I saw a picture of a baby after the mother gave birth with the aid of a suction cup. are they safe?

Question

I got kinda worried as the head looked all deformed. I was told by the nurse that they are perfectly safe and the head'll go back, but i just wanted to kno from someone who's had this used on their baby. also...how long does it take for the head to go back?

Answer 1

Its perfectly normal. Your talking about a "ventouse". A ventouse is a suction cup they place on the baby's head to help pull them out. It doesnt do any harm.

And yes the head will go back to normal. The reason why bub's head might look a little unusual is because the plates that make up the baby's soft skull mold to the shape of the cup as he/she comes out of the birth canal. The skull plates go back to their original shape after a few days or so.

Answer 2

There are increased risks for mom and baby when they use vacuum extraction (or also with forceps). BUT sometimes the increased risk is worth it if baby isn't coming out and the only other option is a c/s. (Say the baby isn't coming out and the mom has been pushing for a long time and is exhausted.) Vacuum extraction can be used as well to swivel the baby from facing the mothers stomach (posterior) or side (transverse), which is unfavorable for birth, to facing her back (anterior). A vacuum extraction is usually safer than the use of forceps. (The big "salad tongs" that they can pull the baby out with.)

The fact that the "head looked all deformed" is pretty normal. The baby's bones in the skull aren't fused yet and will move around and go back to normal in a few days. Some babies who are born without the assistance of vacuum extraction still have "moulded" heads or "coneheads" due to being in the birth canal for a long time.

As for the safety of it and risks involved:

Odds are good that they would want to do an episiotomy on mom to do am vacuum extraction. (Although not always necessary for a vacuum extraction.) This means increased discomfort for mom post-partum and a higher chance of infection post-partum.

A vacuum extraction slightly increases the risk of intracranial hemorrhage in the newborn. (Studies show that intracranial hemorrhage in infants occurred in 1 of 2,750 pre-arranged C-section deliveries, 1 in 1,900 spontaneous deliveries, 1 in 907 C-section deliveries during labor, 1 of 860 vacuum extraction deliveries, and 1 of 664 forcep deliveries.)

The vacuum cup may cut the baby's scalp, although plastic cups are less likely to do this. Of course any open wound is a possible entry point for infection.

Vacuum extraction can cause a blood-filled swelling (cephalohematoma) beneath the cup, which increases the likelihood of the baby developing jaundice.

Answer 3

It is totally normal. All babies are born with "soft spots" on the tops of their heads. They are growth plates that have not connected to each other yet. When the suction cup is used..it pulls the soft tissue, but yes the babies head will usually go back to its normal shape in less than 24 hours. Sometimes it takes a little longer, but even that is no big deal. The mom and the baby just need a little help, before the use of the suction cups and cesareans...it was common for a mother or newborn to die during delivery...so yes it is a good thing

Answer 4

According to my husband, the doctor used one of these on our oldest who is now 12--the epidurals back them were really strong and I couldn't feel a thing to push her out and she was stuck to one side, so the doctor decided to use one. I don't remember her head being at all out of shape when I saw her. I don't know how long the suction cup was used. I do know that when she was little she hated being touched on the head. She would even cry a bit at times. Correlation? My husband has always thought so. I think that it is possible. Nothing is ever 100% safe. Good news is that her head is now just fine. Her sensitivity to being touched is just about the same as any tween's at this point. I had 9 years in between her and my 2nd and fortunately the epidurals are no longer used in such high potencies and I could feel enough to no have to have one used on my 2nd child. Like I said, nothing is 100% safe for everyone.

Answer 5

It's called vacuum extraction. It seems that it can cause bleeding in the baby's head.

In May 1998, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) issued a public health advisory to all practitioners who deliver babies. The advisory, entitled "Need for Caution When Using Vacuum Assisted Delivery Devices,"1 was based on reports to the FDA of 12 deaths and 9 serious injuries during vacuum deliveries in the preceding four years.

Answer 6

Yes it is safe or they would not use them. Babies head can be cone shaped regardless of the vacuum or not. Sitting in the pelvis waiting to come out makes that cone head that you see. It goes away really fast with in a couple days. Just make sure you rotate your baby from side to side so it is a nice round head.
My son had a cone head and has vacuumed out his head was normal by the time we left the hospital (2 days old). Good luck.

Answer 7

Yes it is safe. The baby's skull is not dully formed yet and is still "soft" to be able to fit through the birth canal. It causes the head to be mishapen for a few days, but the baby's skull settles into itself pretty soon after birth.
http://www.americanpregnancy.org/labornbirth/assisteddelivery.html
http://thebabyswebsite.com/site/content/view/13/28/

Answer 8

The doctor had to use it with my first child. Her head looked deformed as well but it did eventually take its normal shape. She is 10 now and never a problem.

Answer 9

Yes it's safe. My baby was delivered that way and her head was back to normal by the end of the day.

Answer 10

My oldest son was born with the help of a vaccuum.. usually they pop a hat on quick before you even see it. It takes maybe 24 hours or so.