What is a Vacuum Assisted Delivery?
A delivery process in which a doctor or a midwife uses a vacuum or a vacuum extractor to promote the movement of the baby through the birth canal is known as a vacuum assisted delivery.
This kind of a delivery comes within the category of a vaginal delivery. The vacuum is made of a soft plastic cup which is attached to the baby’s head with suction.
When is a Vacuum Assisted Delivery Needed?
In a condition where getting the baby is not possible or does not happen by pushing alone, help of a vacuum may be needed. Even when your cervix is dilated fully and you have been exerting a pushing force, a vacuum may be needed to develop more pressure. The following are the cases in which this kind of a delivery is needed:
- If you have been pushing for more than 2 hours, then in that case the baby will no longer move down though the birth canal. This is the most common condition for vacuum assisted delivery.
- In case when you have become too tired to push any further, you may need a vacuum assisted delivery.
- If a medical problem occurs and it is risky for you to push any further, then even in that case you may need vacuum assisted delivery.
- If the baby is having some troubles inside the womb like an abnormal heart rate, then doctors use this procedure to quicken the birthing process.
What are the Risks Involved in a Vacuum Assisted Delivery?
It is important to know that there are certain risks involved in the case of a vacuum assisted delivery. The following are some of these risks:
- There may be a case of bleeding on the baby’s scalp but it also goes away soon enough and is not such a serious problem.
- The baby might have jaundice which too can be treated using a light medical procedure.
- In some cases, there may be bleeding under the covering of the skull bone. This too goes away soon and does not cause any problems.
- In very rare cases, bleeding may occur inside the skull and this is a serious issue.
What do I expect from a Vacuum Assisted Delivery?
In a vacuum assisted delivery, you are most likely to be given medication to control and block the pain. This can either be an epidural block medicine or a medicine which is placed in the vagina to block it.
The plastic cup of the vacuum is put on top of the baby’s head. After this, when contraction occurs, the doctors will ask you to push again and during this time, the doctor will pull the baby out gently. Once the baby’s head is out, you will be required to push the rest of the body out.
If by chance, this process does not work, then doctors are most likely going to perform a C-section to deliver the baby.
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