The effect of birth ball exercise on labor pain, delivery duration, birth comfort, and birth satisfaction: A randomized controlled study

Abstract Purpose This study aimed to examine the effect of birth ball exercise on labor pain, delivery duration, birth comfort, and birth satisfaction. Methods The study used a randomized controlled trial design. All 120 primipara pregnant women were randomly assigned to the intervention (IG) and control groups (CG). After the cervical dilatation reached at 4 cm, the pregnant women in the IG performed birth ball exercises, adhering to the birth ball guide created by the researcher. No intervention was made in the control group other than standard midwifery care practices. Results The labor pain level between the groups (VAS 1-when cervical dilatation was 4 cm) was similar to each other. The labor pain level (VAS 2- when cervical dilatation was 9 cm) scores of the women in the IG were significantly lower than those in the CG (p < 0.05). The time between the active phase of labor until dilatation is complete and the time until the baby's head comes out after full dilatation was found to be statistically significantly shorter in the IG compared to the CG (p  0.05). Conclusion As a result of the study, it was determined that the birth ball exercise significantly reduced labor pain and labor time. We recommend that the birth ball exercise be applied to all low-risk pregnant women because it helps fetal descent and cervical dilatation, and shortens labor pain and delivery time.