During labour, your doctor may recommend using either a vacuum device or forceps to help your baby out of the birth canal. This is known as assisted vaginal delivery. It may be recommended if you’ve been pushing for a long time and are completely worn out, or if your baby’s nearly out but his heart rate is low.

Assisted delivery is considered a safe procedure as long as your baby’s head is low enough in your birth canal and there are no other problems to complicate a vaginal delivery. If this isn’t possible, your doctor will perform a C-section to get your baby out safely.

What to expect in an Assisted Delivery

If your water hasn’t already broken, your doctor will rupture your membranes. The nurse or doctor will use a catheter to drain your bladder. Unless you have already had an epidural, you may be given a local anesthetic injection in your vaginal wall to numb your genital area. You may also need an episiotomy, particularly if you’re having a forceps delivery, so that there’s room to insert the instrument.

Vacuum-extraction Delivery

During vacuum-assisted delivery, the doctor applies a flexible, rounded cup to your baby’s head in the birth canal. The cup is connected to an electric suction pump or a small handheld pump that creates vacuum pressure to hold the cup securely to the baby’s head. You’ll be asked to push while the doctor gently pulls on a handle attached to the cup, to help move your baby down and out of the birth canals.

A baby born with the help of a vacuum may have raised bruise on top of his head. This bruise usually goes away within a couple of weeks.

Forceps Delivery

During this type of delivery, your doctor may insert the forceps (a pair of spoon-shaped surgical tongs) into your vagina and applies them to the sides of your baby’s head. During contractions, the doctor will grasp the handles and gently pull your baby down and out of the birth canal while you push.

It is possible that your baby may be slightly bruised from the forceps, but the bruises usually clear up in a few days. Sometimes, a scalp blister forms where the forceps gripped the baby’s head. These blisters may look unsightly but they heal in a few weeks. The risk of serious problems occurring for the baby during forceps delivery is relatively rare.

Recovery after Assisted Delivery

You may need stitches in case you experience more than a tiny tear during forceps assisted delivery. This usually takes a few weeks to fully heal. Sometimes, the tissue around an episiotomy will tear, which may cause a laceration that goes into or through the anal sphincter, increasing the risk of gas or fecal incontinence.

In case you experience prolonged pain from your episiotomy or tears, talk to the doctors at KIMS Cuddles to help ease your condition.

*Information shared here is for general purpose Please take doctors’ advice before taking any decision.