December 2014 Moms

epi-no

Just curious are any other people using an epi-no for their pregnancy?

A women's health physio recommended it to me and it seems to significantly reduce the chance of tearing even more than just massage.

I was surprised how big i could get the ballon first time which is really great for my confidence about the birth :)
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Re: epi-no

  • Bahaha. You have got to be kidding me!

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    DD1 5/16/2006 8lbs 3oz 21" (2 days late, 36.5 hour labor)
    M/C 12/08/09 6w5d
    DS1 6/27/2013 7lbs 9oz 19.5" (1 day late, 17.5 hour labor)
    M/C 12/18/13 6w1d Twins
    BFP#5 4/6/13 EDD 12/16/2014




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  • Just curious are any other people using an epi-no for their pregnancy?


    A women's health physio recommended it to me and it seems to significantly reduce the chance of tearing even more than just massage.

    I was surprised how big i could get the ballon first time which is really great for my confidence about the birth :)

    image
    DD1 5/16/2006 8lbs 3oz 21" (2 days late, 36.5 hour labor)
    M/C 12/08/09 6w5d
    DS1 6/27/2013 7lbs 9oz 19.5" (1 day late, 17.5 hour labor)
    M/C 12/18/13 6w1d Twins
    BFP#5 4/6/13 EDD 12/16/2014




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  • CandEChicagoCandEChicago member
    edited November 2014
    This is the first time I am hearing of it...so the answer is "No"


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  • Um no.

     

    D14 November Siggy Challenge: The feels of 3rd trimester...

     

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  • If that is the case... OP ask your doctor their thoughts about you using it versus just hearing about it from "a women's health physio".

    My physical therapist may have a comment or recommendation but I also clear it with my doctor who has a better picture of my medical history and overall expertise.


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  • Nah, I'm good...  :-O
    BFP #1 - 12.25.13 // MMC - 01.23.14
    BFP #2 - 03.27.14 // EDD - 12.07.14

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  • I would definitely use this, but I want a natural birth and will try anything that makes that easier and less painful. However, the last I heard it was not approved by the FDA and impossible to get in the US. Not sure where you're located.


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  • What kind of witch craft is this?

    Why does this exist???

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  • Never heard of it and quite glad I haven't! However, to answer your question, if my husband isn't getting in there, than nothing is getting in, especially a balloon!! I'll take my chances during birth!
  • I've heard of others using it to prevent tearing. It's not something I'd use. If I tear, I tear, and I only tear due to extremely precipitous births. There's no way around that.
    G 12.04 | E 11.06 | D 11.08  | H 12.09 | R 11.14 | Expecting #6 2.16.18.



  • Nope not using this. But I would like to hear what your experience has been like using it. Please tell.

    Pics or it didn't happen.

     

    D14 November Siggy Challenge: The feels of 3rd trimester...

     

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  • bowlwoman said:
    Epi-no? No. Epidural? Yes.
    Hahaha! I assumed this has something do do with an epidural, and I'm all like "epi-YES!". But now that I know what it *actually* is, I'm sticking with NO.
    ALWAYS take the drugs. :D

    I am in awe of the moms that can do it au naturel. It's just not my cup of tea.
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  • soulcupcakesoulcupcake member
    edited November 2014
    .
    I've heard of others using it to prevent tearing. It's not something I'd use. If I tear, I tear, and I only tear due to extremely precipitous births. There's no way around that.
    You've mentioned your precipitous births before, but you've also mentioned using EPO and sweeping your membranes. Out of curiosity, why are you using EPO and doing membrane stripping if your births are so precipitous? Aren't those two things done to bring on/hasten labour?

