MINNEAPOLIS -- A new tool is available for expectant mothers at a Twin Cities hospital that has the potential to reduce the likelihood of a cesarean section.
The Birthplace at University of Minnesota Masonic Children's Hospital in Minneapolis is the first and only labor and delivery unit in the state to offer birthing slings during labor.
A birthing sling is a ribbon of cloth that hangs from the ceiling of a delivery room. There are several ways expectant mothers can use the sling during labor. One example is sitting on an exercise ball while wrapping the sling under your arms. The sling is capable of holding more than 500 lbs. In October, The Birthplace installed six slings but there is the capability to hang one in every room.
"It's really another option or tool for women to use to help them in labor. It gives them support and offers them a way to be upright and mobile during their labor," said Carrie Neerland, a certified nurse midwife at The Birthplace.
Neerland helped create the proposal to bring birthing slings to the hospital. According to Neerland, staying upright and mobile during labor makes contractions more effective so the duration of labor is shorter.
"In labor, the woman's pelvis is opening and so being upright helps the woman's pelvis to open and it helps the baby to more effectively fit through the birth canal and come down," Neerland explained.
According to Neerland, staying upright during labor can make it easier for women to cope with the pain--reducing epidural use and ideally the rate of c-sections.
"It was just really kind of an amazing experience," said Lauren Harrison of Lakeville.
Harrison gave birth to Harper, a baby girl, on Nov. 10. She used the birthing sling during labor.
"The sling really does help your significant other or your doula or your partner, whoever is there helping you, to give them kind of that break," Harrison said.
During Harrison's pregnancy, she was diagnosed with a platelet disorder and said, "I was very happy to come to a hospital that supported that natural delivery while having the hospital here as a back up for anything that were to potentially go wrong."
Harrison's daughter was born healthy and Harrison had a quick recovery.
"That's the beauty of labor is that there's no right or wrong way to do it. As long as you get a healthy mom and a healthy baby out of it, that's all that matters," Harrison said.
Not all women are good candidates for the birthing sling. Women who use it need to be healthy and able to support their own weight during labor.
A couple birthing centers in the state use birthing slings but it is still not common in hospitals. Despite The Birthplace being the only hospital in Minnesota to use them, Neerland said other hospitals in the state have shown interest in them.