Sometimes a birth needs to be ended quickly, in which case a suction cup is used to help you push through the contractions. Under the right conditions, a suction bell is the fastest way to end labor, compared to a cesarean section, for example. The suction cup looks like a small cup that is attached to the fetus' head with pressure.

How and when is a suction bell used?

If you and your baby need help to end the labor, the staff may use a suction bell. You and your partner will of course be informed if this is necessary.

Many women are afraid of the suction bell, but it is important that you who give birth understand that it is still you who give birth to your child. You just get a little help from outside. It is also common to feel a sense of relief when the need for a suction bell arises, as it is something that is used when the birthing mother or the uterus can't take it anymore, or if the baby needs help to come out a little faster.

The suction cup is attached to the baby's head via the vagina and then the obstetrician helps to pull while pushing during labor. It may be useful to know that a vacuum cup increases the risk of tearing, but the midwife or doctor will help protect the perineum to try to avoid or reduce that risk.

When the suction bell is used, you will need to lie in bed with your legs in leg rests. You will then be given an anesthetic if you don't already have one (for example, a spinal anesthetic). If the amniotic fluid has not drained, the midwife will make a hole in the amniotic membranes so that the suction bell can be attached to the baby's head. It is not uncommon for the obstetrician to then release the suction bell when the baby is very close to being born, so that you can push the baby out yourself at the last contraction or labor. This also allows the tissue to stretch more naturally.

The baby's head will be temporarily reshaped where the suction bell was placed, but will quickly return to its normal appearance. Bleeding in the skin of the child's head, known as a cephalhematoma, is more common, but note that this is not a brain bleed. If the child shows signs of pain, they will be given pain relief (paracetamol via the rectum).

For a suction bell to be used, you need to be fully dilated and the baby's head should have sufficiently penetrated the birth canal. It is beneficial that your bladder is empty as a full bladder can obstruct the birth canal. If you need help with this, it is common to be drained of urine using a urinary catheter.

Risk assessments are carried out continuously within the healthcare system and these form the basis for the decisions that are then made. If the obstetrician suggests that you give birth using a suction cup, it should be because the other options (e.g. caesarean section) involve a higher risk of complications.

There will often be more staff in the delivery room to ensure that the birth is completed as safely as possible - both for you and for the baby. Sometimes a pediatrician and a pediatric nurse are also waiting outside the room, in case the baby is unwell and needs some extra help.

If you experienced the birth as dramatic or remember it with negative feelings, it is good to book a return visit with the obstetrician, where you go through the birth together, if you have not already been offered it. There may be a benefit in letting some time pass, as questions can often arise when you have had time to land a little. It is also possible to talk to a doctor at the maternity hospital before you go home.

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