Thank you so much for sharing! I am currently 24 weeks pregnant and seriously considering trying the epi-no when I get into my third trimester. After the birth of my twins (13 years ago!) I had really bad bladder and rectum prolapses and that was fixed using transvaginal mesh implants. For this reason we don't really know if natural birth will be possible for me now. My doctors can only give me hypothetical advice as there are no records of anyone giving birth naturally after this kind of surgery. I figure if I try the epi-no it will allow me to get some idea of whether the kind of stretch needed for childbirth is possible, but to do so gradually and gently without as much risk of injury as just attempting birth. If it won't stretch, I guess I know I will need to book in for a c-section. We will see!
Hi! I have a mom in my program with the exact same story - it was a roller coaster to try and prepare for both eventualities (c section or vaginal). I think it is good to stretch ahead of time in case you do end up having a vaginal birth though! This way you are prepared for it :) If you would like to meet over a free discovery call to chat about it, I would love to help! Send me an email at info@beyond-birthing.com :)
Hi! Aw birth doesn’t need to be scary ❤️ And you can prepare your body for it and feel more confident about it all! Would love to meet with you and see how I can help. You can apply for a free discovery session if you would like to meet up. beyond-Birthing.com/apply
Thanks Sophie, I love your for explaining it, never heard of it, so nice to learn about such a device, and using it infront of us is great, it helps to demysity it and just see it so easily used! Great idea your ceazy video,
Thanks Patricia!! I appreciate your feedback - I was a bit nervous to release this video to be perfectly honest 😂 So if it helps people, it makes me happy!!
Is the epi-no balloon made of durable material and won’t burst/tear easily? I’m worried of the risk of venous air embolism. Also, can epi-no cause longterm laxity of perineal muscles after giving birth?
Thank you so much for this and bravo for having done it live! I have been practicing for over a week now I’m 38w pregnant. My biggest concern, following a certain number of pumps, is that Epino kinda just falls out. My vagina is just automatically pushing it out, I assume that’s normal and I must be relaxing because I am not contracting to keep it in? It is very tough to hold it in with the fingers once I’ve pumped more than 10 times! Thanks for your advice!!!
Thanks for your question, I found the same! You really have to hold it in with your hand otherwise it gets pushed out. I also found that as I was getting bigger in the third trimester, the side lying position was more comfortable for me to work with the epino. So I was inserting it kind of sitting up in bed (like in the video) and then I would move to side lying and hold it from the back with one hand. It was also easier to relax in that position and push it out comfortably. Does that make sense?
@@BeyondBirthingPelvicFloorPT thanks very much for your reply! You mean putting your hand from behind your back? Is that not more difficult? Also was wondering, how many times a day did you take the epino out a day. Do you believe in its efficiency ultimately? Thank you again for your kind help!!!
@@luciasierra7646 that’s right the hand down the back. I found it was less difficult as my bump was on the way! And also easier to relax my pelvic floor. And yes I believe in its efficacy since my baby was 9 pds 4 ounces and I got away with a little first degree tear which blew my mind! I also found that it helped me being psychologically ready for the crowning phase as opposed to feel scared. At no point during my pushing stage I felt scared and I had a very good experience despite a big baby! I did it a few times a week from 34 weeks but I know some people do it daily too. Since I was able to get to 7-8 cm I thought doing maintenance rather than trying to increase the stretch was appropriate since 7-8 cm is the target goal.
This was really helpful thank you! I know you mentioned this in the video - but are you putting the whole balloon in minus the smallest part at the bottom - or are you going putting it in up until the middle ridge bit?
When you look at the shape of the epino when it is barely inflated you see a narrower point in the middle - this is where you want the vaginal opening to be. Although ultimately as you inflate it this narrow zone kind of disappears so it doesn’t really matter but for as long as the balloon is not fully inserted in the vagina (otherwise you won’t stretch the perineum and it could cause injury once you take it out since you will probably inflate it more than what your perineum could stretch). Does that make sense?
