If your labor doesn't go exactly as planned, your doctor may need to help your baby through the birth canal.
Two tools are commonly used: the forceps or vacuum extractor. While they may sound worrying, they are both very safe and offer your doctor opportunities to deliver without requiring a cesarean section
Forceps are used only after the first stage of labor is complete and the cervix is fully dilatedThe opening of the cervix during labor, caused by the contractions of the uterus. The cervix dilates so that it will be large enough for the baby to pass through the birth canal during delivery.
Visit our comprehensive glossary for more pregnancy terms and definitions.. There are a couple of reasons for using forceps. Sometimes contractions may stop, or the mother may be too tired to continue pushing. Occasionally a doctor may use forceps if the baby shows signs that it needs oxygen.
If your doctor needs to use forceps, your doctor will place your legs into strirrups. A local anestheticAn agent or process that removes the body's sensitivity to pain. Anesthetics are usually medically administered chemicals, although they include other forms such as hypnosis, or the body's own ability to cause numbness through shock.
Anesthetics can either be local, whereby only a portion of the body or an individual organ is desensitized or general, in which the entire body is desensitized, with the result the patient is often temporarily unconcious.
Visit our comprehensive glossary for more pregnancy terms and definitions. will be administered in the perineumThe part of the body between the genitalia and the anus. In the female body it is the area that extends back from the vagina to anus.Visit our comprehensive glossary for more pregnancy terms and definitions. and an episiotomyA surgical procedure in which an incision is made in the perineum to enlarge the vaginal opening and faciliate delivery of the baby or prevent tearing of the perineum. It is closed with absorbable sutures.
There are two types of episiotomy; the medilateral, cut at 45 degrees with midline, and median cut in the midline. The former offers more room for delivery but is more painful postpartum, while the latter heals more easily, but provides less room for delivery.
Visit our comprehensive glossary for more pregnancy terms and definitions. will be performed.
The forceps are inserted into the vagina one at a time. Each side fits over the baby's head to protect it from the pressures of the birth canalThe passage through which the baby passes during delivery from the inlet of the true pelvis to the vaginal orifice.
Visit our comprehensive glossary for more pregnancy terms and definitions.. Your doctor will pull gently for about thirty seconds at a time until your baby's head is on the perineumThe part of the body between the genitalia and the anus. In the female body it is the area that extends back from the vagina to anus.Visit our comprehensive glossary for more pregnancy terms and definitions.. Because of the anestheticAn agent or process that removes the body's sensitivity to pain. Anesthetics are usually medically administered chemicals, although they include other forms such as hypnosis, or the body's own ability to cause numbness through shock.
Anesthetics can either be local, whereby only a portion of the body or an individual organ is desensitized or general, in which the entire body is desensitized, with the result the patient is often temporarily unconcious.
Visit our comprehensive glossary for more pregnancy terms and definitions. you will feel no pain, and once the head is delivered the forceps will be removed with the rest of the delivery occuring normally.
In some cases your doctor may choose to use a vacuum extractor. The vacuum extractor can be fitted to any part of the baby's head without affecting its shape. Using the vacuum extractor your doctor will be able to pull your baby's head through the birth canalThe passage through which the baby passes during delivery from the inlet of the true pelvis to the vaginal orifice.
Visit our comprehensive glossary for more pregnancy terms and definitions., with the rest of the delivery occuring normally. The vacuum extractor is completely safe, although your baby's head will be bruised. All signs will disappear in one or two weeks. Doctors prefer to use a vacuum extractor when its possible since an episiotomyA surgical procedure in which an incision is made in the perineum to enlarge the vaginal opening and faciliate delivery of the baby or prevent tearing of the perineum. It is closed with absorbable sutures.
There are two types of episiotomy; the medilateral, cut at 45 degrees with midline, and median cut in the midline. The former offers more room for delivery but is more painful postpartum, while the latter heals more easily, but provides less room for delivery.
Visit our comprehensive glossary for more pregnancy terms and definitions. is not always necessary.
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