    Full disclosure: I'm a FTM, so this is all pretty new to me. I'm just confused as to why someone with a history of precipitous births would be doing membrane stripping or using EPO at all. Is it just to help you go INTO labour, or...?
    EPO is meant to help soften the cervix to facilitate effacement and then dilation, but it won't do anything the body wasn't meant to do already. EPO itself doesn't cause cervical change. I had a precipitous birth even when I didn't use EPO (didn't take it with #1 and only took it for one week with #3). With #2, I didn't have reason to think I'd have another fast birth since it can vary greatly. I figured I just got lucky with #1. Sweeps don't induce labor for me. It just helps to release actual prostaglandins and ripen things.

    We sweeped with #4 because we were inducing the next week, and herbal methods of induction don't always operate the same way as pharmaceutical methods, so a sweep is done to ease one into the process prior to herbs or CO.

    My current midwife will only sweep if there's a need, to avoid being risked out.
    G 12.04 | E 11.06 | D 11.08  | H 12.09 | R 11.14 | Expecting #6 2.16.18.



  • @metaphysique - Thanks for your reply. I had read that a stretch and sweep was likely to bring on labour within 48 hours (if at all) so I'm surprised that it would be done if induction wasn't scheduled until a week later and you don't seem to have ever gone full-term. I assume your midwives knew what they were doing, though. I've just read books, which are more general and try to be all-encompassing. XD
    @misskilljoy

    Yep. If a sweep is going to bring on labor it usually happens within a few days. It's a hit or miss. 

    I had an aggressive exam by the consulting OB with #1. It felt a lot different than the others. I had an induction scheduled for 38w5d. However, I visited my midwife at 37w6d and was 5 cm with a bulging bag. She wasn't sending me home. This was 10 years ago when 37 weeks was considered full term. I had her at 38 weeks.

    I had dd2 at 39 weeks, which is full term. We were going to talk induction at my next appt. No sweep with #3. I had #4 at 39w2d, and the sweep was done the week prior. 

    I delivered at full term for the two I had legit sweeps with.
    G 12.04 | E 11.06 | D 11.08  | H 12.09 | R 11.14 | Expecting #6 2.16.18.



  • @krystrist2014 - All that's missing is the semen soak to ripen the cervix that @MissChristineMarie suggested a few weeks ago.
    Semen loofah FTW!
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  • AnonnAni said:
    "when performing procedures and or actions that are aiming to release actual prostaglandins resulting in the ripening of the cervix you are making attempts at induction since the purpose of releasing prostglandins is to result in labor not just ripen the cervix. The cervix only needs "forced" ripening for facilitation of impending labor of an hopeful immediate nature"  Courtesy of my lovely colleage Yvonne Gomez Carrion MD

    So sorry to say but it seems you may be ill informed if you believe you are not "attempting" to induce yourself with a membrane sweep.  No it does not promise to induce but the entire idea around the procedure itself is to "attempt" to facilitate and speed up the process of labor occurring. 
    Well, no shit. That's why they're often done, with the intention to stimulate the release of prostaglandins that may or may not induce labor. But, as with anything, its mechanism does not induce labor for everyone. If it does it will happen within a few days, and if it doesn't it can lead to cramps and possibly help with ripening (because, that's what actual prostaglandins are meant to do). If the body isn't ready labor will not commence, and the same is true for other methods of induction.

    And who said anything about "attempting to induce"? No one is talking about sweeps in the present tense. The last time I had a sweep was nearly 5 years ago knowing we were going to induce.


    G 12.04 | E 11.06 | D 11.08  | H 12.09 | R 11.14 | Expecting #6 2.16.18.



  • @metaphysique - Thanks for your reply. I had read that a stretch and sweep was likely to bring on labour within 48 hours (if at all) so I'm surprised that it would be done if induction wasn't scheduled until a week later and you don't seem to have ever gone full-term. I assume your midwives knew what they were doing, though. I've just read books, which are more general and try to be all-encompassing. XD
    @misskilljoy

    Yep. If a sweep is going to bring on labor it usually happens within a few days. It's a hit or miss. 

