Do birthing balls or peanut balls actually help in pregnancy?

The use of birthing balls and peanut balls are safe to use during pregnancy and delivery, but the evidence is limited as to just how effective they might be in terms of reducing pain or shortening delivery time. The intent of using birthing balls is to provide a nonpharmacologic way to reduce pain, increase pelvic movement and possibly widen the pelvic outlet. But their use, usually by nurses and midwives, is based on anecdotal evidence, according to a review of the topic in the American Journal of Obstetrics & Gynecology. Birthing balls, also known as exercise balls or Swiss balls, are softly inflated balls that have a non-skin surface and deform when a person sits on one. Peanut balls are a variation of this, but are shaped like a peanut in its shell. Pregnant women can lye on their side and wrap their pegs around a peanut ball. A total of 27 studies were cited in the review. They included a mix of small studies including some randomized controlled trials and meta-analyses. The authors ranked the quality of evidence for both types of birthing balls as moderate and the strength of the recommendations for using them as weak. “The birthing ball is used mostly early in the first stage of labor without epidural analgesia. Its use is associated with statistically significant lower maternal pain . . . but is not associated with a difference in length of labor or mode of delivery.” The mechanism for possible pain relief is not yet known. The paper stated that based on the evidence, “the birthing ball can be offered as an option to all individuals laboring without an epidural as an adjunct to any additional pain control strategies.” The conclusion around peanut balls was similar. They are “used mostly in the later first stage of labor with epidural analgesia. The data regarding its efficacy are mixed; however, the most recent available evidence suggests that its use may be associated with a decreased length of the first stage of labor and an 11% higher likelihood of vaginal delivery compared to no peanut ball,” it said.

Do birthing balls or peanut balls actually help in pregnancy?

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