FAQ - Comfortable Upright Birth (CUB) support
Q?
Why support the use of the Comfortable Upright Birth (CUB) support?
A.While it is true that many mothers need nothing more than their own inner resources to give birth, others also want or need additional external factors to facilitate safe natural birth and improve their experience of childbirth. In many countries antenatal classes, hypnobirthing courses, yoga groups, doulas and aquanatal classes are popular with women who are actively engaged in maximising their chance of a natural birth. They are in effect investing in their birth by being well prepared and in control; and attending or using one of these is often recommended as part of preparing for childbirth.
The CUB is another tool that mothers can invest in which can promote personal responsibility by putting the mother at the centre of her choices. It is designed around the principle of supporting physiological, natural birth and as a tool that may prevent complications due to the common use of the supine, hospital bed, space restricting maternal positions that are so common.
All mothers should have access to skilled, compassionate and supportive care as well as easy access to emergency facilities or specialists if required. However adding to the resources that can increase comfort, confidence and opportunity for less emergency intervention during childbirth can only be immensely beneficial for mothers, their babies and families.
Q?
When should the CUB not be used?
A.Women who have serious medical complications affecting their labor and birth including (but not exclusively) the following:
HELLP, Pre-eclampsia, Heavy PV bleeding, Placenta Previa, previous surgery to or 3rd/ 4th degree trauma to the perineum or women having pre-term labor. It is for individual mothers and their care providers to decide if the use of the CUB is appropriate or safe for their unique circumstances. The CUB should not be used in a birth pool.
Q?
When can the CUB be used?
A.The Cub can be used by any woman who is planning a natural birth and who has decided that the CUB is something she would like try. There are of course some situations that would impact on the risks and safety of the mother and baby that need to be considered and we have mentioned some of them in the next question (see below). However it is important to remember that what comfort measure or aid a woman chooses to bring with her or use during labor is her choice as long as it poses no obvious risks to others. The CUB can be used at home births, birth center or maternity unit births much the same as a birth, Pezzi or peanut ball.
Q?
What are the benefits of using the CUB?
A.The CUB has many positive physical as well as psychological benefits. It supports the natural physiology of childbirth while decreasing the risks of many common complications that arise from sub optimal maternal position during birth. The CUB has a wide, flat stable base that provides comfort and stability for the woman while maintaining optimal positions for natural birth.
The CUB also allows the mother to remain relaxed and comfortable while in an optimal position for birth allowing her natural coping mechanisms, endorphins and flow of oxytocin to work. Please read the section on ‘What does the upright birth research say’. You may also find our Research on Upright Birth and Resources on Upright Birth helpful.
Q?
Is the CUB safe to use?
A.The CUB user weight maximum is 120kgs and it is made of bio-compatible PVC which can outperform many other materials in flexibility, strength, tear resistance and abrasion resistance. The CUB has a two separate inflation chamber safety system: so even if one chamber deflates the other will continue to safely support the woman.
It complies with BS/EN14960 which is the required standard for the manufacture and testing of inflatables and is a class 1 CE mark registered medical device.
Q?
Is the CUB difficult to use?
A.The CUB is very user friendly and requires no additional specialist knowledge or training-it is simply inflated and used by the mother to either sit on or lean over. The CUB is lightweight, portable and can be easily cleaned with any household spray cleaner or hospital approved surface cleaner, it does not need to be sterilized. The perineum and any PV loss can be easily visualised if necessary.
Q?
How do we clean the CUB Support when using it in the hospital?
A. Please download our guide on Caring and Cleaning for your CUB HERE
Q?
Can the CUB support be used more than once?
A. Yes the CUB can be used more than once, however as an inflatable consumer product it is not designed for high levels of use over extended periods of time. The CUB is a CE marked, Class 1 medical device registered with the MHRA in the UK. It conforms to European regulations on 1) Mechanical and physical properties 2) Flammability 3) Specification for migration of certain chemical elements. The Maximum user weight is 120kgs. Our user guide can be downloaded HERE
Q?
What is the warranty on the CUB support?
A. The warranty on the CUB is for a single use only. We have no way of knowing how well the product has been cared for or who and in what circumstances it was used initially.
Q?
What do we do if the CUB support will not inflate of stay inflated when we first receive it?
A. If you have removed your CUB Support from the packaging, inflated according to the instructions and it will not stay inflated, you have 5 working days to notify us of the apparent manufacturing fault. We will arrange for it to be collected and returned to us and replace your CUB right away. If you do not notify us of a presumed fault within 5 days of first inflation,the CUB will not be replaced.
Q?
There appears to be a hole in the seam of the CUB support that we have noticed, is this a fault in the product?
A. The CUB Support is constructed in individual layers and sections and the seams are high frequency welded. In any inflatable product the joining seams are the most susceptible to rupture through repeated use. This is not a manufacturing fault, which would have prevented the CUB from remaining inflated during it's first use, but a normal degradation of the product through use. We recommend that birth partners, carers, providers and children do not sit on or play with the CUB. The maximum user weight for the CUB is 120kgs, it should NEVER have 2 people sitting, leaning or resting on it.