This was a great video and I’m very interested in the Epi-No but it does not ship to the USA. Is there another device similar that you would recommend?
Some of our clients found it on Ebay, otherwise you could try the Ani ball (made in the UK) but again I think it is the same problem. If you have contacts in Europe it may be worth asking if they could ship it to you. When I recorded this video it was still distributed in Canada ... :(
The epino’s natural tendency is that it wants to get out so the whole time you need to hold it in order to keep it in. So once you want to take it out, you are just allowing it to come out on its own by releasing your pressure from your hand. Does that make sense?
Hello, do you have any experience with this device and a hypertonic pelvic floor? Is it possible to induce some relaxation? Unfortunately i have a postpartal uterine descensus at the same time.
I would recommend addressing the hypertonic pelvic floor with a pelvic health PT prior to using the device. With my clients who present a hypertonic pelvic floor, we normally start with relaxation exercises and sometimes using dilators to get their pelvic floor to a normal tone & length, and then they start using the epino as of 34 weeks. That is why I always recommend an early assessment in pregnancy (1st or 2nd trimester) so we can be ahead of the game to address existing issues.
Can I use this device for treatment vaginismus? I use the dilators for stretching, but the biggest dilator I have is too small for transisioning to intercource.
I feel like it would be an expensive tool to achieve your goal versus purchasing individual sizes dilators in a sex shop or online. Unless you already own an Epi-no or planning on using one in the future for birth prep, I think you are better off with purchasing bigger dilators until you reach your goal. I also like that dilators can be used to do techniques like back and forth movement in the vagina or getting comfortable with deeper penetration before returning to intercourse, vs the epi no that can only be used for stretching the vaginal opening. It does not reproduce penetrative sex in the same way as a dilator can do. But as I said if you have an epino already or want to use one for birth prep in the future you can totally use it for that purpose.
PS if you are looking for bigger size dilators, I highly recommend this website. I have clients who have ordered from there and were happy with the customer service, apparently they are good at suggesting products depending on what you are looking for. Good luck! crystaldelights.com/collections/dilators
@@BeyondBirthingPelvicFloorPT Can cheaper birthing stretchers like inflatable sex toys be used? For example inflatable buttplugs, two times cheaper and performs all the functions of an epi-no.
I see this video was made awhile ago but hoping to still get a response! I want to use this but have herd some negative opinions on it regarding long term effects on your pelvic floor. What’s your opinion on this? Thank you!!
Hi Kacey! Would love to answer but I would like if you could give me more details about what you heard? What kind of long term effects? And what were your sources? Thanks :)
@@BeyondBirthingPelvicFloorPT Hi thank you so much for responding. Mostly people online we’re all just opinions no actual sources, they didn’t specify what negative effects I just thought sense you used it and because you’re a pelvic floor therapist you would know! If you don’t mind answering another question, I went ahead and bought one and have been using it for about a week and seem to be stuck at 6 cm. I have vaganismis and struggle with really tight vaginal muscles so that’s why I am trying the epi no bc I really want and unmedicated birth but don’t want to tear too bad. If you have any advice or tips for me I would greatly appreciate it! Thank you, thank you!
@@kaceylea2017 it is hard to say if the epino may or may not have a “negative” impact on the pelvic floor in the long run because no one has studied that yet. But I would tend to think that having a major vaginal tear is more likely to have long term negative consequences and since the epino helps preventing that, then for me the choice was easy. I have had numerous clients using it and so far no one has reported anything of that manner but again hard to assess objectively. Of course we are assuming the device is used as instructed in the manual I.e just a few weeks before due date and not longer. Now in regards to your 6 cm I would leave yourself some more time to get results, you can’t expect to make that much progress within a week especially that you need to get used to the device and the sensation etc and if there’s a history of vaginissmus and pain it is possible that you may have some protective response from your pelvic floor and having to work through that. I think working with a skilled pelvic floor Pt in conjonction may be smart just to make sure you’re using the device correctly and releasing your pelvic floor properly as well while stretching. Good luck!
