Pregnant women who used peanut-shaped exercise balls during delivery had reduced labor time and were less likely to undergo a cesarean section than women who did not use the exercise ball, according to a study in the Journal of Perinatal Education.
Researchers performed a randomized, controlled trial at Banner Good Samaritan Medical Center in Phoenix, in which some women used a peanut ball during labor and some did not. They examined differences like length of labor and rate of vaginal births.
They found women using the ball had significantly shorter labor periods. Additionally, 21 percent of women in the control, non-ball group required a C-section, while just 10 percent in the ball-using group did.
"Organizations have begun assuming responsibility for limiting elective procedures, especially C-sections, recognizing that the best outcomes overall for both mother and child occur in facilities with cesarean surgery rates in the 5 to 10 percent range," said Emily Botsios, RN, one of the study's authors and a clinical nurse at Banner Health. "Our findings show that mothers can ask for a risk-free option to help promote labor when receiving an epidural."
Based on the study results, Banner Health has started using the peanut ball in all of its labor and delivery units.