News

Aid for difficult births created

Scientists in America have designed a device which they say say should help doctors work out how best to deliver babies stuck during labour.

The team of scientists and students from Johns Hopkins Hospital say the device lets the doctor assess how much force they are using to manoeuvre the baby into a better position for a vaginal delivery. This should help avoid unnecessary trauma to the mother and baby.

In about 5 per cent of births, the baby's shoulders become stuck in the birth canal and whilst doctors can perform a number of treatments to deliver the baby safely, almost 25 per cent are injured by the birth.

The researchers, lead by Dr Edith Gurewitsch, originally set out to design a device that could monitor the amount of force being used to deliver a baby, in order to warn the doctor when he might be pulling too hard.

The device has three electrodes which are placed on the delivering doctor's forearm and monitor the force being used in the delivery. The docotr can then choose an alternative procedure which may be less forceful for each individual case.

The device has already been used in fifteen live births.

Dr Gurewitsch, assistant professor of obstetrics and gynaecology at the university, said, "While further studies are necessary before we can make definitive recommendations on the use of one procedure over another, our initial laboratory results demonstrate that we can measure what is happening to the baby during birth, and we can alter our technique to create a safer environment for delivery."

When they performed 30 mock deliveries, using three-dimensional models of the mother's pelvis and a baby, the team found turning the baby so its spine faces the mother's belly was the safest way to proceed if the baby's shoulders were stuck in the birth canal.

This manoeuvre was associated with the least amount of force - 6.5 pounds - to the baby's head necessary to achieve delivery.

In comparison, turning the baby so its spine faced the mother's spine applied 8.5 pounds and moving the mother's legs back to widen the pelvis applied 16 pounds.

Dr Gurewitsch has been using the device clinically, and believes it could help train future doctors and midwives.

• Did you have a difficult birth? Share your experiences in Discuss, Debate and Deliberate
• Find out all you need to know about Assisted Delivery