All of you would have come across the term assisted birth and wondered what on earth it was. It replicates a situation where some form of assistance is needed for the baby to be born and this is right at the pushing phase of labor. A vacuum extractor delivery and forceps are the common methods of delivery and the former also goes by the name of ventouse. It is in the form of an instrument pretty much like a suction cup. This is then attached to the head of a baby with increased suction and with the help of a handle the baby is directed down towards the birth canal.

The reasons for a vacuum delivery baby?

Any form of assistance during birth could be needed for a variety of reasons. The main cause is that the baby has become distressed and is pretty near to birth and this form of assistance could speed up the process of delivery. When it is normal labor it does take more than an hour for a mother to push the baby out and this is without any form of assistance. If the need arises that the baby has to be born straight away then vacuum assisted birth is the only solution. Some of the possible reasons for this form of birth would mean

• The mother is pushing for several hours and the stage of dilation is complete
• For medical reasons the pushing becomes dangerous
• Baby is showing visible signs of distress and needs to be taken out quickly in comparison to what a mother can push at this stage
• The head of the baby is not at an optimal position for birth
• The mother is exhausted after pushing for a long time.
• There is restriction on pushing as per the guidelines of the hospital

If this form of birth is needed then the doctor would need to find out whether the baby is low enough and is pretty close to being born as well. On the other hand if the head is too high, then a C section would be the viable option.

The risks or side effects

Babies who emerge out from this type of delivery do have a bump or swelling on the head where a suction cup was being attached. This bump might cause a degree of discomfort but it slowly fades with 2 days after the birth. Some other risks that might emerge are as follows

• Bleeding could take place under the scalp of the baby that is going to cause long term problems and it would go away with time
• Chances of bleeding under the skull could also emerge but this situation is considered to be very rare.

It has been observed that babies who are born with this type of delivery work out to be grumpy and a lot fussy during the first few days. This is all the more so when they do come in contact with strangers. In this regard skin to skin contact with mothers wou