Peanut Ball Survey Results

The Peanut Ball is the hottest tool for labor. At the recent Lamaze DONA Conference I think I heard that phrase uttered thousands of times.  At YourDoulaBag, we have been offering the ball for purchase for almost one full year and we were curious about how life with the peanut is going.  We created a quick survey and have some interesting results to share.

Have you used your Peanut Ball yet?

It's pretty clear that survey respondents are actually using their peanut balls.

If you have used your peanut ball, how do you like it?

Results here are a little mixed, but the majority (63%) either love it or like it.  Our comments on the question were interesting.  Emily Nolan not only selected "I love it", but went on to comment that it is "A lifesaver for moms who have epidurals or who have otherwise limited mobility."  Another respondent said "Even though the hospital had one too, neither the nurses or I knew how to use it properly. Harder than it looks!"

Are you pleased with the size of your Peanut Ball?

While the majority of respondents were pleased with the sized, we did have some conflicting comments.  One respondent said "I feel like I might enjoy also a bigger one" and another respondent said "I had to deflate it a bit to get a better fit".  I think the conclusion here is that moms aren't one size and the peanut ball (just like the birth ball) won't fit perfectly for all women.  

Are you pleased with the Quality of your Peanut Ball?

As the retailer, we are so pleased with the answer to this question.  As a result we will continue to offer the Gymnic Brand balls. 

Do you use a cover on your Peanut Ball?

Covers on the Peanut seem to be popular and desired.  One respondent said "LOVE the cover" and Lou Ann Damsma answered "I use the cover to carry the ball and then sheets or hospital gowns to cover it in labor."   Our ball covers will fit the 65cm round balls and the 40cm peanut balls that we sell. 

Why do you like having a Peanut Ball? 

We received lots of answers to this question and have chosen a few to share.

1) Sarah Wingrove said "Keeps moms' pelvises open when lying in bed with an epidural"

2) Daine Zacharin said "More options to offer"

3) Janis Spinak said "Allow ladies to use during class with position changes to see how pelvis opens"

4) Emily Nolan said "Additionally, as a doula, there's often a feeling of frustration when an epidural is placed- in that it becomes much more difficult to help labor progress when mom is confined to the bed. I don't feel so helpless when I have the peanut ball, because I've seen it work its magic in aiding labor progress in more than a few women whose care providers suspected 'failure to progress'"

Conclusions...Now what?

Our goal is to provide the best tools that will make a difference in the lives of our customers.  It seems like our customers in the whole are pleased with their purchase of the peanut ball and are actually getting some good use out of it.  We have put together a blog with references to more information about the peanut, but the next step for us is to put together even more resources so that our customers will get the most out of this product.  

Here is where we would like to hear from you!  Please comment below with any questions that you have about the peanut ball.  We want to know what you are still wondering about this product.