There are certain conditions that must exist before a ventouse can be used to assist the baby to be born vaginally.
These include:
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The woman's cervix needs to be at least 7 to 10 centimetres dilated. |
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The waters must be broken. |
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The baby needs to be presenting head first (and is not a face presentation). |
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The baby's head must be engaged and the crown of the baby's head must be accessible. |
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An internal vaginal examination needs to be done to determine the position of the baby's head, and how far down the birth canal it has come. |
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The caregiver should be skilled and experienced at using a ventouse, needing the technical skill and experience to be able to apply the cup properly and pull it at the right angle (otherwise the suction cap will tend to fall off more easily). |
NOTE: It is generally recommended that a ventouse should not be used on a premature baby or a
breech baby. It is possible to use a ventouse to help deliver a baby with a deeply engaged head during a Caesarean birth, although in practise this is rarely done. The cup would be attached to the crown of the baby's head during the operation to deliver their head.
Pain relief
The woman does not necessarily need any pain relief to have a ventouse birth. The suction cap is applied to the baby and does not come in contact with the woman. In assisting the birth, the caregiver is merely mimicking what would happen if you were pushing your baby out on your own, except quicker.
For this reason, it is also less likely you will need an
episiotomy (unless your caregiver prefers to do them routinely in a normal birth situation). Tearing is possible (as it is with any birth) but also may not occur.