Birth Balls

The birth ball can be used dozens of ways to assist labor techniques as well as for comfort during pregnancy and labor.“I asked (at the hastily arranged private tour) about birthing balls,
they said they had them, they really liked them, and there was NOTHING
like a birthing ball for getting a posterior baby to turn, really opens the pelvis...”

 

– Hedra athttp://hedra.typepad.com/hands_full_of_rocks/2009/04/hypnopbirthing.htmlHands Full of Rocks; a collection of essays on parenthood

 

What is a birth ball?

Penny Simkin shows how a woman can lean over the ball and keep her pelvis mobile for the baby during labor.A birth ball is simply an exercise ball. The name “birth ball” is used affectionately when the exercise ball is used to prepare for, or during, labor.


I like birthing balls, too. And though I think standing and doing the abdominal lift and tuck is the best for helping a posterior baby rotate in labor, a birth ball is second to the birth stool for helping rotation while the mother is sitting.

Here, Penny Simkin shows how a woman can lean over the ball and keep her pelvis mobile for the baby during labor.

 

 

 

Sit on a firm ball instead of a chair


In Pregnancy
Use a birth ball to sit on instead of a chair.


Where? Trade the chair for a birth ball at the computer, at the table and even while watching TV.


Why? The birth ball comforts and strengthens your lower back. Your pelvis is better supported and symmetrical. The pelvis opens a bit, maybe not as much as squatting, but certainly without the effort of squatting. (Squatting is good preparation, too.) You are able to sit upright comfortably after only a few tries with the ball. Sitting upright helps the abdomen be a hammock for the baby and encourages the baby to settle in an anterior position when the mother’s ligaments and fascia are balanced and she hasn’t waited too long. Start before pregnancy, if you can, but start when you can.


How? Sit so that your feet are flat and apart, so that your feet and the center of the ball make a tripod when you sit down on it. The ball should be firm and big enough so that your hips are equal or higher than your knees.
Use a birth ball to help you do a gentle back bend to open your upper chest and shoulders. You might get a gentle adjustment, or spinal alignment.

 

 

 

 

 



To Get into Labor
Doing vigorous circles on the ball can help get the baby’s head on the cervix. If your baby is posterior (you feel little hands wiggling down in front) then don’t do these circles until after ten contractions doing the abdominal lift and tuck.
If your water releases (breaks, rupture of membranes, ROM) and there are no contractions, then these circles on the ball, done smoothly, but actively, perhaps to salsa music, can help bring the head on the cervix and bring on contractions. 20 minutes. Change directions periodically during the 20 minutes you do the circles. Alternate abdominal lifts with circles on the ball once contractions begin if the contractions are not yet 3-4 minutes apart and it’s not time to sleep.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 


 

In Labor
The birth ball can be used to sit on in early labor or the pushing stage. The upward curve of the ball is a nice support during labor. The curve gives a slight counter pressure the slightly engorged or swollen vulva during labor. It’s just more comfortable than a chair. Few women like the ball in very active labor. That’s when it’s hard to sit on anything that presses.


The ball can be a mobile support for the mother’s upper body when she is kneeling and leaning forward in labor. This position on the ball makes it easy to rock forward and back during contractions, which soothes many women. Other women like to rock side to side or even make gentle circles to calm themselves and rock their bodies during contractions.

It’s a way to be in a hands and knees position without straining the wrists.


A ball and a bean bag chair for resting

Need help Learning a labor progress technique with a birth ballto progress a labor but the mother can’t stand or get out of bed?

Obstetrician Diane Peterson taught me this one:  The mother sits on the birthing bed and bends her knees and touches the soles of her feet together. The birth ball is placed in the space between her knees and she leans forward to hug the ball.  The foot of the birthing bed can be lowered a little to make this more comfortable. Now she has two trusted people at either side of her. She vigorously rocks side to side. Her support team holds her arms and shoulders to hold her weight when she leans towards them. They prevent her from falling off the bed. It is a vigorous exercise that shifts the asynclitic (the head is tipped as if listening) or posterior baby lower through the pelvis. It may correct the angle of the baby’s head. It will help fetal descent if the reason for lack of descent is an unfavorable angle of the baby’s head.

 

 

 

For Pushing
One woman I helped as a doula wanted to sit on the ball while she pushed. She didn’t want to be in bed or stand or sit on a birthing stool. Her midwife was a little concerned about a repeat shoulder dystocia, but when the time came for the baby to emerge, the mother just angled her pelvis forward while I held her from behind and the baby slipped into the midwives hands.

After the Birth
The ball is great to sit on while comforting a baby. A baby who is in pain from gas often calms for walking. After a while, a parent’s legs are tired. If a similar rhythm can be imitated on the ball, the parent can sit while holding the baby upright over their shoulder and sooth the baby while resting their own legs. Make sure you are comfortable sitting on the ball and are able to get on and off without losing your balance before you try sitting down on a ball with a baby in your arms.
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Spinning Babies is facing an immediate "migration," new software installation for the behind the scenes portion of the website at cost of $680. This massive update is crucial for security and functionality. Alternatively, I could take the 100+ pages down and restart the site with new software at a lower cost, but much less content. Would you be ok with a 10 page site carrying only an outline of information? That's about how many other websites treat their content.

 Are you a woman or a loved one of a woman helped to avoid a cesarean by Spinning Babies Website? Has Spinning Babies helped you serve birthing families with techniques for labor progress? Do you have a little time to help Spinning Babies in return? If the migration costs $680 and 100 of my loyal users gave $68 dollars each, we'd get it covered. 

Did you know that Spinning Babies was hacked a few summers ago and had to go off line while I found hosting with security? Security is a real issue on the internet. 

Several years ago a grandmother donated $150 after a visit to Spinning Babies Website helped her daughter avoid a cesarean. Once a woman sent $50 because exercises on Spinning Babies stopped her hip pain and she was able to sleep well for the first time during the end of her pregnancy. Today, just a few dollars a year come through donations. Ever since the booklet went on sale donations dropped off. Could it be that people think sales income is significant to carry the website? I wish it were so, and do hope to boost the store soon.

Right now Spinning Babies is in need and so I'm asking those of you among my 4000 daily visitors to give something back. "Wait, Seriously?" you ask, "4000 people a day and only a few small donations a year!?" Yep, that's true.  If 100 of you, 1/40th of one day's visitors, gave $6.80, or about 5 British Pounds (or, 68 people giving 10.00 each) we could get this job done and secure the website. 

ICould it be that Spinning Babies has become such a part of the childbirth education scene that its taken for granted? Spinning Babies doesn't get grants. Spinning Babies isn't a nonprofit (But my husband will be surprised to hear that.)  I love giving this information as a gift to the birthing world, I'm rather delighted to help a woman understand she doesn't have to accept a cesarean before labor just because her baby is posterior! Or, help a woman flip her breechling head down. But with the cost of web maintainance increasing, I have to rethink how I might support my work.  

If you aren't able to give such a chunk of change, can you send your sympathy for $5? Or, are you a loyal Spinning Babies user who gives their undying support for $100? 

What ever you can send now will be seen as a huge message of support to keep Spinning Babies safe and online. Protecting one woman's birth just takes 4 minutes.

How are we doing? First day, 6 donations: $80 was given, Second day,  2 donations: $20.   Third day 3 donations: $70.  We can do it! Can we do it in a week??

 


 

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