Vacuum Delivery

This involves the application of a suction cup onto the baby’s scalp, so that the OB can help to pull the baby out as the mother is pushing. The work is typically 50/50. The vacuum is designed to be quite safe, and will pop off if the OB pulls too hard.

It is most commonly recommended when the 2nd stage (pushing) is prolonged, and the woman is exhausted, or when there is a concern over fetal well-being during pushing.

A vacuum-assisted delivery is only safe when the head is low enough (typically it will be visible during pushing), and in the correct position. The OB will want to be fairly certain that the vacuum will be successful, as using more than one instrument to assist delivery is more hazardous for the baby.

Babies born vaginally almost always have soft tissue swelling on their head. This is called caput. With a vacuum delivery, the caput will look like a funny circle. No need to panic, as this will usually be gone the next day.

The risks of vacuum delivery will be explained in detail by the OB. For the baby, these include skin lacerations, or bleeding (hematoma) under the scalp. Because the vacuum sits on top of the baby’s head, the risk of severe perineal lacerations for the mother is not too much higher than with a spontaneous delivery.