@@BeyondBirthingPelvicFloorPT Thank you so much for your response I really appreciate it! I’m in the US so it’s been hard finding info on it. Thank you!
It’s literally not available in America, I seriously hate this country sometimes 😭 🇺🇸: “oh this has a lot of studies proving this is effective? BAN IT. WE DON’T WANT IT.” 😵💫😵💫😵💫
Book a FREE consultation with me to prepare your pelvic floor for a tear-free birth and easy recovery: beyond-birthing.com/apply
Thank you so much for recording this and having sharing your thoughtful process!
You are welcome dear!
Thank you for making this video! It’s not so easy to get such detailed instructions.
You’re so welcome! That’s exactly why I made this video - enough of these vagina puppet prop demos! 😂
Thanks so much for making this video! Was really hard to get an idea of how it worked in real life. Really helpful 👌
Fantastic Ruth ❤️❤️ Happy if it helped you!
I just bought it yesterday ... Excited to try it by tonight
Thank you !! So helpful
Appreciate you making this for us all
You’re welcome and thanks for your comment ❤️❤️❤️
Its my first time
I m 22 weeks 🤰🏻 now
I will plan to buy this
As i am very scared for tearing and delivery pains
Thank you so much for sharing! I am currently 24 weeks pregnant and seriously considering trying the epi-no when I get into my third trimester. After the birth of my twins (13 years ago!) I had really bad bladder and rectum prolapses and that was fixed using transvaginal mesh implants. For this reason we don't really know if natural birth will be possible for me now. My doctors can only give me hypothetical advice as there are no records of anyone giving birth naturally after this kind of surgery. I figure if I try the epi-no it will allow me to get some idea of whether the kind of stretch needed for childbirth is possible, but to do so gradually and gently without as much risk of injury as just attempting birth. If it won't stretch, I guess I know I will need to book in for a c-section. We will see!
Hi! I have a mom in my program with the exact same story - it was a roller coaster to try and prepare for both eventualities (c section or vaginal). I think it is good to stretch ahead of time in case you do end up having a vaginal birth though! This way you are prepared for it :) If you would like to meet over a free discovery call to chat about it, I would love to help! Send me an email at info@beyond-birthing.com :)
Any updates? That sounds so intense but your dedication to still try natural is inspiring 🥺💗
Thx.I'm pregnant in 4 months and am so,so,sooooo...scared about the birth. Lov u and thank u for the video.❤
Hi! Aw birth doesn’t need to be scary ❤️ And you can prepare your body for it and feel more confident about it all! Would love to meet with you and see how I can help. You can apply for a free discovery session if you would like to meet up. beyond-Birthing.com/apply
Thanks Sophie, I love your for explaining it, never heard of it, so nice to learn about such a device, and using it infront of us is great, it helps to demysity it and just see it so easily used! Great idea your ceazy video,
Thanks Patricia!! I appreciate your feedback - I was a bit nervous to release this video to be perfectly honest 😂 So if it helps people, it makes me happy!!
I feel like as you only insert half , then you inflated, as you inflated it slips out 😂
That’s why you need to hold it in
Is the epi-no balloon made of durable material and won’t burst/tear easily? I’m worried of the risk of venous air embolism. Also, can epi-no cause longterm laxity of perineal muscles after giving birth?
Thank you so much for this and bravo for having done it live!
I have been practicing for over a week now I’m 38w pregnant. My biggest concern, following a certain number of pumps, is that Epino kinda just falls out. My vagina is just automatically pushing it out, I assume that’s normal and I must be relaxing because I am not contracting to keep it in? It is very tough to hold it in with the fingers once I’ve pumped more than 10 times!
Thanks for your advice!!!