    I had an aggressive exam by the consulting OB with #1. It felt a lot different than the others. I had an induction scheduled for 38w5d. However, I visited my midwife at 37w6d and was 5 cm with a bulging bag. She wasn't sending me home. This was 10 years ago when 37 weeks was considered full term. I had her at 38 weeks.

    I had dd2 at 39 weeks, which is full term. We were going to talk induction at my next appt. No sweep with #3. I had #4 at 39w2d, and the sweep was done the week prior. 

    I delivered at full term for the two I had legit sweeps with.
    So, if you had #4 at 39w2d and usually a sweep brings on labor w/in 48 hours, why did you do the sweep a full week prior? Especially if you have a history of fast labors anyway? 

    I'm just trying to figure out the timeline here, because I can see a rush of FTMs reading this thread and asking their doctors to do a sweep at 38 weeks. Since ACOG changed the guidelines only 2.5 months ago and your prior labors were all done before ACOG revised the guidelines, that may have played a role, but I'm still curious as to why you wanted a potential labor around 38-38.5 weeks for a healthy pregnancy. I'm doing an induction at 38w1d this pregnancy, but I've got 3-4 high-risk issues.
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  • AnonnAniAnonnAni member
    edited November 2014
    AnonnAni said:
    "when performing procedures and or actions that are aiming to release actual prostaglandins resulting in the ripening of the cervix you are making attempts at induction since the purpose of releasing prostglandins is to result in labor not just ripen the cervix. The cervix only needs "forced" ripening for facilitation of impending labor of an hopeful immediate nature"  Courtesy of my lovely colleage Yvonne Gomez Carrion MD

    So sorry to say but it seems you may be ill informed if you believe you are not "attempting" to induce yourself with a membrane sweep.  No it does not promise to induce but the entire idea around the procedure itself is to "attempt" to facilitate and speed up the process of labor occurring. 
    Well, no shit. That's why they're often done, with the intention to stimulate the release of prostaglandins that may or may not induce labor. But, as with anything, its mechanism does not induce labor for everyone. If it does it will happen within a few days, and if it doesn't it can lead to cramps and possibly help with ripening (because, that's what actual prostaglandins are meant to do). If the body isn't ready labor will not commence, and the same is true for other methods of induction.

    And who said anything about "attempting to induce"? No one is talking about sweeps in the present tense. The last time I had a sweep was nearly 5 years ago knowing we were going to induce.


    And the question that was asked to you was asked because YOU yourself referenced in another post that you planned to "sweep your own membranes again".  
    I'm sure one of my lovely google ladies can point you in the direction of the thread you made that comment in. 
    Which is why the original question was posed to you as to why would you even bother if you have had precipitous labors.  So maybe you didn't understand the entire reason as to why you were being questioned in the beginning it wasn't just this thread that spawned the question, it was another where you mentioned a DIY membrane sweep for this pregnancy. 

    Therefore I pointed out the obvious that had your labors been as precipitous as you say then there would be no need to do a membrane sweep since they are in fact more often used to as an attempt to induce labor.  So according to what you have put out there in other threads it is coming across as if you plan on attempting to induce labor which again accoring to your other information you shouldn't have to. 
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    Baby #2 11/14/12 
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    Baby #5 2/28/19 
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    Baby #7 7/3/22
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  • bowlwoman said:
    @metaphysique - Thanks for your reply. I had read that a stretch and sweep was likely to bring on labour within 48 hours (if at all) so I'm surprised that it would be done if induction wasn't scheduled until a week later and you don't seem to have ever gone full-term. I assume your midwives knew what they were doing, though. I've just read books, which are more general and try to be all-encompassing. XD
    @misskilljoy

    Yep. If a sweep is going to bring on labor it usually happens within a few days. It's a hit or miss. 

    I had an aggressive exam by the consulting OB with #1. It felt a lot different than the others. I had an induction scheduled for 38w5d. However, I visited my midwife at 37w6d and was 5 cm with a bulging bag. She wasn't sending me home. This was 10 years ago when 37 weeks was considered full term. I had her at 38 weeks.

