How I Avoided an Episiotomy - Real Mum story on MoM

10 Comments

I was fearful of an episiotomy with my first child. I used a medical device I found out about from a friend who used it – Epi No. It’s like a bulb that you gradually inflate for a few minutes each day about three weeks before your due date. It stretches your tissues gradually so that when baby is born it is not a sudden shock to your body.
It worked for me. The day after delivery, a midwife wanted to inspect my stitches but I could happily say I have none – she looked shocked.

Posted by mom162079, 21st January 2016

10 Comments

- - rachelvk said
  - 26 Jan 2016
    10:55 pm
Thank you for sharing. I had heard of perineum massage but not this device. Glad it worked so well for you!

- - Lori-Anne said
  - 26 Jan 2016
    3:20 pm
Thankyou for sharing… I am going to research this product. I am also going to try doing Perineum stretching to help avoid a tear or episiotomy.

- - mom93821 said
  - 23 Jan 2016
    7:47 am
Glad it worked for you – not all can be avoided.
- mom165081 replied
  
  26 Jan 2016 , 1:28 am
  Agreed – people shouldn’t feel bad if they suffer an episiotomy. They can be unavoidable no matter what precautions are taken. Same goes for emergency caesarians.
  - mom93821 replied
    
    30 Jan 2016 , 7:10 am
    
    Exactly – sometimes these interventions are unavoidable and sometimes they are undertaken for the safe delivery of a baby. An episiotomy is painful but recovery can be helped with the advice of good midwives.
- - BellaB said
  - 21 Jan 2016
    7:20 pm
My obstetrician said he’d seen no real evidence that these work. But if you think it helped you, maybe it did.
- mom94125 replied
  
  24 Jan 2016 , 5:08 pm
  yeah they are not too mainstream yet either. i would just go for it and listen to the nurse when they say stop pushing to give it time . oh apparently people massage the area to prevent issues.
- - mom90758 said
  - 21 Jan 2016
    3:34 pm
Really?? I’ve never heard of such a thing before. It looks amazing and it works!!
I had to have an episiotomy, but it wasn’t that bad. I would have preferred your way though!
- mom165081 replied
  
  23 Jan 2016 , 1:46 am
  I’ve never heard of them either – interesting idea though.
- - mom94125 said
  - 21 Jan 2016
    1:27 pm
i had no issues. well maybe this product worked for you.