Thanks for your question, I found the same! You really have to hold it in with your hand otherwise it gets pushed out. I also found that as I was getting bigger in the third trimester, the side lying position was more comfortable for me to work with the epino. So I was inserting it kind of sitting up in bed (like in the video) and then I would move to side lying and hold it from the back with one hand. It was also easier to relax in that position and push it out comfortably. Does that make sense?
@@BeyondBirthingPelvicFloorPT thanks very much for your reply!
You mean putting your hand from behind your back? Is that not more difficult?
Also was wondering, how many times a day did you take the epino out a day.
Do you believe in its efficiency ultimately?
Thank you again for your kind help!!!
@@luciasierra7646 that’s right the hand down the back. I found it was less difficult as my bump was on the way! And also easier to relax my pelvic floor. And yes I believe in its efficacy since my baby was 9 pds 4 ounces and I got away with a little first degree tear which blew my mind! I also found that it helped me being psychologically ready for the crowning phase as opposed to feel scared. At no point during my pushing stage I felt scared and I had a very good experience despite a big baby! I did it a few times a week from 34 weeks but I know some people do it daily too. Since I was able to get to 7-8 cm I thought doing maintenance rather than trying to increase the stretch was appropriate since 7-8 cm is the target goal.
@@BeyondBirthingPelvicFloorPT thank you! This is all very helpful! I hope I will have a good experience as well!
@@luciasierra7646 good luck 💕
This was really helpful thank you! I know you mentioned this in the video - but are you putting the whole balloon in minus the smallest part at the bottom - or are you going putting it in up until the middle ridge bit?
When you look at the shape of the epino when it is barely inflated you see a narrower point in the middle - this is where you want the vaginal opening to be. Although ultimately as you inflate it this narrow zone kind of disappears so it doesn’t really matter but for as long as the balloon is not fully inserted in the vagina (otherwise you won’t stretch the perineum and it could cause injury once you take it out since you will probably inflate it more than what your perineum could stretch). Does that make sense?
This was a great video and I’m very interested in the Epi-No but it does not ship to the USA. Is there another device similar that you would recommend?
Some of our clients found it on Ebay, otherwise you could try the Ani ball (made in the UK) but again I think it is the same problem. If you have contacts in Europe it may be worth asking if they could ship it to you. When I recorded this video it was still distributed in Canada ... :(
Sorry, so did you just pulling out your self with the hand? Or you push it out with you plevic muscles
The epino’s natural tendency is that it wants to get out so the whole time you need to hold it in order to keep it in. So once you want to take it out, you are just allowing it to come out on its own by releasing your pressure from your hand. Does that make sense?
Thank you for sharing 😁 I enjoyed watching , you’re very funny hahaha
I’ve got similar device but my arms seem to be too short to reach to insert the ballon or my bum is now too big and it’s on the way :-(. I’m 38 weeks.
Have you tried side lying? I found it was easier for me as I got bigger!
Or even asking your partner? 🥺💗
Great video, Sophie!!!
Thanks Helena!! It took some courage to film and release it 😂
Thanks for the video! When I leave the balloon, just comes out by itself. I'm not sure if that's how it should be. Am I doing something wrong?
Hey Priyaa, as I mentioned in the video you need to hold it in place through the session otherwise it will pop out.
Hello, do you have any experience with this device and a hypertonic pelvic floor? Is it possible to induce some relaxation? Unfortunately i have a postpartal uterine descensus at the same time.
I would recommend addressing the hypertonic pelvic floor with a pelvic health PT prior to using the device. With my clients who present a hypertonic pelvic floor, we normally start with relaxation exercises and sometimes using dilators to get their pelvic floor to a normal tone & length, and then they start using the epino as of 34 weeks. That is why I always recommend an early assessment in pregnancy (1st or 2nd trimester) so we can be ahead of the game to address existing issues.
Ema Krusi, Suissesse a fait une série de vidéos sur la naissance intitulée Faux Départ. . TRÈS TRÈS intéressant. .
Où l'as tu trouvé ? Ils n'ont aucun distributeur au Canada .....