    I had dd2 at 39 weeks, which is full term. We were going to talk induction at my next appt. No sweep with #3. I had #4 at 39w2d, and the sweep was done the week prior. 

    I delivered at full term for the two I had legit sweeps with.
    So, if you had #4 at 39w2d and usually a sweep brings on labor w/in 48 hours, why did you do the sweep a full week prior? Especially if you have a history of fast labors anyway? 

    I'm just trying to figure out the timeline here, because I can see a rush of FTMs reading this thread and asking their doctors to do a sweep at 38 weeks. Since ACOG changed the guidelines only 2.5 months ago and your prior labors were all done before ACOG revised the guidelines, that may have played a role, but I'm still curious as to why you wanted a potential labor around 38-38.5 weeks for a healthy pregnancy. I'm doing an induction at 38w1d this pregnancy, but I've got 3-4 high-risk issues.
    If FTMs are asking about sweeps it's not because of this thread. I'm seeing threads about sweeps before 40 weeks on many other boards, and it's always been like that. It isn't exclusive to this board. As I said, my previous births were years before the guidelines changed due to recent data.

    Do you want a timeline for my reasons for inducing early with #4? My midwife knew at my first consult at 15 weeks that I wanted to induce 1-2 weeks before my due date. She was understanding of my reasons and was willing to work with me as we got closer to due date. It was an on-going discussion with my therapist throughout my pregnancy due to losing my first son at the end of my pregnancy. Once I got midway into December I was done, and not "done" in the "pregnancy is exhausting" sense. I was mentally and physically done. I already went through a pregnancy and was left with empty arms. At that point I wanted him out when I knew he was still alive. 

    My midwife had experience with that with a previous client and was very empathetic and didn't question anything. In terms of the induction itself, the exact date hinged on my then husband's R&R leave. In Nov my then husband got word that he'd be arriving for R&R in my 38th week, so I informed my midwife. Back then, almost 5 years ago, 38 weeks was considered full term. I've had both a 38 and 39 weeker, so we were comfortable with that time frame. 

    Also, while sweeps are often done to facilitate labor, they have a greater chance of success after 40+ weeks, when, statistically, multips go into spontaneous labor. Doing sweeps earlier is more of a miss in terms of inducing labor, but it can help with cervical ripening. We were not convinced a sweep would send me into labor at 38 weeks, but it was our hope that it would help ripen things for when we did induce.

    Sweep at 38 weeks on the dot. I got the call from my then husband the day after that he'd be coming home on Christmas day, which was 39w1d. I informed my midwife and she said we'd induce the day after. As we expected, the first sweep didn't send me into labor. Heck, my cervix was still posterior and off to the side on Christmas Eve. It did help my dilate 1 cm further, so any progress is good progress when inducing, especially when not doing AROM or pharmaceuticals. 
    G 12.04 | E 11.06 | D 11.08  | H 12.09 | R 11.14 | Expecting #6 2.16.18.



  • soulcupcakesoulcupcake member
    edited November 2014
    AnonnAni said:
    To avoid being risked out, yep, I'm all for a sweep. That's often done in OOH births if there is a situation where mom is at risk for being risked out. Also, a sweep doesn't determine the speed of labor once it happens.

    A history of precipitous labors says nothing about when spontaneous labor will begin, and the same for having a "ripe" cervix. There are many women who are ripe for weeks and having a history of precip and still make it to 41+ weeks.

    I did mention a DIY membrane in my last pregnancy. I'm not at all opposed to a sweep in this pregnancy if we're taking about inducing, in which case she gives moms that option at 41+. Due to my history I'm not comfortable going beyond 41 weeks and change. 

    ETA:

    I don't foresee going into spontaneous labor before the end of Nov, but I am doing what I can to prep my body -- EPO, RRL, walking, chiro adjustments, using birth ball, and will start acupuncture sessions after 37 weeks. I freely admit that I would be overjoyed if I went into labor before my due date. 

