10/24/2018 0 Comments

A Better Birth Ball? How CUB can help. Part 2: At the Hospital

By Sarah Geo Walton, Birth and Postpartum Doula and Childbirth Educator from Reno, Nevada

I am so excited about this new birth tool called the CUB. It can be taken ANYWHERE so it is suitable for home, birth center or hospital births! I’ve written two posts about how this innovative device can be used wherever you choose to birth for a possibly quicker, easier and safer experience.

A bit about the CUB (Comfortable Upright Birth support)

The CUB is an inflatable, versatile support stool that can be sat on or leaned over like a birth ball or used during pushing to give birth on, much like a traditional birth stool.

It was created to help birthing people labor in positions that are upright and out of the bed. These positions allow more space in the pelvis, utilize gravity and have shown in research to make labor shorter, smoother and safer for the parent and their baby by lowering complications during the birth process.

Research on birthing in upright positions suggests that being upright throughout labor and birth can increase the space within your pelvis by 28-30% so first stage can be shortened by up to 50% and pushing can be more effective. This can lead to a significantly shorter labor. It also shows that your baby is 54% less likely to have distressed fetal heart rate abnormalities.

With labor being shorter with a happier baby, less intervention may be needed, decreasing the need for a medically assisted birth by 23%, episiotomy by 21% and emergency cesarean sections by up to 29%! (Source: https://www.cub-support.com/research-on-upright-birth/)

How CUB Can Help In The Hospital

Being in an upright position can be pretty important throughout labor in order to take advantage of gravity, encourage mobility and movement and help with optimal positioning of both the birthing person as well as their baby.
It is wonderful to see that birth balls have become an acceptable and approved tool for labor in most hospitals, but many patients complain of feeling incredibly unstable on them. If we are trying to encourage positions where the person in labor feels safe, supported and can easily rest, the instability of the ball can be a deal breaker. This means that patients will often choose to get back into the hospital bed. The flat base of the CUB is the cure for this wobbly and unsteady seat!

The CUB has multiple inflatable sections, granting it several size options depending on the height of the person and which position they are most comfortable laboring it. It is also made of a nonporous material and can be easily cleaned, making it a sustainable option for Labor and Delivery floors to offer to laboring people again and again.

The CUB is extremely versatile and can be used in many different ways, all of which are encouraging of the most labor efficient positions. Whether using as a seat or something to lean over, being able to move freely can help the baby become optimally engaged in the pelvis more easily. This can lead to contractions being more effective and labors being much shorter.

Being in the supported squat-like position that the CUB comfortably allows, opens up the pelvis up to 30%. When we are talking about the tight path a baby has to take to be born, that additional space can make all the difference.
In addition, research shows that birth in an upright position can lower fetal distress and heart rate abnormalities by a compelling amount.

Adopting the use of the CUB, could directly lower the need for labor augmentation and intervention such as pitocin, artificial rupture of membranes, epidural, episiotomy, forcep or vacuum assisted delivery and birth via cesarean section. While these interventions can absolutely be solutions in certain situations, it is well known that they are often overused. When it comes to implementing tools to avoid them, the CUB appears to be a low risk beneficial option.

With the CUB’s potential to shorten the time spent in labor and lower complications from interventions, it could allow parents more time to bond with their brand new baby and that is an outcome we should all be striving for.

You can also read this blog here

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10/24/2018 0 Comments

How CUB Can Help. Part 1: At Home

By Sarah Geo Walton, Birth and Postpartum Doula and Childbirth Educator from Reno, Nevada

I am so excited about this new birth tool called the CUB. It can be taken ANYWHERE so it is suitable for home, birth center or hospital births! I’ve written two posts about how this innovative device can be used wherever you choose to birth for a possibly quicker, easier and safer experience.

A bit about the CUB (Comfortable Upright Birth support)

The CUB is an inflatable, versatile support stool that can be sat on or leaned over like a birth ball or used during pushing to give birth on, much like a traditional birth stool.

It was created to help birthing people labor in positions that are upright and out of the bed. These positions allow more space in the pelvis, utilize gravity and have shown in research to make labor shorter, smoother and safer for the parent and their baby by lowering complications during the birth process.

Research on birthing in upright positions suggests that being upright throughout labor and birth can increase the space within your pelvis by 28-30% so first stage can be shortened by up to 50% and pushing can be more effective. This can lead to a significantly shorter labor. It also shows that your baby is 54% less likely to have distressed fetal heart rate abnormalities.
With labor being shorter with a happier baby, less intervention may be needed, decreasing the need for a medically assisted birth by 23%, episiotomy by 21% and emergency cesarean sections by up to 29%! (Source: https://www.cub-support.com/research-on-upright-birth/)

How CUB can help at home

I’m really looking forward to the CUB becoming a part of many midwives and doulas toolkits for the simple option of a birth stool that is not the toilet! This could be a game changer!

I can not even begin to tell you how many people in homebirth environments end up having their babies in the teeniest of tiny bathrooms because the toilet is such an amazing (and often extra effective) place to push. While we love recommending the toilet as a place to labor, the CUB would be a lot more comfortable on the sit bones than the hard toilet seat.

