Aniball Myths

Over 13 years of practice, we have collected various opinions and experiences. To help you make the right decision, we have prepared the most common myths about Aniball, which will help you get to know Aniball better and get rid of prejudices.

What motivated us to write myths?

Although Aniball has been shown to help prevent perineal injury during childbirth, some consider it an unnecessary and unnatural modern convenience, or a clever marketing ploy.

It's natural to want to understand your body, trust yourself, listen to your intuition, and be active during labor. The myths associated with Aniball mostly stem from a lack of knowledge about the purpose of the balloon and how it works. We've put together all the assumptions and half-truths that circulate about Aniball to set them straight.

Myths about Aniball

ANIBALL IS JUST A MARKETING TRICK. OUR GRANDMOTHERS AND MOTHERS DID NOT HAVE ANY ASSISTANCE AVAILABLE, THEY WERE NOT PREPARED - THEY MANAGED THE BIRTH.

But can we even compare previous generations with today's expectant mothers?

• Women are increasingly giving birth at a later age, may accumulate more civilization diseases, injuries, surgeries, and usually use more medications – including hormonal contraception.

• They have less exercise, sedentary jobs and a passive lifestyle or, conversely, excessively inappropriate sports activities lead to problems (not only) with the musculoskeletal system.

• They are also negatively affected by an inappropriate lifestyle and, above all, long-term stress.

All of this affects the pelvic floor - its tension increases, which impairs the ability to relax the birth canal, which can significantly complicate the course of childbirth and increase the risk of injury.

Birth injuries should not be taken for granted. They leave scars on the body and soul. Let's prevent them with prenatal preparation so that we can live fully, actively and joyfully even after birth.

IS IT NOT ANIBALLO'S EXERCISE UNNATURAL? FEMALES IN NATURE HAVE ALWAYS KNOWN HOW TO GIVE BIRTH.

It is certainly not unnatural to act intuitively and spontaneously during childbirth.

• In the wild, these animals quietly retreat into seclusion and give birth in peace, safety, and intimacy. They have the opportunity to listen to their natural instincts and their own intuition.

• Compared to them, women are often deprived of a sense of intimacy during childbirth due to various disturbing influences in the delivery room (many people, too much light, noise, cold, etc.), which prevent them from relaxing and behaving spontaneously. All this triggers a stress reaction that complicates childbirth in all aspects.

• Preparation with Aniball allows women to try out the sensations we experience during childbirth and gradually learn to work with them gently with the help of breathing and a suitably chosen position, trusting their own body, intuition and behaving naturally.

ANIBALL IS A DEVICE FOR STRETCHING THE BIRTH CHANNEL AND TENSIONING THE PERINEAL VALVE.

This is unfortunately one of the most common misconceptions. The purpose of Aniball is not to dilate the vagina, the birth canal, or stretch the perineum.

The aim of the exercise is to learn to consciously relax the birth canal with the help of breathing so that we do not resort to violent pushing during childbirth, which often results in injury and can cause a lack of oxygen to the baby in the birth canal.

If the birth canal remains contracted, the journey into the world is more difficult and complicated for the baby.

DURING THE EXERCISE, IT IS NECESSARY TO GRADUALLY INFLATE THE ANIBALL UNTIL IT IS A SIZE THAT IMITATES THE CIRCUMFERENCE OF A NEWBORN'S HEAD (APPROX. 34 CM).

The purpose of the exercise is not to achieve the largest possible circumference of the balloon. The Aniball is inflated to adapt to each woman individually.

Power and size do not matter – it is important to listen to your body's signals. Aniball should only be inflated until you feel a slight tension, not through pain. We strongly recommend not exceeding a circumference of 25 cm.

• Focus on gradually releasing the pelvic floor using your breath, do not force the balloon and definitely do not make it unnecessarily large.

ANIBALL EXCESSIVELY STRETCHES THE PELVIC FLOOR MUSCLES, DISRUPTING THEIR INTEGRITY AND WEAKENING THEM.

The balloon is not intended to stretch muscles and should not be used in this way - you should always respect the instructions in the manual and your own body's capabilities. If we overdo it and strain our muscles excessively during daily exercises with the balloon, it will surprisingly not help us in any way during childbirth. Everything has its time - the birth canal is only prepared for the baby's passage during childbirth itself, thanks to a unique cocktail of hormones and contractions.

ANIBALL CAUSES STRESS URINARY INCONTINENCE.

Pelvic floor weakness and stress incontinence occur in one in three women after childbirth. Birth injuries are usually a factor, but pregnancy can also play a role – through gravity and hormones. If incontinence does not go away within six months after childbirth, it should be actively addressed.

• Aniball does not cause stress incontinence. On the contrary – it helps us regain our fitness after childbirth and the postpartum period.
• Regular pelvic floor muscle activation and relaxation training significantly reduces the risk of incontinence problems. According to a study by Ruiz de Viñaspre, insufficient pelvic floor muscle training in the postpartum period is one of the most important factors causing incontinence.

EXERCISE WITH ANIBALL CAN LEAD TO PERMANENT DAMAGE TO THE VAGINAL WALLS.

Proper use of Aniball is safe for both mother and child. The goal of balloon exercises is not to forcefully stretch the vaginal walls. Adverse effects have not yet been reported by gynecologists, midwives or physiotherapists.

ANIBALL IS NOT VERIFIED, DATA IS MISSING.

Aniball is a medical device proven by perinatological research , which investigated prenatal pelvic floor training using a vaginal balloon in Czech women. Its positive effect has also been addressed in connection with the possibilities of preventing episiotomy (perineal injury) during childbirth. The growing popularity of Aniball in the gynecological-obstetric, urogynecological, physiotherapeutic and women's communities confirms that it significantly reduces the risk of medical intervention, spontaneous perineal rupture and its consequences.

EVERY PARENT SHOULD PREPARE WITH ANIBALL BECAUSE IT GUARANTEES A PROBLEM-FREE BIRTH.

Aniball is not a miracle that guarantees a birth without complications and medical interventions. It helps to better understand your own body and trust yourself, but it will not do anything for us. Performance-oriented women who misunderstand it in this way should not use it at all, as should women who suffer from contraindications.

• Some births can be delivered without surgery, but this is not the rule and depends on a number of factors – including the mother's age, number of previous births, baby's weight, etc.

• Aniball is designed for active women who want to prevent risk. Appropriate preparation significantly increases the chance of a birth without injury, which is also confirmed by the aforementioned studies.

ISN'T BREATHING DURING BIRTH EXACTLY THE OPPOSITE OF EXERCISE WITH ANIBALL?

During childbirth, a hormonal cocktail is released and our body is supported by contractions, which is of course not the case during the several weeks of preparation with Aniball. However, the important thing is that when it comes to breathing, the preparation and the actual birth are no different.

• The diaphragm and pelvic floor are like Siamese twins – they relax with each breath. When we breathe calmly, deeply into our abdomen, we naturally breathe our baby into the world without controlled pushing.

• It can take a while to get used to how it works. And that's what Aniball helps with – it teaches us that pelvic floor relaxation comes with inhalation, and it's when we inhale that the balloon tends to come out of the body. And it's the same when giving birth to a baby.