Preventing cesareans with peanut ball use

Abstract

The Association of Women's Health Obstetrical and Neonatal Nurses (AWHONN) has launched a Peanut Ball campaign to help curb the high rate of cesarean births in the United States. Cesarean births are especially likely in women who receive epidural anesthesia due to immobility and pelvic laxity. The peanut ball (PB) is a birthing ball that when placed between the mother's legs can increase pelvic dimensions and facilitate fetal descent and birth. For PB to increase vaginal deliveries (VDs), nurses on obstetrical wards need to “buy in” to using this innovation. Having “innovator” nurses on the shift helped disseminate the PB intervention and increased the rate of VDs. Using a retrospective study design that uses data collected for non-research purposes saves time and cost. Our retrospective study examined the difference in VDs with patient controlled epidural anesthesia (PCEA) in the first five months of 2016 prior to PB use compared with the same months in 2017 post intervention. Using a paired t-test we found a significant difference of successful PCEA vaginal births in 2016 compared to 2017 (p = .008). This relatively inexpensive and easy survey can be done by most obstetrical services and help AWHONN in their campaign to decrease the rate of cesarean sections.