Effect of Different Birth Balls Used at the First Stage of Labor on Birth Outcomes and Maternal Satisfaction: A Randomized Controlled Trial

Objective: This study aimed to determine the effectiveness of different birth balls used at the first stage of labor on fetal head descent, pain intensity, and maternal satisfaction. Methods: This study used a single-blind, randomized controlled experimental design. It was conducted with 180 primipara women in a maternity hospital in Erzurum, Turkey between October 2018 and December 2019. Women were randomized into 3 groups: A=Control group (n=60), B=Spherical birth ball group (n=60), and C=Peanut ball group (n=60). Birth balls were initiated in the active phase in the first stage of labor when cervical dilatation was 4 cm. Data were collected using the Personal Information Form, the Visual Analogue Scale (VAS), the Verbal Rating Scale (VRS), Partograph, and the Scale for Measuring Maternal Satisfaction in Birth (SMMSB). Results: In the active and transitional phases of labor, the VAS and VRS scores for labor pain perception of Group B were statistically significantly lower than the scores of Group A and C (p