Ebay
Can I use this device for treatment vaginismus? I use the dilators for stretching, but the biggest dilator I have is too small for transisioning to intercource.
I feel like it would be an expensive tool to achieve your goal versus purchasing individual sizes dilators in a sex shop or online. Unless you already own an Epi-no or planning on using one in the future for birth prep, I think you are better off with purchasing bigger dilators until you reach your goal. I also like that dilators can be used to do techniques like back and forth movement in the vagina or getting comfortable with deeper penetration before returning to intercourse, vs the epi no that can only be used for stretching the vaginal opening. It does not reproduce penetrative sex in the same way as a dilator can do. But as I said if you have an epino already or want to use one for birth prep in the future you can totally use it for that purpose.
PS if you are looking for bigger size dilators, I highly recommend this website. I have clients who have ordered from there and were happy with the customer service, apparently they are good at suggesting products depending on what you are looking for. Good luck! crystaldelights.com/collections/dilators
@@BeyondBirthingPelvicFloorPT Can cheaper birthing stretchers like inflatable sex toys be used? For example inflatable buttplugs, two times cheaper and performs all the functions of an epi-no.
@@Empiran can’t comment I have never tried one.
@@Empiran That would be amazing, because here in the Us it is $$$ and not covered by insurance…
I see this video was made awhile ago but hoping to still get a response! I want to use this but have herd some negative opinions on it regarding long term effects on your pelvic floor. What’s your opinion on this? Thank you!!
Hi Kacey! Would love to answer but I would like if you could give me more details about what you heard? What kind of long term effects? And what were your sources? Thanks :)
@@BeyondBirthingPelvicFloorPT Hi thank you so much for responding. Mostly people online we’re all just opinions no actual sources, they didn’t specify what negative effects I just thought sense you used it and because you’re a pelvic floor therapist you would know!
If you don’t mind answering another question, I went ahead and bought one and have been using it for about a week and seem to be stuck at 6 cm. I have vaganismis and struggle with really tight vaginal muscles so that’s why I am trying the epi no bc I really want and unmedicated birth but don’t want to tear too bad. If you have any advice or tips for me I would greatly appreciate it! Thank you, thank you!
@@kaceylea2017 it is hard to say if the epino may or may not have a “negative” impact on the pelvic floor in the long run because no one has studied that yet. But I would tend to think that having a major vaginal tear is more likely to have long term negative consequences and since the epino helps preventing that, then for me the choice was easy. I have had numerous clients using it and so far no one has reported anything of that manner but again hard to assess objectively. Of course we are assuming the device is used as instructed in the manual I.e just a few weeks before due date and not longer. Now in regards to your 6 cm I would leave yourself some more time to get results, you can’t expect to make that much progress within a week especially that you need to get used to the device and the sensation etc and if there’s a history of vaginissmus and pain it is possible that you may have some protective response from your pelvic floor and having to work through that. I think working with a skilled pelvic floor Pt in conjonction may be smart just to make sure you’re using the device correctly and releasing your pelvic floor properly as well while stretching. Good luck!
@@BeyondBirthingPelvicFloorPT Thank you so much for your response I really appreciate it! I’m in the US so it’s been hard finding info on it. Thank you!
@@kaceylea2017 you’re welcome and good luck for birth! You got this ❤️❤️
How did it go? Did you tear?
Check this follow up video! th-cam.com/video/HEem3EuAR6g/w-d-xo.htmlsi=W3KSBjREVAX1Y0Tf
@@BeyondBirthingPelvicFloorPT Thank you for sharing!
It’s literally not available in America, I seriously hate this country sometimes 😭
🇺🇸: “oh this has a lot of studies proving this is effective? BAN IT. WE DON’T WANT IT.”
😵💫😵💫😵💫
I mean I’m definitely getting it on ebay where it will NOT be covered by insurance 😭😭
Did you check on eBay? I found some on there and that’s where my clients get them.