The Truth about Vacuum Deliveries

Find Out about the Risks of Vacuum Extraction Before You Give Birth

Apr 8, 2008

Complications occur more often with vacuum assisted deliveries. Using midwives, doulas and a variety of pushing positions can reduce the rate of vacuum extractions.

Vacuum deliveries are considered to be a complicated vaginal birth. More often than not, vacuum assisted deliveries come into play when the mother is having difficulty pushing or the baby is in distress and must be born quickly.

Approximately 5% of all births include the use of vacuum extraction. While care providers often downplay the risks to the newborn and may even use expressions that vacuum assisted deliveries are "helping the mother to give birth", there is growing information from both medical literature and legal publications, that using vacuum extraction during a vaginal birth or a cesarean is not a benign procedure.

One 2003 study in the Journal of the American Medical Association reported that mothers had more complications as a result of both forceps and vacuum assisted deliveries as compared to spontaneous vaginal births.

The concern over the safety of vacuum deliveries is so great that the FDA came out with a Public Health Advisory in 1998 regarding the potentially life-threatening complications associated with this type of obstetric procedure. Namely, there is a greater risk of subgaleal hematoma after vacuum extraction where the veins in the baby's skull are damaged. As the blood accumulates, it can turn into a life-threatening hemorrhage for the baby.

How Can We Reduce Vacuum Extraction?

One large homebirth study from 2005 (with participants in both the US and Canada) showed that of the mothers who planned a homebirth and were later transferred to the hospital, the rate of vacuum extraction was only .6% versus 5.5% in the planned hospital birth group. One of the possible reasons here is that most planned homebirths are accompanied by midwives. Midwives do not use vacuum extraction at all in their practices and are much more likely to encourage various positions and pushing techniques to help the mother give birth.

As with any medical procedure or test, it is required that the medical provider obtain consent before using a vacuum extractor during birth. Not to mention, it is certainly within the patient's bill of rights to refuse vacuum assisted deliveries even if the care provider suggests it.

Mothers have the distinct opportunity to carefully interview their providers early in pregnancy. If the right questions are asked, more expectant mothers will choose medical providers who are less likely to use interventions such as vacuum extraction without a medical reason.

Numerous studies have also demonstrated that the continuous support of a companion, such as a doula during labor, lowers the rate of vacuum assisted deliveries as well as other medical interventions such as pitocin and cesareans.

How Can We Reduce the Risks Associated with Vacuum Assisted Deliveries?

A Nigerian study on birth injuries showed that all of the complications caused by vacuum extraction and forceps occurred when junior residents attended the birth. It appears that the skill level of the practitioner does play a role in the safety of vacuum extraction.

It is crucial that expectant parents read the research available, ask questions of their care providers early in pregnancy and be informed of their rights to refuse any medical intervention before, during and after giving birth.

The copyright of the article The Truth about Vacuum Deliveries in Childbirth - Labour & Delivery is owned by Brenda Lane. Permission to republish The Truth about Vacuum Deliveries in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.

May 10, 2009 9:59 AM

Guest :

Our beautiful Sarah Lillian died in February of 2008 due to the use of a doctor using vacuum extraction. After letting my wife lie in labor for 28.5 hours before delivery he finally told us that he would have to use VE. We did not know the risk or we would have asked for the C-section hours before.
After her birth they started emergency procedures from the second she was out. She started to deteriorate at an alarming rate and we never got to hear her cry.... not once. She was transferred to an elite Children s Hospital here in NC where they did all they could for her.
This was my wife's FIRST child and she died 26.5 hours later. An extensive 2 month autopsy showed that the VE was the direct cause of Sarah's death.
Allen Hutton - Lexington, NC

Aug 11, 2009 5:33 PM

Guest :

I'm sorry to hear about your first born child. I know she's be taken good care of in heaven. My girlfriend and I just had a new born, the doctor(s) tried using a vacuum extractor method using a small plastic looking suction cup, 2 failed attempts where the suction cup popped off caused the doctor to change the plan and have a C-section. The baby is healthy as far as we know now and he is doing good, has slight bruising on his head where the suction cup was but, I am praying everything will be OK. Once again, I am sorry to hear about your new born baby, she will be in my thoughts.