Birthing / gym ball

lynsiloo

Hey guys, been thinking about getting a birthing ball, dont know whether it will be a waste of time, but anything is worth a go. Seen that you can get gym balls much cheaper than birthing balls, are they just the same??? Is it another scam where anything pregnancy related is double the price???

helen81_2

Hi
I used a bog standard gym ball during my labour with DS and it did help abit actually..felt that while I was concentrating on bouncing up and down on it I wasn't thinking how bloody painful my contractions were getting lol! Havn't used a proper birthing ball before so can't compare them for you sorry.
Helen x

t_obermory

I'm in the same situation and have been trying to figure out what the difference is.

From what I've found birthing balls have a higher weight tolerance, I looked at a gym ball on tesco and it went up to 100kg which is 15 and a bit stones - so I guess for some women during pregnancy they'll exceed this weight. You can get 'stronger' gym balls, I'm not sure what ther difference in price is though. The birth balls I've seen go up to 200kg

The other thing is that its important to get the right size ball for your height there's a site here that gives you the guidelines.

Also get one with a slow puncture design, so if it goes you don't end up flat on your back!

Essentially from what I've seen I don't think there's a great deal of difference between the two. Its just important to get the right size/weight tolerance ball for the individual which may make it more expensive.

Skint_Catt

I agree with t_obermory about the slow puncture design! One woman was exercising on it - it went pop and she was left with serious back problems (broken vertebrae?) as she landed heavily. You don't want an added complication to the birth!

natalie1974

When I was in labour with DD2 they said I had to bounce on the birthing ball in the delivery suite , they left me to it whilst I was sat there sucking away on the gas and air slowly but surely getting "high" ! I gave up after I fell off it for the 6th time :rotfl:

littlelibrarylass

i used a birthing ball when i gave birth to dd . i leant over it and rocked my hips. dd arrived in 6 hours.
the hospital provided mine.
LLL

Curious_George_2

I used a gym ball which cost under a fiver... from tesco i think
i used to sit on it at home and have a bounce

Strapped

I used a gym ball too. I think it was about £10 from Boots. I had to buy my own, because I am very tall and the standard size birth balls at the hospital were too low. (I was living there antenatally so I tried a few out lol). I'm also quite heavy for a woman, and it was strong enough. It's good to get one anyway and sit on it towards the end of pregnancy to get baby into the right position ready for labour. (You need to sit with your hips higher than knees, not slouched back on a sofa - decreases risk of back-to-back labour, which i had with my first son and OUCH it hurts).

heather38

i also used a tesco ball, i used it at home to help baby engage and also in hospital in early labour. they are really comfy as you can centre your weight in a good position to relieve pain. just remember to take your pump to hospital with you.

custardy

natalie1974 wrote: »

When I was in labour with DD2 they said I had to bounce on the birthing ball in the delivery suite , they left me to it whilst I was sat there sucking away on the gas and air slowly but surely getting "high" ! I gave up after I fell off it for the 6th time :rotfl:

well we were in last week and OH used the povided birthing balls to try and get things moving.
she said they did help a bit but she held onto the bed all the time

waterbaby

Skint_Catt wrote: »

I agree with t_obermory about the slow puncture design! One woman was exercising on it - it went pop and she was left with serious back problems (broken vertebrae?) as she landed heavily. You don't want an added complication to the birth!

I've had a gym ball since before I was pregnant, once when I was sat on it (at 7 or 8 months pregnant) it began to make a hissing noise, but before I worked out what was making the noise, it went BANG and I was flat on the floor next to a couple of scraps of rubber. We were fine, but if I had landed differently who knows.

I was still about 4 stone below its weight limit, but had used it for a few years already so it was probably past its best.

Now, at 6 days overdue, I am using a nice sturdy chair with four legs! I've got a new gym ball but just plan on leaning over it and rocking a bit when I FINALLY get going. My trust has gone!