    Why? Because while I *thought* this pregnancy would be easier, seeing as this month makes it six years since losing my first son, as I approach December, when he was also due, I am seeing that time doesn't make it easier. Every single day I wake up wondering if it's the day that I stop feeling movement. I wonder if I should ask my midwife what the protocol is if she dies, because that was my reality six years ago. 

    It was a major source of anxiety during my last pregnancy hence inducing early, and while I felt "good" earlier in this pregnancy, that sense of fear and anxiety do not go away. It has gotten worse as December approaches. If my body decides to go into labor on its own, which I'm curious about, before early December, I'd be incredibly relieved. As long as it happens after 37 weeks when my midwife can legally attend homebirths.

    G 12.04 | E 11.06 | D 11.08  | H 12.09 | R 11.14 | Expecting #6 2.16.18.



  • Late to the party, but I thought we were all sticking fruit up our vags? You mean that was a joke??? I'm sitting here with a spiky durian up mine. ;-)
    A spiky durian, that's all?  I have two pineapples and a cantaloupe. I liek to over achieve lol
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    Baby #2 11/14/12 
    Baby #3 12/11/14
    Baby #4  3/30/17
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    Baby #6 Miscarriage
    Baby #7 7/3/22
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  • AnonnAni said:
    Late to the party, but I thought we were all sticking fruit up our vags? You mean that was a joke??? I'm sitting here with a spiky durian up mine. ;-)
    A spiky durian, that's all?  I have two pineapples and a cantaloupe. I liek to over achieve lol
    we better cut it out, someones gonna do it and post a pic of it lol you know how this board can get sometimes lol
    ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
    Baby #1 7/16/10
    Baby #2 11/14/12 
    Baby #3 12/11/14
    Baby #4  3/30/17
    Baby #5 2/28/19 
    Baby #6 Miscarriage
    Baby #7 7/3/22
    Naturally with PCOS

  • AnonnAni said:
    AnonnAni said:
    Late to the party, but I thought we were all sticking fruit up our vags? You mean that was a joke??? I'm sitting here with a spiky durian up mine. ;-)
    A spiky durian, that's all?  I have two pineapples and a cantaloupe. I liek to over achieve lol
    we better cut it out, someones gonna do it and post a pic of it lol you know how this board can get sometimes lol
    I totally did a "google image" search last week for "It's Friday" and there was a woman on a bed with a basketball in her vagina saying "It's friday! Have a ball!" I really wish my work computer had restrictions at that point.
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  • CandEChicagoCandEChicago member
    edited November 2014

    @CandEChicago will not be happy cheese curds were brought up on this thread @chayshay1408 & @AJIrishmama. Shame on you!

    Lol...ok it's official...Wednesday is the new Thursday (UO) or Friday (FFFC). Newbies questions and discussion of cheese curds.


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  • Slaps said:

    Don't know what it is, after 3 kids all ready I think I have a bucket fanny anyways!!

    Careful, @Slaps‌ ... Remember you're talking to a bunch of North Americans, for whom "fanny" means something different. You're dangerously close to admitting to butt babies. ;)
    I learned this the hard way when I used the term "fanny pack" while traveling in Europe.
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  • Our midwife at the birthing classes highly recommended getting an epi-no. She had one to show us, it was just way too weird for me. One of the other ladies in the class went and got one, she had to order it online. They're super expensive, but apparently they also recommend older ladies use them to help strengthen their pelvic floor muscles.
  • I would definitely use this, but I want a natural birth and will try anything that makes that easier and less painful. However, the last I heard it was not approved by the FDA and impossible to get in the US. Not sure where you're located.
    Australia. And my hospital was actually involved in one of the trials of it so they are quite on board.
    It's a german invention though. I can understand though why some people would find it quite off putting. I didn't realise it wasn't available in the US. Guess it explains why everyone wasn't already talking about it (i did do a search to try and find previous chatter on it but didn't find the one someone posted above).
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