced that all of my sitting/bouncing on it in the last few weeks helped DD get into a good position for birth - even though I was induced and then on a drip to hurry me up, I only pushed for 20 mins wit no intervention as DD was in the perfect position.

I borrowed one when I was expecting DS" and it was fab! I used it mainly to relieve back pain and to help with 'optimal foetal positioning' after DS1 who was back to back. DS2 wasn't back to back.

Hi im a 41 year old with no children yet but i do hope to in future . Regarding Birthing Balls or Pilates balls id like to share some helpful information for non pregnant ladies as well as pregnant and teenage or young ladies . Ive just had surgery for endometriosis - pelvic adhesions and removal of endometriosis tissue . My condtion has just been diagnosed after suffering from teenage years - a long time !. I have recto vaginal endo but my tubes and womb are all looking absolutely fine . Paasing on information i have received from obs /gyne consultant surgeon the lady said Pilates , birthing balls and yoga is ideal with coping with general pain of monthly periods andendometrios thats for young teenage ladies too. Gentle exercise and stretching and breathing is what is advised and also this would be helpful in any future pregnancy . I am about to purchase the above product and just reserching the net for a good ball plus video . I have been told this is absolutely beneficial in preg and non pregnant ladies too ..i would back these up one hunded per cent i have suffered so much pain and contractions and hospitalizations in my life ..im sure this will help . Thank so much for reading .

I got a ball towards the end of my last pregnancy and I just couldn't get the hang of sitting on it. I think it was probably something to do with it being DC3 and my stomach muscles being non-existant and I couldn't hold myself on it - it was agony for my stomach.

However, had a planned HB and somehow I instinctively knew I wanted my ball during labour. I spent the whole duration (luckily only 2hrs) kneeling on an old duvet leaning over my ball. Labour was an agonising back-to-back jobby with no pain relief at all as MW came without G&A mouthpiece but birth ball was fab and really made a difference I think.

Never did get the hang of bouncing on it but will def get another now I'm 16 weeks with DC4. I agree to get the cheapo Argos/Tesco ball for around £5 though

how soon do you sit on the ball? Or just when you want/ you cant get on with your sofa anymore and dont have foot stool? P.s are they easy to inflate and deflate? X x

I am using my gym ball to sit on at the moment, and the good thing is that once the baby is born, you can use it to do your seat-up!