The CUB may also be preferable to many people who might worry that their baby will fall into the toilet. While this rarely happens, it is a common fear which can become a repeating thought. That fear can cause people to hold back and hold tension in their pelvic floor muscles instead of relaxing and allowing their body to do what it needs to while pushing.

Since the CUB has an generous opening, it allows the parents or midwife to easily reach down to help the birthing person receive their baby. This cuts out the awkward moment of trying to communicate with the pushing person to either stand up from the toilet or reach down to catch while their baby is emerging.

One of the other beauties of the CUB is that it is really light and portable! This means you can use it in ANY room. We often notice people who have chosen to have their babies at home strongly prefer to be, and stay in, a certain room or floor of their house. The portability of the CUB allows the birthing person to choose whichever room they feel most comfortable in and have as much or as little privacy as they would like. Since it can be really hard for them to maneuver very far when labor is at its most intense, it is an added perk that they do not have to move across the house because the CUB can be moved to them.

Wherever someone chooses to birth, the CUB allows for plenty of positions where the person in labor can be supported by their partner or other birth support person.

I am a major fan of anything that encourages comfort and closeness during birth. The CUB is definitely on the top of my list for things to add to help make my doula clients labor and births more manageable!

You can also read this blog here

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CUB Blogs

Meet Our Authors

Sarah Geo Walton

Sarah is the owner of Bright Heart Birth Services and co-owner of the family boutique and support center The Nurturing Nest in Reno, Nevada. She is both a Birth and Postpartum Doula (DONA), a Certified GentleBirth Childbirth Educator, a trained Placenta Encapsulation Specialist and a Certified Birth Assistant.
Sarah grew up in an empowered do-it-yourself environment. Supporting others has always been, and continues to be, a large part of who she is. She shines best in moments of vulnerability and connection and has been known to do knee slides on the dance floor.

Emily Jacobson, Green Bay Doulas Wisconsin

Raised in Green Bay, Emily has been a labor and postpartum doula since 2011. In 2012, she added placenta encapsulation services to her list of expertise, in 2016 certified Newborn Care Specialist and 2017 Certified childbirth educator. Emily’s strength lies in supporting families through the childbearing years, in whatever manner they envision it unfolding. Prior to doula work, Emily worked as a nanny, respite provider and ABA behavioral therapist for 8+ years. She has extensive experience with special needs and children with spectrum disorders.

Shalini Wiseman, Chartered Physiotherapist in Women's Health & Continence

Shalini is the Clinical Lead Physiotherapist at the Cork Womens Clinic and works as a Senior Physiotherapist in Women’s Health and Continence at the Cork University Maternity Hospital (CUMH).
She has vast experience in treating a broad range of Women’s Health related conditions such as incontinence, pelvic organ prolapse, pelvic floor dysfunctions, dyspareunia, and ante-natal and post-natal pelvic girdle dysfunction.

Alayna Spratley, Certified Childbirth Educator and Doula

Alayna is a certified childbirth educator through Lamaze and Birth Boot Camp and is also an Indie Birth community instructor. She helps families, community stakeholders, and professionals engage in meaningful conversations regarding birth equity, healthy and safe birth practices, and the benefits of shared decision-making! Alayna supports using a collaborative grassroots education and action model to ensure all people have a voice in improving birth outcomes for individuals, babies, and families. She steadfastly believes that peace on Earth begins with birth.

MeriBeth Glenn, Midwife in Pennsylvania

MeriBeth is from Pennsylvania. She has been involved in birth for nearly 20 years. Her jouney began as a doula, CBE and breastfeeding peer counselor. For the past 15 years MeriBeth has been a traditional midwife offering out-of-hospital birth. She has also had the honor of being a midwife teacher and mentor to several doulas and aspiring midwives. On a personal level, MeriBeth is a homeschooling mom to many blessings. Her personal birthing experiences gives her an important and valuable insight into birth and helping to support the natural process. It is her desire to see upright labor and birth postures become a normal and highly encouraged option for women in all birthing environments.

Sarah Newton, Doula in Virginia

Sarah is a certified Birth Doula and twice trained Postpartum Doula through DONA. Her practicing as a licensed massage therapist adds a lot to her doula experience which is now counting for more than 7 years. Sarah is passionate about guiding women and their families through pregnancy, childbirth, and the post-partum while attending all types of births as a doula.

Camille Nyman, Doula and Childbirth Educator in Maryland

Camille is a Certified Doula, Chidbirth Educator and Doula Agency Owner from northern Baltimore County, Maryland. She sits on board of two non-profit organizations working to improve birth. With a holistic perspective and emphasis on natural comfort measures, Camille is a passionate educator.

Gemma Wilson, Lamaze Childbirth Educator

Gemma is a Lamaze Childbirth Educator and Doula in Australia, owner of Birthability Birth Education. After the birth of her two children she saw and felt how amazing and empowering birth truly was so Gemma became a Doula as she wanted to help women to find their power. She is very passionate about providing support for women and their partners right at the time it is needed the most.

Michelle Hardy, Doula and ICEA Trainer in Wisconsin

Michelle has been working in the birth world for more than 15 years. She is a Birth Doula, Postpartum Doula, Childbirth Educator and Breastfeeding Counselor. Michelle runs a non-profit organisation called Mothering The Mother as well as her private business Milwaukee Doulas. In addition to that she is a trainer with the ICEA.

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