To proceed with your CUB purchase please go to BUY YOUR CUB.
Why support the use of the Comfortable Upright Birth (CUB) support?
A.While it is true that many mothers need nothing more than their own inner resources to give birth, others also want or need additional external factors to facilitate safe natural birth and improve their experience of childbirth. In many countries antenatal classes, hypnobirthing courses, yoga groups, doulas and aquanatal classes are popular with women who are actively engaged in maximising their chance of a natural birth. They are in effect investing in their birth by being well prepared and in control; and attending or using one of these is often recommended as part of preparing for childbirth.
The CUB is another tool that mothers can invest in which can promote personal responsibility by putting the mother at the centre of her choices. It is designed around the principle of supporting physiological, natural birth and as a tool that may prevent complications due to the common use of the supine, hospital bed, space restricting maternal positions that are so common.
All mothers should have access to skilled, compassionate and supportive care as well as easy access to emergency facilities or specialists if required. However adding to the resources that can increase comfort, confidence and opportunity for less emergency intervention during childbirth can only be immensely beneficial for mothers, their babies and families.
Q?
When should the CUB not be used?
A.Women who have serious medical complications affecting their labor and birth including (but not exclusively) the following:
HELLP, Pre-eclampsia, Heavy PV bleeding, Placenta Previa, previous surgery to or 3rd/ 4th degree trauma to the perineum or women having pre-term labor. It is for individual mothers and their care providers to decide if the use of the CUB is appropriate or safe for their unique circumstances. The CUB should not be used in a birth pool.
Q?
When can the CUB be used?
A.The Cub can be used by any woman who is planning a natural birth and who has decided that the CUB is something she would like try. There are of course some situations that would impact on the risks and safety of the mother and baby that need to be considered and we have mentioned some of them in the next question (see below). However it is important to remember that what comfort measure or aid a woman chooses to bring with her or use during labor is her choice as long as it poses no obvious risks to others. The CUB can be used at home births, birth center or maternity unit births much the same as a birth, Pezzi or peanut ball.
Q?
What are the benefits of using the CUB?
A.The CUB has many positive physical as well as psychological benefits. It supports the natural physiology of childbirth while decreasing the risks of many common complications that arise from sub optimal maternal position during birth. The CUB has a wide, flat stable base that provides comfort and stability for the woman while maintaining optimal positions for natural birth.
The CUB also allows the mother to remain relaxed and comfortable while in an optimal position for birth allowing her natural coping mechanisms, endorphins and flow of oxytocin to work. Please read the section on ‘What does the upright birth research say’. You may also find our Research on Upright Birth and Resources on Upright Birth helpful.
Q?
Is the CUB safe to use?
A.The CUB user weight maximum is 120kgs and it is made of bio-compatible PVC which can outperform many other materials in flexibility, strength, tear resistance and abrasion resistance. The CUB has a two separate inflation chamber safety system: so even if one chamber deflates the other will continue to safely support the woman.
It complies with BS/EN14960 which is the required standard for the manufacture and testing of inflatables and is a class 1 CE mark registered medical device.
Q?
Is the CUB difficult to use?
A.The CUB is very user friendly and requires no additional specialist knowledge or training-it is simply inflated and used by the mother to either sit on or lean over. The CUB is lightweight, portable and can be easily cleaned with any household spray cleaner or hospital approved surface cleaner, it does not need to be sterilized. The perineum and any PV loss can be easily visualised if necessary.
Q?
How do we clean the CUB Support when using it in the hospital?
A. Please download our guide on Caring and Cleaning for your CUB HERE
Q?
Can the CUB support be used more than once?
A. Yes the CUB can be used more than once, however as an inflatable consumer product it is not designed for high levels of use over extended periods of time. The CUB is a CE marked, Class 1 medical device registered with the MHRA in the UK. It conforms to European regulations on 1) Mechanical and physical properties 2) Flammability 3) Specification for migration of certain chemical elements. The Maximum user weight is 120kgs. Our user guide can be downloaded HERE
Q?
What is the warranty on the CUB support?
A. The warranty on the CUB is for a single use only. We have no way of knowing how well the product has been cared for or who and in what circumstances it was used initially.
Q?
What do we do if the CUB support will not inflate of stay inflated when we first receive it?
A. If you have removed your CUB Support from the packaging, inflated according to the instructions and it will not stay inflated, you have 5 working days to notify us of the apparent manufacturing fault. We will arrange for it to be collected and returned to us and replace your CUB right away. If you do not notify us of a presumed fault within 5 days of first inflation,the CUB will not be replaced.
Q?
There appears to be a hole in the seam of the CUB support that we have noticed, is this a fault in the product?
A. The CUB Support is constructed in individual layers and sections and the seams are high frequency welded. In any inflatable product the joining seams are the most susceptible to rupture through repeated use. This is not a manufacturing fault, which would have prevented the CUB from remaining inflated during it's first use, but a normal degradation of the product through use. We recommend that birth partners, carers, providers and children do not sit on or play with the CUB. The maximum user weight for the CUB is 120kgs, it should NEVER have 2 people sitting, leaning or resting on it.
To proceed with your CUB purchase please go to BUY YOUR CUB.