I first head about the Epi-no (produced by Stardberg Medical) during one of my birthing classes. The midwife showed it to the group, and most of the women in the class dismissed as an unnecessary expense. I, on the other hand, was fascinated!
The ‘childbirth trainer’ is basically a vaginal dilator. An inflatable balloon is inserted into the vagina. For the three weeks before the birth, you can use it to gently stretch out the pelvic floor muscles. Additionally, you hold the balloon inside for about ten minutes or so, and then you can, essentially, practice the second stage of labor by delivering the balloon.
The Epi-no was designed by a German doctor who observed women in tribal communities in Africa who used different sized gourds for the same purpose. They have to do their best to avoid tearing as it can spell death in communities where access to medical aid is limited. The clinical trials of the Epi-no show a marked reduction in episiotomy and tearing rates in women who used it as well as a shortened 2nd stage of labor. (the clinical trial information can be found under ‘studies’ on this Epi-no site - I have also attached a visual of some of their results at the end of the post) That data and the phrase ‘intact perineum rates’ is what really sold me.
The cost runs somewhere around $100 to $120. There are two types of trainers, the Delphine and the Delphine Plus. The Plus has a gauge attached, similar to a blood pressure monitor, so you use it a bit more quantitatively. Being the science dork I am, I got the one with the gauge. It was useful in practice because as I tried to relax the muscles with the balloon inserted, I could watch the pressure on the gauge drop.
I had a very positive experience with the Epi-no, and I recommend it to any pregnant women who can use it safely. There are some contraindications as described in the manual - as always talk with your doctor or midwife. I started using it three weeks before my due date, and found that I could only comfortably stand about 7 cm of opening. By my due date, I could comfortably open to 10 cm, which was a bit smaller than the baby’s head. During the 2nd stage of labor, I didn’t experience any noticeable discomfort from the baby’s decent aside from pressure on the colon (of course the contractions were a bit distracting). The baby was born breech from a hands-and-knees posture, and I did not tear at all. I don’t know if I was just lucky or if the Epi-no really helped, but I would definitely do it again. I have learned that my body can always do things better if it has had practice, and giving birth is a pretty huge thing for the pelvic floor to do without a lot of preparation.
The Epi-no can also be used after the birth to help strengthen the pelvic floor. You can insert the balloon, inflate it just enough to feel it, and then use your muscles to squeeze it. If you have the ‘Delphine Plus’ you can watch the gauge to see progress in your muscle strength. It is also used to help improve incontinence (I learned from talking with a friend who is a geriatric nurse).
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yeah, the intact perineum is what is selling me too. Thanks for the info. Seriously, I had no idea this existed for non-sexy reasons. (I used to live in SF. This type of contraption was used for other uh, purposes.)
jens last blog post..Pleasure Island
Let’s just say that the Epi-no has some, uh….., fringe benefits as well – I left that out of the official review. If you are creative and comfortable with your sexuality, it can also be a fun experience.
I could have used this!!! We tried the perineal massage with natural oil– with my spouse doing this. It didn’t work because he didn’t want to torture me and stopped the minute he felt it might be getting uncomfortable. (Duh! It’s not a party! It IS uncomfortable, the head is large and prepwork isn’t a cakewalk!) I tried my best to have a smiley face on the entire time, but he could tell when it was not quite all roses. Too bad I’m done with the kid thing to benefit, but I’ll need to pass the word about this device.
I loved my Epi-No!
It was quite surprising the first time I attempted to push the balloon out and found I didn’t naturally know which muscles to use. I’m positive that the stretching and training helped me deliver my 37 cm-head-baby with only two stitches.
Since it’s not for sale in the USA, my German husband had to order mine online. Thank goodness for having a citizen-of-the-world husband.
why in the world is this not available in the USA? First I find out this amazingly wonderful news that the highly dreaded rip or cut could be avoided for just over a hundred bux! And than they say “not available in US, cannot be shipped to US” WHAT!!!??? And to think I left europe 3 weeks ago… with no chance of returning before the birth… UGH!!
Jamie, you can definitely get this in the US. Try this site.
I called the toll free number and apparently it was pulled by the FDA and is indefinately unavailable in the US. The lady said the only way to get it is have it shipped to another country (if you know someone in another country) and have them send it to you… hmmm.. I will have to put my thinking cap on.
https://www.epharmacy.com.au/checkout_pay.asp
This website sells it to the US…I dunno why so many sites say it’s not able to be shipped to the US…I found two sites that ship to the US last time I checked two months ago…
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